Science has shown that proper nutrition can benefit athletes by helping to sustain energy over long workouts or competitions as well as in aiding to restore and rebuild tired muscles. Eating the right combination of foods and beverages may impact your sports performance nearly as much as your well-planned workouts.
Getting the Right Amount of Food
Determining how much to eat is an important aspect of any diet plan. Participation in sports requires more energy, and athletes may need to increase their calories to keep up with harder training. Several calorie calculators are available online to tell you how many calories you may need. While these are never exact, it helps to have an idea based on your gender, size, age and activity level. If you are playing recreational sports with a goal of losing weight, find your caloric need and then consume about 500 calories less per day.
About Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates when consumed as food get converted to muscle glycogen and used during sports for energy. Athletes who skimp on carbohydrates do not fully restore their muscles' energy supply and may consistently under-perform. The American College of Sports Medicine, the American Dietetic Association, and the Dietitians of Canada recommend that athletes in training consume 6 to 10g of carbohydrates per day for every kg of body weight. The best sources of carbohydrate to put on your plate include fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and breads, brown rice or whole wheat pasta, beans, legumes and low fat dairy products.
Protein and Fat in an Athlete's Diet
While protein doesn't provide the body with lots of energy, it is necessary for muscle building and repair. The ACSM recommends that endurance athletes take in 1.2 to 1.4g of protein per day for each kilogram of body weight, while athletes in strength type sports consume 1.6 to 1.7g of protein per day for each kilogram of body weight. Seeking out lean sources of protein is important to keep the diet relatively low in fat. Fat should take up only 20 to 25 percent of calories. The best sources of lean protein include fish, chicken or turkey breast, lean cuts of beef or pork, soy products, beans, legumes, eggs and low fat dairy.
Sample Daily Plan
Breakfast might include oatmeal with some nuts and berries, orange juice, and yogurt. A snack of fresh fruit and string cheese mid-morning, and a lunch of chicken breast sandwich on whole bread with tomato and pesto spread, a side of pineapple, fig bars, and milk. A banana and whole wheat crackers make up an easy afternoon snack, followed by a dinner including a beef and vegetable stir fry over brown rice, a light cabbage salad, mandarin oranges, and milk or milk substitute. In addition to healthy eating throughout the day, athletes are advised to consume water frequently to stay well hydrated for practice and games.
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