Nutrition & Sports Nutrition Supplements for athletes Replenish Carbs, Minerals , whey protein and water during the training sessions. As an athlete, a key to an active lifestyle is your physical health. It takes time, patience and of course training for being your best. Your body will not work without fuel. One must focus on getting enough calories, Vitamins and other essential nutrients.
A diet for athletes is not much different than any individual who is striving to be healthy. One must include all the food groups in the daily diet. Depending upon the type of sport, the amount of training and duration of training, an athlete should eat more or less of certain foods.
Each and every person’s needs are different depending on your age, height, weight and activity level. One should be able to replace the calories burned each day. Mostly the daily calorie requirements of people are between 1500 – 2000Kcal per day and for athletes additional 500-1000Kcal can be added depending on the requirements. Talk to our Nutritionist about your daily Nutritional requirements and your daily calorie count.
Here are some Nutrition and supplements Tips to keep your athletic performance on top:
- Balance the Macros – Macronutrients are important three components of food that are Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats. Carbohydrates are an important source of energy and protein helps in building muscle and recovery. It is important to keep limited intake of Fat and focus on the unsaturated ones. One of the trending myths about Macros is “All athletes should follow high protein and low carbohydrate diets.” Your body needs Glycogen (stored form of glucose) to maintain the athletic performance and energy. The intake of Carbohydrates and Protein varies depending on your activity level and sport.
- Get your Fibers (Micronutrients) – It refers to all the Vitamins and Minerals. Athletes should make sure to meet the daily requirements of Minerals like Calcium and Vitamin D with Iron, Zinc and Magnesium.
- Hydrate Well – What keeps you hydrated is also very important. Sports drinks can help you in replacing electrolytes you lost in the training. But, drinking water throughout the day is also important to stay hydrated.
Nutrition Supplements that helps Athletes to improve the athletic performance:
- Calcium & Vitamin D – Calcium and Vitamin D supplements help the body to build and maintain muscles and bones. It also helps to maintain muscle mass and strength. Consumption of calcium can reduce the risk of injuries such as fractures.
- Ashwagandha – Ashwagandha is known as an ayurvedic herb. Many studies have observed the effects of Ashwagandha on Endurance athletes. Consumption of Ashwagandha for 8 to 12 weeks can improve your athletic performance.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C is important to promote a healthy immune system. It also helps to prevent the dip in immune function observed after exercise. Vitamin C can help athletes to fight against the oxidative stress occurring from the exercise.
- Caffeine – Caffeine has studied to reduce fatigue during the training session and it can also improve endurance and can increase muscular strength.
- BCAA (L- Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine) – Research has shown that BCAA supplementation can reduce fatigue and muscle damage better than carbohydrate-only drinks. Each of these Amino Acids has their own functions. L- Leucine helps in reducing fatigue and prevents muscle breakdown. L-Isoleucine helps to improve glucose uptake and maintains energy levels. L-Valine helps to enhance mental performance.
The Bottom Line for Nutrition & Supplements
The Nutritional requirements for each and every athlete is different depending on their age, height, weight, activity level and sport. It is important to include all the three Macronutrients with micronutrients in the daily diet to improve athletic performance.
Sometimes supplements are helpful to increase your athletic performance. The supplements to improve athletic performance are Vitamin & Minerals Supplements and Protein and Amino Acids Supplements.
References:
- Purcell LK; Canadian Paediatric Society, Paediatric Sports and Exercise Medicine Section. Sport nutrition for young athletes. Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(4):200-205. doi:10.1093/pch/18.4.200
- Peeling, P., Binnie, M. J., Goods, P. S., Sim, M., & Burke, L. M. (2018). Evidence-based supplements for the enhancement of athletic performance. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 28(2), 178-187.
- Wagenmakers, Anton J.M. Amino acid supplements to improve athletic performance, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care: November 1999 – Volume 2 – Issue 6 – p 539-544
- Telford, R. D., Catchpole, E. A., Deakin, V., Hahn, A. G., & Plank, A. W. (1992). The effect of 7 to 8 months of vitamin/mineral supplementation on athletic performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2(2), 135-153.
- Telford, R. D., Catchpole, E. A., Deakin, V., Hahn, A. G., & Plank, A. W. (1992). The effect of 7 to 8 months of vitamin/mineral supplementation on athletic performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2(2), 135-153.
- Gerster, H. (1989). The role of vitamin C in athletic performance. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 8(6), 636-643.