by There’s no doubt that sports are a big part of the Australian psyche. From a young age, we are encouraged to exercise and participate in sports to ensure positive health and well-being. But we often overlook the role of diet and nutrition in sports performance, not only for training and competition, but also for recovery between training sessions and long-term health.
So what dietary components should we consider for peak sports performance?
Adequate energy intake
It may sound obvious, but all athletes – whether they are everyday or elite – need enough energy to play sport at their best. Since energy comes from the food you eat, it’s important to understand your overall energy needs so you can maintain your performance across training sessions, match days, and recovery times between sessions.
You also need plenty of energy for general health, and to reduce your risk of Relative Energy Deficits (REDs). This happens when athletes do not eat enough to match the energy they use in their sporting activities. REDs can lead to health problems such as fatigue, weakened bones, and poor performance, and if they continue for a long time, RED can cause serious health problems with heart health, bones, growth , and even mental health. To avoid REDs, it is important that athletes consume enough energy from food to fuel their bodies properly.
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Think about your carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are macronutrients that provide quick bursts of energy to support endurance or resistance training. If you exercise daily, you will need to eat whole grain carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, pasta and rice, as well as fruits and vegetables that provide carbohydrates, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn.
If you train for about an hour a day, you will need a daily intake of between 5-7g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight. And, if you train between 1-3 hours a day you will need around 6-10g per kg of body weight.
If a single training or competition session lasts for less than 60 minutes, you usually do not need to supplement with additional carbohydrates during training.
For those who train or compete for more than 60 minutes, additional carbohydrates are needed to ensure peak performance, with athletes requiring between 60-90g of high GI carbohydrates per hour. High GI carbs will maximize how quickly the nutrients are absorbed and delivered to your working muscles when you need the energy supply.
The best carbohydrate source for you depends a lot on your preferences and what you can tolerate. Some options include sports drinks containing CHO, jam sandwiches, crackers, energy gels, easy-to-eat fruit such as bananas and muesli bars.
A place for protein
Protein is essential for maintaining and building muscle mass, but it is also essential for general tissue repair and to help maintain your immune system.
Your protein intake will vary depending on whether you are an endurance athlete or a resistance athlete, but you will need to eat more protein than a non-exerciser. Protein needs start anywhere from 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight for endurance athletes, to two grams per kilogram of body weight for resistance-based athletes. We find that most athletes already meet their protein requirements, so it may be more relevant for vegetarians and vegans to pay more attention to protein intakes.
Keep up your fluids
Although not a nutrient, fluids are a vital part of your diet that you must consider. All athletes should have a fluid plan – to prevent dehydration and regulate body temperature. On average, a person should consume about 2 liters of fluid each day. As an athlete, you will need to drink more, but it is difficult to generalize exactly how much. This will vary for each athlete as it will depend on exercise level, environmental conditions (such as heat and wind) and individual sweat rates. When you don’t consume enough water, your physical and cognitive performance starts to deteriorate, which will clearly affect your sports performance.
As for general tests for adequate hydration, the simplest check is the color of your urine on the first morning, which should be a light grass color.
Should you be using ergogenic supplements?
Once you have established a healthy eating plan, which meets your energy and carbohydrate needs to fuel your training, you can consider using some supplements.
Some that are backed by science and won’t harm you include:
- Creatine monohydrate It is a useful supplement for vegetarians and vegans, as this protein is only found in muscle meat. It helps regenerate your creatine-phosphate energy system, which is responsible for stimulating quick bursts of activity, such as lifting weights, sprinting for the finish line, or marking the football.
- Beet supplements contain nitrate, which your body, including the microbiome in your mouth, converts into nitric oxide. When this happens, it dilates your blood vessels, delivering more blood (and therefore oxygen) to your working muscles. As bacteria are essential in generating this process, it is important that athletes do not use oral or oral anti-bacterial suppositories as this will limit the effectiveness of the beet supplement. For performance benefits, the beet product (juice, powder or food) should contain between 350-600mg of inorganic nitrate.
- Caffeine it’s a stimulant that reduces your perceived work effort, allowing you to train harder and perform at a better level. You need about 3mg of caffeine per kg of body weight. Although coffee is a great way to get the kick you need, the levels vary greatly from coffee shop to coffee shop, and even from one barista to another. Therefore, athletes mostly take caffeine as a supplement to get their proper dose.
As with any ergogenic supplement, it is always important to test it in training before using it in competition. This way, you can monitor how your body reacts to it during heavy exercise. Some ergonomic supplements can cause side effects, such as gastrointestinal disturbances, runner’s diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and headaches, so it is very important that you check the effect on your body .
The bottom line
Adding enough of the right nutrients to your body can make a huge difference to your performance and health. Remember, there are many great resources on healthy eating, fuel for performance and your health, so be sure to check out the Sports Dietitian Australia (SDA), Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating ( AGHE) websites. For more personalized advice, please see your accredited sports dietitian.
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