by Registered Dietitian
Nutrition That Scores High-level athletic performance requires food and nutrient intake that is customized to each athlete’s sport, training schedule and individual needs. Many young athletes have typical eating patterns that will actually decrease their chances to reach their peak performance. Proper types, amounts and timing of meals are especially critical throughout puberty when nutrition can make its greatest contribution to a young athlete’s future adult overall physical stature. Improper nutrition throughout these years can prevent one from developing to their full potential in all areas. Furthermore, everybody’s daily energy level potential is entirely determined by how and when they fuel their body in relation to their sport activities. Anything less than eating within the basic guidelines for a specified activity, including meal composition and timing, simply leads to a lower energy potential when compared to proper eating. And this can be the difference between a strong or not-so-strong start and finish of the game/workout. When your energy systems are full, you always feel your best, think better, react quicker, last longer and recover faster. Proper nutrition can
We’ll begin with the basics of performance nutrition and in later articles discuss energy systems, meal timing, pre- and post-training/competition meals and much more. So stay tuned and you’ll definitely stay a cut above your competition. Energy is Everything The daily calorie intake for every young athlete should provide the energy needed for growth and development, optimal functioning as well as all training and activities. Just as a high performance car uses a special blend of gasoline to achieve peak performance, athletes also require the proper mixture of fuel (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) to perform optimally. Therefore, the “blend” of fuel and timing of meals and snacks are critical to maximizing performance potential. Daily calorie requirements will be different for each athlete but general recommendations are as follows:1
Carbohydrates – High-Performance Fuel Carbohydrates (fruit, breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.) are the body’s primary and preferred energy source. Once eaten, they rapidly break down to blood sugar (glucose). The brain, nervous system and muscles are fueled mostly by glucose. Therefore, a continuous supply of carbohydrate is necessary to prevent body stores from being depleted. Not getting the right amount of carbohydrate leads to low energy levels, fatigue and significantly impaired performance. Proper management of the amounts, types and timing of this nutrient is required to fill and refill the main “gas tank”. Key carbohydrate guidelines are listed here:
Not So Great Carb Meal Choices
Protein – The Building Blocks Muscles and other body tissues are made up of proteins. Although protein contains the same amount of energy as carbohydrates, its primary function is the growth and repair of these tissues. Because it is not the body’s preferred source of energy, very little protein is used for fuel unless carbohydrate availability is limited or energy demands are extreme. In this case, protein is detoured from its main functions and broken down for fuel. Consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrates insures that protein is used for building and repairing tissues preventing the loss of muscle; in other words, carbohydrate is protein sparing. General protein recommendations are listed below:
Good/Better Protein Meal Choices
Not So Great Protein Meal Choices
Dietary fats are essential to health because they help deliver vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for normal growth and functioning. However, most people get more than enough fat in their diet. Furthermore, fat is not the main energy source during exercise and the body’s stores cannot be depleted during exercise. This means that daily fat intake is less important than carbohydrate and protein. In fact, what leads to fatigue - or what athletes refer to as “bonking” or “hitting the wall” – is the depletion of carbohydrates. Guidelines for fat intake are listed below:
Summary Based on the sport, the goal of performance nutrition is to eat carbohydrates, protein and fats in ideal amounts and at proper times to allow athletes to perform at a high level and maintain normal growth and development patterns. By keeping protein intake within the proper range to satisfy growth and repair, consume as much carbohydrate as necessary to keep filling the main “gas tank” and leave the remaining calories for dietary fats. Now let’s start getting dialed-in and watch for the next issue. We’ll be addressing loading energy systems for explosive workouts and prolonged training and proper meal timing in the next couple weeks.
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