As an athlete, you can put in the long, hard hours of focused training, but it will all be for naught on the day of your competition unless you eat the right foods. Consuming the proper nutrition to supply your working muscles with the right nutrients and fuel is a key factor in helping you to perform and compete well. Also, you need to time your eating correctly -- before, during and after your training session, race or event.
Carbohydrates for Fuel
No matter what your sport or form of exercise, when you exercise, your working muscles burn glycogen or complex carbohydrates as their primary source of fuel, especially as the intensity of your workout increases. "Endurance Sports Nutrition," by Suzanne Girard Eberle, notes that once you consume and digest carbohydrates, they are transported directly to your muscles where they are stored in the muscle fibers ready for immediate use. Excess glycogen is stored in your liver for when reserve fuel is needed.
Protein
Eberle emphasizes that you need to have enough protein in your diet to make up for the loss of amino acids that are burned during exercise, and to repair any muscle damage that occurred during a hard workout or race. Another bonus of having protein in your diet is that it stabilizes your blood sugar level and allows you to feel full longer. Your body will also utilize your stored protein for fuel once you have depleted your glycogen stores. She also says that athletes should eat about 0.75 g of protein for every pound. For example, a 150-lb. athlete will need to consume 95 g of protein a day.
Fat
The third source of food used as fuel when you exercise is fat. While you may shy away from eating fat because of its unhealthy reputation, you soon learn that it is a necessary ingredient of your diet as an athlete. Eberle notes that fat is a concentrated source of energy with more than twice the potential energy than protein or carbs -- 9 calories per gram for fat as opposed to 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrate. You will be happy to eat enough fat when you understand that fat provides 50 percent of your fuel when you work out at moderate to low intensity.
Carb, Protein and Fat Sources
Monique Ryan, author of "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes," states that a balanced sports nutrition diet includes 60 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent fat and 15 percent protein. She notes that good sources of complex carbohydrates are grains, breads, rice and pasta, fruit and vegetables. Protein food sources come from milk, yogurt, meat, poultry and fish, cheese, eggs and soy beans. Finally, fat is obtained by consuming oils, nuts, seeds and fat from animal sources such as meat. You can add to your sports diet with one of the many sports supplements such as shakes, sports gels and energy bars.
Post-Workout
Consuming the right nutrients immediately after a long, intense bout of exercise is of prime importance in proper recovery, according to Edmund Burke, Ph.D., in "Optimal Muscle Recovery." He states that your ability to perform at a high level of exercise day after day is limited by the extent of your muscle recovery. Many post-workout recovery drinks are available, and offer the right balance of carbs, protein, fats, and other minerals and nutrients. It is recommended that you drink it within 20 to 30 minutes after an intense workout when your body more readily absorbs it to refuel. In lieu of an expensive post-workout drink, a pint of chocolate milk may work just as well.
References
- "Endurance Sports Nutrition"; Suzanne Girard Eberle; 2000
- "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes"; Monique Ryan; 2002
- "Optimal Muscle Recovery"; Edmund Burke, Ph.D.; 1999
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