Hello Spearo and Apnea freaks ... question ?

after watching William Trubridge bust the HECTOMETER (100m unassisted) on the 27 Dec 2010 [check it out here inspiring 6mins ever http://vimeo.com/18213129 :blink: ]

i was wondering what kind of a diet would he be on ...

im sure he busted Gym, Running, Yoga, Pilates and and and ...

he must have left stuff out his diet to help get down there besides the obvious MACdonalds, Wacky Wednesdays, the 6 pack of beers, biltong and peanuts and what ever...

any comments???

"I take 10g/day of spirulina, and the odd vitamin, but that's about it."
William Trubridge*

(*quote taken from this this old training diary of his: forums.deeperblue.com/general-freediving...-diary-81m-cwnf.html)

Diet is actually a huge subject. From mineral supplements (e.g. iron) to proper electrolyte replenishment after diving, to effect of stimulants (e.g. caffeine) on breathhold ability, and so on.

I'd like to suggest questions be more targeted towards specific aspects of the diet and tackle them separately. That way, we get better quality of answers.

Tom

Hi SpearoNT,

I'm going to stick my neck out here, diet does help a little and genetics even more ... I'm no medical doctor, however the need to understand what is going on in your body when freediving has become very important to me so I’ve been researching and the unfortunate thing is you never stop researching… ask my buddy Tom.

Blood pH balance … although there is a fine margin here, without getting to technical,

Acidic vs. Alkaline
Blood pH balance is very important to the well being of the body and maintains itself within the range of 6.8 – 7.4.

Oxygen can not be dissolved in water however carbon dioxide is soluble and a chemical reaction occurs when CO2 dissolves in water, this reaction is called carbonic acid. This conclusion tells us CO2 is able to dissolve in blood plasma and the rest of the “body water”. When this chemical reaction occurs in the blood plasma, the blood acidity levels increase and blood alkaline levels decrease proportionately however still maintaining within its delicate range.

Acidic Blood:-
The “Bohr Effect” states oxygen release occurs from the Hb (hemoglobins) when adequate acidity is present in the bloodstream. Therefore acidic blood is favorable for apnea practice because C02 builds up in the bloodstream when 02 is metabolized and it needs to be expelled as a waste product, hence the urge to breath is triggered.
Acidity in blood can be achieved through dietary or by elevating Co2 levels in the bloodstream.

Alkaline Blood:-
Too higher levels of blood alkalinity hinder the release of 02 molecules from the Hb. When hyperventilating, the CO2 levels drop making the blood become very alkaline. This prevents the hemoglobin from releasing O2 and loss of CO2 causes blood vessels to start vasoconstriction. The action starts to prevent the flow of 02 to the vasoconstricted areas and the result is the tingling sensation and fading vision experienced when hyperventilating. If hyperventilation persists and further lowering of C02 is forced, the body goes into a condition called Hypocapnia. This condition suppressed the breathing reflex and oxygen is not being released from the Hb, this condition leaves an individual susceptible to loss of consciousness from Hypoxia.

Take all this and combine with a huge pair of lungs and you there my friend...hope I was of some help.

Later,
Fernando.

So based on what Fernando "the NON Medical Practitioner" said... "Acidity in blood can be achieved through dietary or by elevating Co2 levels in the bloodstream."

thats what im after...

how can Acidity in the blood can be changed ?

Tom, thanks for the reply... and here are the specific diet questions that are not so obvious to me, and might help someone else here...

Would drinking coupes amounts of Wine, Beer or Coffee while the NE is busting outside increase blood acidity ?

and what about table salt, is it good or bad for diving?

Suffering from sinus a bit the obvious is no more milk... BUT are there any other food groups that one should watch out for, that might hinder downtime???

I stand under correction, but I believe ostrich biltong helps, tastes great, its lean meat and great to take along as a snack on the boat when going out spearing.

Sinus … eish buddy … I’m in sympathy with you here. I use “Octrivin” (I’ll check the spelling) works for me.

Cool Tom ... what effect does caffine have on breathhold ...??? and what do you use to replenish electrolytes after a dive because im sure lack of electrolytes is the main cause of becoming " somewhat stupid" after a dive....