Carbohydrates are the primary source of glucose, or energy for your body. You need sufficient carbs to perform any activity. For intense exercise or activities that require endurance, you usually need an extra dose of energy to sustain you. You can perform most recreational activities on the stored glucose in your system, but to build stamina you need additional endurance to prevent fatigue and improve your performance. At the same time, a high protein diet boosts your mental state and allows you to sustain your activity levels.
Effects
When you have sufficient protein in your diet prior to an event that requires stamina, you may be able to sustain your efforts because you feel less stress. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, amino acids created by a high intake of protein often give you an edge when you need to build stamina. When your endurance activity requires intense physical exertion, you may find that carbs help you maintain stamina. As your activity intensifies, your muscles become depleted of glucose and you may run out of energy before you should if you don't pack up on carbs first.
Totality
The total number of calories you eat when participating in endurance events also plays an important role in how well you perform. To build muscle and maintain your cardiovascular stamina, serious endurance athletes need to eat about 23.6 calories per pound of body weight while in training and during endurance activities. Between 500 and 600 g of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. Your protein consumption should average about 0.68 calories per pound of body weight, or between 88 and 102 g of protein per day.
Considerations
In addition to the number of calories you ingest, you need to remain aware of how your body tolerates higher blood glucose levels to build stamina. Many athletes use the glycemic index to measure their diet's effectiveness. In addition to how much carbohydrates and protein a food contains, using the glycemic index, you'll also consider the types of sugar and starch in your food, how much fiber it contains and how it is cooked. Low glycemic foods take much longer to move through your system and help you build endurance. Low glycemic foods can include yogurt, apples, spaghetti and barley kernel bread.
Warnings
Unhealthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats found in processed foods and greasy fried food slow you down and zap your energy. You need fat to maintain cell development and stay alert for endurance events, but your fat should come from healthy unsaturated fats inherent in nuts, vegetable oils, seeds and grains. The timing of your eating is important as well. No matter how much you've loaded up prior to an event, you need to refuel your body every two to three hours. Hydration is another important factor in building stamina. You need to drink about 8 oz. of fluids every 15 5o 20 minutes to sustain your high performance levels.
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