Athlete Nutrition: The Guide for High Achievers

When it comes to sports and exercise, we can certainly say that training is the basis of performance. However, any athlete who wants to achieve very good results is aware that training is not everything.

The body’s muscles, tendons, and fibers, along with nerves, need nutritional compounds to be able to support physical effort. Of course, this intake of beneficial elements can only be ensured through a healthy and balanced diet.

In the following sections, we will discuss the diet of a performance athlete. We will establish what it should contain, both in terms of ingredients and quantity. At the same time, we will also discover what natural supplements are suitable for them.

Athlete Nutrition – Its Importance for the Best Results

Nutrition is essential for supporting an athlete’s overall health and training needs.

A proper diet provides a person with enough energy and nutrients to meet the demands of training and physical exercise. Besides helping to achieve all goals, it also ensures physical recovery in the shortest possible time.

In addition to consuming sufficient amounts of calories and macronutrients, athletes may need other elements. This includes various vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients for recovery and peak performance.

Moreover, athletes may need to consider their meal timings and maintain optimal hydration levels at all times.

What is the first step to ensuring an athlete’s diet?

There must be a correlation between proper nutrition and movement during training. To boost the body’s energy and endurance capacity, we can include natural Arónia and Sea Buckthorn Juice in the diet. The product is suitable even for the most demanding workouts. This is because it regulates blood pressure, preventing heart attacks. Thus, the juice helps the heart remain strong, even when it is often very strained.

Furthermore, the combination of these two fruits is also beneficial for regulating blood sugar and controlling body weight. Just 150ml per day after meals helps us metabolize all ingested foods properly, without the risk of affecting blood sugar levels.

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Lastly, the chemical composition of Arónia and Sea Buckthorn juice is ideal for athlete nutrition. Vitamins A, B, E, K, P, as well as magnesium, calcium, and iron are some of the elements the body greatly needs during training. Thus, we can rely on such a product to ensure our nutrient supplement, in addition to healthy and balanced meals.

So, what are the main elements linking nutrition and sports?

When it comes to demanding workouts, athletes should pay attention to the following:

• caloric needs proportional to the type of sport practiced;
• the quantities and concentrations of macronutrients they must include in their diet;
• fixed meal and snack times;
• vitamins and minerals for recovery and performance;
• adequate hydration.

Of course, these elements must be adapted according to the type of sport practiced, as well as its intensity and duration. Taking all the aspects into account, any athlete can correctly create their own training and nutrition plan.

What elements should not be missing from an athlete’s nutrition?

It can be said that sports and nutrition must always be interconnected. Therefore, when creating a diet for athletes, quality foods, specifically adapted to their needs, must be chosen.

Dietary guidelines suggest that the optimal macronutrient ratios for performance athletes are as follows:

• Carbohydrates: 45-65% of total calories;
• Proteins: 10-35% of caloric value;
• Fats: 20-35% of calories.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition complements this statement. The Society points out that these values can be adapted according to the objective of physical activity.

For example, an endurance athlete may increase the amount of carbohydrates they eat. In parallel, a strength athlete needs an increased protein intake.

When focusing on sports and healthy eating, it is important to include several elements. Among these, the essential and non-negligible ones are:

Carbohydrates in Sports and Nutrition

This category receives primary attention in sports nutrition due to the vital role it plays in the performance of athletes and beyond.

Carbohydrates are usually the preferred “fuel” source for many athletes. This is especially true for high-intensity and long-duration exercises. Increased carbohydrate requirements are explained by the fact that they ensure ample storage of glycogen and blood glucose. Thus, optimum needs for all physical exercises can be met.

To maintain liver and muscle glycogen stores, athletes will need different amounts of carbohydrates depending on the volume of their exercise.

For moderate training, in the form of 2-3 hours per day of intense exercise performed 5-6 times a week: it is recommended to consume 5-8 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight or 250-1200 g of carbohydrates per day. This applies to athletes weighing between 50 and 150 kg.

For intense training, 3-6 hours per day for 5-6 days a week: 8-10 g/kg body weight or 400-1500 g of carbohydrates per day for athletes weighing 50-150 kg.

For example, a 150 kg athlete engaged in intense training should consume approximately 1200-1500 g of carbohydrates daily.

Healthy carbohydrates for an athlete’s diet can include whole grains. These include brown rice, quinoa, oats, and pasta, as well as potatoes.

The Protein Every Athlete Needs

Proteins also play an essential role in athlete nutrition. They provide the body with the necessary amount of amino acids to help build and repair muscles and tissues.

Athletes who engage in intense training can include double the recommended amount of protein in their diet.

For example, the reference dietary intake for women is 46 g, and for men, it is 56 g. Therefore, it can be beneficial for athletes to consume approximately 92 g and 112 g of protein, respectively. Of course, this applies to demanding, intense, and prolonged training.

The Sports Association suggests that many practitioners can safely consume 2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight daily. For reference, the daily dose recommended by the same association is only 0.8 g/kg.

However, optimal protein intake can vary from 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg of body weight per day. The lower dose can be adopted by athletes with moderate training, and the higher dose by those engaging in strenuous exercises.

For moderate training: 1.2-2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight is recommended. This translates to 60-300 g of protein per day for an athlete weighing between 50 and 150 kg.

For intense training: 1.7–2.2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day. This is equivalent to 85–330 g of protein for an athlete weighing 50–150 kg.

What protein sources can any athlete aiming for performance consider?

• lean meat, possibly poultry;
• fish and seafood;
• eggs and dairy products;
• beans and lentils;
• nuts and seeds;
• soy, including tofu and tempeh.

Fats Necessary for Correctly Executed Exercises

Fats are essential in the diet to maintain optimal bodily processes, such as hormonal metabolism and neurotransmitter function.

Including healthy fats in the diet helps with satiety. It can serve as an energy source for athletes performing intense efforts. However, athletes are advised to consume a moderate fat intake, representing about 30% of daily calories. Nevertheless, they can safely consume up to 50% of their daily calories as fat. Thus, higher volume training needs can be met.

Additionally, athletes looking to reduce their body fat percentage can lower their fat intake to 20% of daily calories. Sources of healthy fats include fatty fish, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

What products can be included in athletes’ diets to supplement daily nutritional intake?

Products with antioxidant properties, such as arónia and sea buckthorn, as well as other fruits and vegetables, are elements that should not be missing from an athlete’s diet. This is due to their numerous benefits for health and performance. Antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, flavonoids, or carotenoids, are beneficial for performance athletes.

Benefits Provided by Natural Products with Antioxidants

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1. Combating Oxidative Stress: Intense physical activities can lead to excessive free radical production in the body. This process can cause oxidative stress and cell damage. Antioxidants from fruits and plants, such as arónia and sea buckthorn, help neutralize these free radicals and protect cells. Thus, not only is blood circulation maintained, but the aging process is also slowed down.
2. Improving Post-Workout or Post-Competition Recovery: Consuming fruits and plants helps accelerate the recovery process after intense workouts or competitions. Arónia and Sea Buckthorn Juice, along with a well-structured nutritional regimen, can help reduce inflammation, decrease muscle soreness, and repair damaged tissue.
3. Supporting the Immune System: Antioxidants are known for their ability to build the foundation of the immune system, which is particularly important for athletes. In many cases, intense training can temporarily suppress optimal immune function. Thus, regular consumption of plants can help reduce the risk of infections and illnesses, keeping athletes healthy and active.
4. Improving Performance and Physical Activity: Antioxidants are associated with an improved ability to withstand physical and mental stress. These chemical compounds can enhance oxygen flow to muscles, thereby improving endurance and performance during intense exercise.
5. Maintaining Cardiovascular Health: Regular fruit consumption is beneficial for maintaining cardiovascular health. This ensures a reduction in inflammation and blood pressure, improving vascular functions.
6. Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight: Fruits and plants with antioxidants are very rich in fiber and essential nutrients, and low in calories and unhealthy fats. Their regular consumption aids in weight management, an essential aspect for athletic performance.
7. Maintaining General Health: In addition to clear benefits for athletes, regular consumption of antioxidant fruits and plants can contribute to maintaining overall well-being. A healthy diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions.

Conclusions

For athletes, fruits and plants should be part of their daily diet. Of course, this should be supplemented with other nutritious foods, such as high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Choosing the best foods will help us give our best and perform!

References:

1. Purcell & Canadian Paediatric Society – Sport nutrition for young athletes. Paediatrics & child health
2. Meghan RN Bentley, Louise Sutton Nigel Mitchell & Susan H Backhouse Sports nutritionists’ perspectives on enablers and barriers to nutritional adherence in high performance sport
3. Grandjean AC. Practices and recommendations of sports nutritionists

Cover photo source: image by Brooke Lark on Unsplash.com