Influence of Nutrition on Athletic Performance

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Nutrition and athletes are inextricably linked. Proper nutrition and diet are crucial in optimizing and maintaining athletic performance, enabling sports person to achieve their potential. Nutrients affect player’s vigor, achievement and recovery. Moreover, diet schedule and timing are crucial in sports outcomes. Athletic performance can be enhanced by consuming proper diet containing all essential nutrients and hydration management. Athletes of all levels, youth to professional, are turning to better diet just to improve the trajectory of their performance.

Daily Training Diet Requirements

The basic training diet should be enough to:

·       Provide sufficient energy and nutrients to fulfill the demand of exercise and training.

·       Enhance adaptations and recovery between training sessions

·       Include a wide range of foods such as cereals, vegetables (leafy green varieties), wholegrain breads, fruits, meat and dairy products, to enhance long term nutrition behaviors.

·       Enable the athlete to gain neutral body weight and low body fat levels for better performance.

·       Provide adequate fluids to ensure the hydration before, during and after the exercise.

·       Promote the short and long-term health.

Athlete’s Diet

An athlete’s diet should be similar to that recommended diet for general public, with energy intake divided into:

·       Carbohydrates (45 to 65%)

·       Proteins (15 to 25%)

·       Lipids or fat (20 to 35%)

Athletes who exercise strenuously for more than 90 minutes may need to increase the amount of energy they consume, particularly carbohydrates sources. The current recommendations for fat intake are to follow similar recommendations to those given for general community, with preference for fats coming from avocado, olive oils, nuts and seeds.

Athletes should also minimize the intake of rich-fat foods such as pastries, cakes, biscuits, chips and fried foods.

Carbohydrates and Exercise

During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into sugars (glucose), that are primary source of energy. After absorption, glucose can be converted into glycogen and stored in muscle tissues and liver. Stored glycogen can be used as a key energy source during exercise to fuel the exercising tissues. Athletes can also increase the glycogen in their body by regularly eating rich-carbohydrates foods.

If diet lacks amount of carbohydrates, a person’s ability to exercise may be compromised due to less glycogen stored in body.

Carbohydrates are Essential for Fuel

The recommendations for carbohydrates requirements vary depending on intensity of exercise and its duration. Unrefined carbohydrates such as cereals and wholegrain breads, should form the basis of athlete’s diet. Refined carbohydrates such as jams, bread and lollies, are useful to enhance the intake of carbohydrates, particularly for healthy and active people.

Athletes are advised to maintain the amount of carbohydrates they consume as fuel for exercise. For example:

·       Light intensity exercise (30min/day): 3 to 5g/kg/day

·       Moderate intensity exercise (60min/day): 6 to 10g/kg/day

·       Extreme exercise (more than 4hours/day): 8 to 12g/kg/day.

Pre-event Meal

The pre-event meal is vital part of athlete’s pre-exercise preparation. A high carbohydrate meal 3 to 4 hours before exercise is thought to have positive effects on athlete’s performance. A small snack 1 to 2 hours before exercise may also benefit performance. Consuming approximately 500 ml of fluid in 2 to 4 hours before any event may be general strategy to take.

A meal rich in fat, protein or fibre is likely to increase the risk of digestive discomfort. It is recommended that meal just before exercise or event should be rich in carbohydrates as they don’t cause gastrointestinal upset. Examples for effective pre-exercise meals and snacks contain cereal and low-fat milk, muffins/toast/crumpets, fruit salad, yoghurt, pasta with tomato-based sauce and low-fat creamed rice.

Protein and Sporting Performance

Protein is a vital part of diet and plays a important role in post-exercise recovery and repair. The amount of protein recommended for sporting people is slightly higher than that recommended for general public. For example:

·       For general public: the recommended amount of protein is 0.8 to 1 g/kg of body weight

·       For sports people involved in non-endurance events: people who exercise fir 45 to 60 minutes daily, should consume between 1 to 1.2 g of protein daily.

·       For sports people involved in endurance events: people who exercise more than 60 minutes, should consume between 1.2 to 2.0 g protein of body weight per day.

·       Athletes trying to lose weight: increased protein intakes up to 2.0g/kg of body weight per day can be beneficial in reducing muscle mass.

Conclusion

The impact or influence of nutrition on athletic performance is undeniable. Proper diet and hydration pointedly shape energy, recovery and feats. Increased athletic potential can be achieved via initialed nutrition plans and apt nutrient timing. By active uptake of nutrients, players can elevate their strength and reach peak levels.