Hello friends!
Today, I wanted to share a little wisdom about nutrition, and emphasize the importance of proper nourishment as part of the whole athletic performance equation. You are what you eat they say, so make sure to start paying attention to what you decide to fuel your body with!
Almost every athlete is highly committed to their specific athletic activities, but how many go the extra mile and pay attention to what they eat and provide their bodies with on a daily basis? You do not need to know everything there is about nutrition but there are certain nutritional guidelines you should consider in order to optimize your individual performance. This will not only help you become a better athlete but also help you understand what it takes to adopt a lifelong healthy lifestyle that will ensure greater overall life satisfaction.
With this in mind, we developed general guidelines that generate a nutritional framework specifically for athletes, which should be executed on a daily basis! However, it needs to be mentioned that an athlete’s nutritional needs are very unique to the respective individual based on a multitude of factors. Therefore, this list is not supposed to provide a specialized nutrition plan for each athlete, but more so highlight the most important factors that can make the greatest impact on each athlete. We do believe that if you can start implementing the guidelines, it will not only make you better but also increase your understanding of the importance of nutrition for outstanding athletic performance and bring you one step closer to becoming the best athlete that YOU can be!
TOP 5 Nutrition Tips for Athletes
1. Drink enough fluids throughout the day and replace lost electrolytes!
Sweating during exercise depletes the body of both fluids and electrolytes. Electrolytes help transmit nerve signals in your body. Only after intense practices or workouts consider replenishing yourself by utilizing sports drinks high in electrolytes in addition to water.
2. Load up on carbohydrates since they are an athlete's main fuel!
Choose “good carbs” (including most fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, legumes, brown rice, etc.) over “bad carbs” (including white bread, most breakfast cereals, cakes, doughnuts, etc.).
Daily total intake should be around 1.6-2 g/kg body mass spread out into feedings every 3-4 hours (e.g. so for a 70kg individual 120-140g of protein will be necessary daily). This could be 4-5 servings/day + 1 casein rich protein source such as Greek yogurt, milk, or cheese before bed for optimal muscle recovery!1
- 3 eggs + 2 slices of turkey bacon (~30g Protein)
- 2-4 protein pancakes (~15-25g Protein)
- 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (~15g Protein)
- 1 whey protein shake (~30-40g Protein)
- 1/2 cup of raw mixed nuts (~10g Protein)
- 1 cup of edamame beans (~20g Protein)
- 1 cup of chickpeas (~15g Protein)
- 100g chicken breast (~30g Protein)
- 100g Salmon (~20g Protein)
Dietary fat intake should range from 0.5-1g/kg body mass per day consumed through foods naturally rich in fats such as nuts, avocado, butter, etc. in small portions for proper immune system function (e.g. so for a 70kg individual 35-70g of healthy fats will be necessary daily).2
- 1/2 cup of raw mixed nuts (~20g Fat)
- 1/2 avocado (~15g Fat)
- 2 Tbsp. of nut butter (~10-15g Fat)
5. Do NOT skip meals!
Regular food intake provides you with the opportunity to get the most out of each training session by helping you prepare optimally for performance and aiding you in the following recovery process.
Give it a try!
- Phil
5th Quarter Recovery
1Areta, José L et al. (2013)“Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged recovery from resistance exercise alters myofibrillar protein synthesis.” The Journal of physiology vol. 591,9 (2013): 2319-31. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2012.244897
2Kreider et. al (2010) ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research &recommendations Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 7:7