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Athletes spend much more energy on a daily basis than the average human being. The nature of their work (for lack of a better word) requires them to be in top physical form every day of every week in a year. This is why their health needs are on a completely different level, with them needing a nutritionally balanced diet that can supply them with the strength they need to perform their best. Their diet has to help them achieve the body weight and strength that is required for their sport. Here are some things that all athletes need to look out for when they decide what to include in and exclude from their diet.
Nearly every sports nutritionist has emphasized the importance of carbohydrates, whether it is through articles, visual media or personal advice. Our bodies change carbohydrates into glucose, which is then stored in our muscles as glycogen. On average, our muscles have enough glycogen to sustain us through a 90-minute workout. Athletes work for much longer than that, sometimes even training for ten hours or more. So, they need to consume much more carbohydrates than a regular person.
Iron is an essential nutrient for everyone, but it has extra importance in an athlete’s diet. Iron is a part of haemoglobin in blood and myoglobin in the muscles, which are two things that help transport oxygen to the muscles. Oxygen is another energy booster for the muscles, and lack of oxygen can cause fatigue and even muscle damage. This makes it an incredibly important part of an athlete’s diet. However, it’s important not to overdo it.
As with most other things, dehydration is a problem that should take much more seriously when it comes to athletes. Working out takes up a lot of our body fluids and not replenishing them regularly can lead to some serious repercussions. Athletes should try to drink water as much and as often as possible, especially during intensive workouts. Most sports nutritionists suggest looking at the colour of the urine to check whether enough fluids are being consumed. Endurance athletes, especially, need to drink roughly ten ounces of water or fluids every ten to fifteen minutes during an event or a high-intensity workout.
There are several reasons why athletes choose to drink these miracle drinks often. First of all, most sports drinks contain electrolytes, which help transmit nerve signals in your body. Sweating removes electrolytes along with fluids, so reaching for sports drinks can help replenish them. Second, some sports drinks contain extra carbohydrates which, as mentioned earlier, never go amiss when working out. Third, sports drinks contain certain amounts of sodium, which are really helpful in the absorption of fluids across the small intestine.
Athletes should have enough protein in their diet. Although protein doesn’t do much in the way of energy, it does have importance when it comes to maintaining the muscles. Every person needs a certain amount of protein based on their weight. This weight to protein ratio does not change for athletes, but it still means that they need to consume more than regular people, because they usually weigh much more anyway. However, it is important to make sure that the amount of protein consumed doesn’t exceed the daily suggested limit. Dieticians recommend that protein be taken from regular food rather than supplementary pills or powders, unless the athlete in question has a medically tested deficiency.
It is common knowledge that there are two types of fats; saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are the ones that athletes should consume in reasonable quantities, and saturated fats must be avoided at all costs. When carbohydrates run low, the human body begins using fats to gain more energy. This may make it seem like fats are an alternative to carbohydrates, but excess of fats can upset the stomach, which makes it a bad alternative.
Most of the requirements of an athlete’s diet can come from regular food, and all they have to do is plan their diet properly. Natural and unprocessed food items are highly recommended as any artificial element can be harmful to health.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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