Sports Nutrition for Optimum Performance
Sports Nutrition for Optimum Energy
Sports nutrition is one of the most important parts of an athlete’s career because it provides the most efficient source of energy (fuel) for athletes to train and compete at optimum levels and truly enhances recovery. Simply put, athletes use more energy than the average person and helping meet those energy needs is our top priority.
Whether your a competitive athlete, a fun run enthusiast, or someone who works out at the gym most days of the week, our food and nutrition experts can design an optimum diet plan to meet YOUR energy needs.
Benefits of Sports Nutrition
Sports nutrition offers many benefits including:
- Delays the onset of fatigue
- Enables you to train longer and at a higher intensity
- Enhances performance and concentration
- Helps your body composition and strength
- Helps maintain healthy immune function
- Promotes optimal recovery
- Reduces the chance of injury, the risk of muscle cramps, and stomach aches
Its About Combining The Right Foods To Fuel Peak Performance
An optimal nutrition plan is essential to support your training and help you achieve peak performance, all while promoting health and wellness. Like fuel for a sports car, you require energy to perform at top levels and it must be the right combination of fuel (calories) from:
- Carbohydrates – The most important fuel source, carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, cereals, rice, and other foods. Carbohydrates should provide about 60% to 70% of your daily calories.
- Proteins – Proteins are found in lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and dairy products. Proteins should provide approximately 12% to 15% of your daily calories. Depending on the intensity of your workout, the amount of protein consumption will vary from person-to-person. ADA recommends that the protein requirements for endurance and strength-training athletes should be between 1.2 and 1.7 g/kg body weight (0.5 – 0.8 grams per pound) for the best performance and health. This means for a person of about 70 kg, their daily protein needs would be between 84 – 119 grams, depending on the level of intensity. To give you an idea of how much this means in real food terms; 1 cup of wheat cereal provides 8g of protein, a glass 8 oz of milk provides 8g of protein, one chicken breast (~150g) provides 42g of protein, 2 cups of steamed brown rice contains 10g of protein. This adds up to 70 grams of protein already.
- Fat – Saturated fates come from animal-based foods, such as meats, eggs, milk, and cheese. Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable products, such as corn oil. Fats should provide no more than 20% to 30% of your daily calories.
- Vitamins & Minerals – Vitamins and minerals support energy metabolism, growth and development, muscle contraction, hydration balance, nerve function, tissue repair, bone metabolism, the transport of oxygen throughout your body, and immune function. Because vitamins and minerals perform such vital functions, its essential that your diet provides you with the proper dietary intake.
- Fluid – Water makes up about 60% of your body’s weight and is the most important nutrient for growth, repair, and physical activity. The water in your blood helps carry nutrients and energy to all the cells in your body. It also carries waste products away from your cells for excretion from the body. All of this metabolic activity requires an abundance of nutrients and energy.
Its About Eating Smart For Maximum Results
Athletes who want a winning edge need the right nutrients at the right time.
- Eating before exercise – Eating smart foods before physical activity can give you the energy and strength you need to finish strong.
- Eating during exercise – Some types of sports events last longer than a typical workout and may require mid-activity refueling. Eating foods that are easy to digest and rich in carbohydrates can help you maintain energy levels throughout the activity.
- Eating for recovery – After rigorous physical activity, your body may be lacking energy and nutrients it needs to recover. It is important to replace carbohydrates, sodium and potassium that are lost during exercise. Protein may also be needed to aid in muscle repair.
- Eating on the road – Many times physical activity requires eating away from home. If traveling with a team or simply looking to work out while on vacation, make sure that your body has the fuel it needs by choosing high performance food options with carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
- Hydration – Water is the most important factor in sports nutrition, therefore hydrate, hydrate, hydrate…. Water makes up about 60% of body weight and is involved in almost every body process. Your body cannot make or store water, so you must replace the water you eliminate in your urine and sweat. Each day we need to replace about 2 liters of water to replace body loses or there will be a gradual reduction in performance, physical, and mental activity.
- Eating for endurance – If your an endurance athlete, your energy requirements are high. You will require a diet high in carbohydrates, moderate in fat and adequate in protein.
- Eating for resistance training – If your a resistance athlete, you will need a diet that provides carbohydrates for energy and moderate amounts of fat and protein.
As food and nutrition experts, we can design an optimum nutrition plan to meet YOUR energy needs ensuring peak performance is achieved.
If you have specific questions about our Sports Nutrition services or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact the Nutrition Clinic of Northern California today.