Nutrition to Improve Athletic Performance

Athletes are intuitive, they perform much better when they know the reasons behind the exercises or drill we ask them to do. The same goes for nutrition. Too often youth athletes are told to eat or not eat something without understanding why or how it is benefiting or harming them. The goal of this information is to educate the youth athlete on proper nutrition and why’s behind it.

Let’s start with the basics: macronutrients and how they impact athletic performance. The macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Carbohydrates fuel our energy systems and muscle contractions which lead to movements such as jumping and sprinting. If we have not consumed enough carbohydrates prior to games, practices, or workouts we will become fatigued and unable to perform the movements anymore.

Proteins help build muscle for strong and powerful muscle contractions. Muscle contractions lead to athletic movements, not enough protein in our diet can lead to weak muscles contractions or injuries.

Fats tend to get a bad rap, but they play an important role in athletic performance. Healthy fats can help decrease inflammation which decreases soreness, improves performance and recovery. Fats also help with central nervous system function, the central nervous controls everything from deciding to pass the ball or shoot it to getting the correct muscles to fire to perform those actions.

Why are carbohydrates important?

Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for our bodies biological functions, which include muscle contractions(jumping, sprinting, kicking), breathing, and pumping blood throughout the body. Carbohydrates are digested and broken down into glucose molecules which get stored in muscles and the liver until needed. Glucose is needed to create ATP (energy) and ATP is required for our muscles to contract. The more glucose in our muscles from consuming carbohydrates the more ATP available to produce muscle contractions for a longer period of time. So, athletes need to eat enough carbohydrates to create enough ATP or energy, to not only allow us to jump, shoot, and run for a workout, game or practice, but to be able breathe, think, and move throughout the entire day.

If carbohydrate intake is too low athletes will fatigue quickly and will not perform to the best of their ability. The body will also find a different energy source from our muscles and begin to break them down to create ATP and then replenish the glucose that was previously stored, this is not good for the athlete that is trying to gain muscle and get stronger.

Active young kids and athletes should consume at least 3 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. For example, a 120lb athlete can consume between 360 to 540 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Types of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates should make up about 60% of an active athletes total caloric intake. A majority of the carbohydrate intake should come from what are called complex carbohydrates also known as starches.

Complex carbohydrates are predominantly categorized as low glycemic foods which means break down into glucose at a slower rate and glucose is released into the blood stream at a more sustained rate. During exercise this is important because ATP is produced at a more sustained rate and athletes don’t burn right through their energy. If we recall from the last post glucose is needed to create ATP and ATP is required for our muscle to contract and for our bodies to perform all biological functions.

Complex carbohydrates should be consumed for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and for meals 1-4 hours before physical activity. This will provide adequate stores of glycogen in the muscle and liver, which provides glucose to create ATP during workouts.

Examples of good sources of complex carbohydrates are oats, sweet potatoes, whole grains, quinoa, and starchy fibrous vegetables.

Simple carbohydrates are digested must faster than complex carbohydrates so an athlete will use them quicker which means athletes will fatigue faster. Simple sugars or high glycemic carbohydrates should be consumed immediately after exercise to replenish the stored glucose that was used during exercise. This is important so the body doesn’t breakdown muscle for energy after exercise and will improve recovery.

Not all simple carbohydrates are created equal; white flour, candy, and most refined carbs consists of simple carbs and contain negative health benefits and should be eliminated from an athlete’s diet. Simple sugars also increase inflammation in an athlete’s body which can lead to decreased performance, delayed recovery, and increased soreness.

Smart choices of simple carbohydrates are fruits and non starchy vegetables and milk if not lactose intolerant.

To piece all of this together here is an example of how an athlete can distribute their carbohydrate intake based on 420g of carbohydrates.

To recall athletes should consume 3 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per bound of body weight. A majority of the carbs should come from complex carbs.

Following the post exercise snack the athlete should to consume another 120 grams of carbohydrates before going to sleep. This will help continue to replenish the glucose stores they burned during physical activity and well help improve recovery. Carbohydrates sources should come from brown rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, quinoa, and whole grain pasta.

Protein For Athletes

While there is still much debate about how much protein we should consume and when we should eat it, there is no denying that adequate protein intake is necessary for sports performance and overall health.

After ingestion proteins are broken down into amino acids and circulate throughout the body. Amino acids and proteins play a role in muscle and connective tissue activity, immune function, nerve fibers and impulses, and hormone regulation. Why is this important to athletes because proteins and amino acids help build muscle, repair muscle damage and prevent further muscle breakdown after strenuous exercise, improve recovery after exercise or injury and help maintain optimal immune function which helps keep athletes healthy.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is .8 g/kg of body weight, however this is not adequate for youth and athletes.

Research has determined consuming 1.4 g/kg to 2.0g/kg of protein is necessary for athlete performance and optimal athlete health. However, a simple rule of thumb for protein consumption for athletes is .8 to 1g/lb of body of weight. So a 100lb athlete should consume 80 to 100g of protein per day.
Proteins and amino acids play a vital role in sports performance as well as overall health.

The big question is what foods are good sources of protein.

There are 20 amino acids which are classified as essential or non essential. Essential amino acids can’t be produced in the body and must enter our body through diet. Non-essential amino acids can be synthesized in our body so they are not essential to our diet.

Proteins are characterized as complete and incomplete proteins, what determines if a protein is complete or incomplete is the amount of essential amino acids in the food source. Complete proteins contain all 9 essential amino acids and can be found in animal protein sources such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Incomplete proteins lack one or more essential amino acids and are found in plants such as beans, lentils, soy, grains, and nuts. While plants sources of protein are incomplete proteins you can still get all the essential amino acids by eating a wide variety of plant based proteins.

While athletes should try and consume their protein through whole food sources, protein supplementation may help athletes achieve their adequate protein intake. High quality protein powders can be found in both animal (whey) and plant based( rice or pea). Organic grass fed whey protein is the best option for athletes and organic rice or pea protein is a great option for athletes who are vegetarian or lactose intolerant.

Athletes should consume .8g to 1g of protein per lb of bw. This example is for a 150 lb athlete so they should consume 150 g of protein. To make it simple 60% of your protein intake should be distributed throughout 3 meals, so a 150 lb athlete should consume 20 -30 grams of protein with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The other 40% should be consumed through 3-5 snacks throughout the day, so 10 -20 grams per snack. There is no benefit in consuming more than 30 – 40 grams of protein at one time, but there is also no harm if more is consumed in one sitting to make sure you’re getting your total 150 grams in.

To improve recovery and protein synthesis, and impair muscle breakdown an athlete should take in 20- 30 grams of protein within 1 to 2 hours of the workout, practice, or game. Protein timing has been a hot topic in the fitness industry for quite some time, in recent years research has revealed that we don’t really need to worry about that “30 minute anabolic window” anymore. However, it is still important for athlete to consume 60 to 75 grams of carbohydrate after intense training to replenish glycogen stores.

Fats And Athlete Performance

Fats are necessary for a sound diet, health, and athletic performance. Fats contain a higher caloric content per gram than carbohydrates and protein, so athletes do not have to consume as much fat to meet their needs. The consumption of fat has been a hot topic for debate for years, however it is imperative to include certain fats in one’s diet. Adequate fat intake is imperative for brain function, Joint structure, protection of our grans, vitamin absorption, decreased inflammation throughout the body and hormonal production which has a direct impact muscle production and stress levels.

Fats can be confusing so I like to keep it as simple as possible when working with athletes. Most athletes consume adequate amounts of fat just not the right type of fat. Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are the types athletes should eat and trans fat should be avoided. For simplicity, I am going to break it down in 3 categories food with healthy fat, which includes poly and mono unsaturated, foods with healthy fat but should be eaten in moderation, and foods with fat we should avoid. Unsaturated types of fat should make up the vast majority of fat consumption. Saturated fats should be eaten in moderation because too much can have negative health effects. Trans fats are processed fat that are used to increase shelf life of food products, they provide no health benefits and are in fact extremely unhealthy.

FOOD WITH HEALTHY FATS	FOODS TO EAT IN MODERATION	FOOD WITH FATS TO AVOID
Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, avocado oil, flax seed, salmon, mackerel, trout, fish oil, algae oil, almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, sunflower butter, almond butter, peanuts, peanut butter	Grass fed lean meat, grass fed free range eggs, grass fed locally grown dairy products ( milk and cheese), unrefined coconut oil, unrefined palm oil, unrefined cacoa oil	Hydrogenated oils (ie vegetable and/or soy bean oil of nutrition label), fast food, potato chips, baked goods, safflower oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, chicken skin, turkey skin

Macro-nutrient Recap

Macro-nutrient	Amount Per Pound Body Weight
Carbohydrates	3-4.5 grams/lb
Protein	1 gram/lb
Fat	0.4 grams/lb

Meal	Macro-nutrient Distribution
Breakfast	Carbs: 0.6g/lb Protein: 0.2/lb Fat: 0.1/lb
Morning Snack	Carbs: 0.3g/lb  Protein: 0.1g/lb  Fat: 0.05g/ lb
Lunch	Carbs: 0.6g/lb Protein: 0.2/lb Fat: 0.1/lb
Pre -Activity meal	Carbs: 0.4g/lb Protein 0.1g/lb
Post-Activity meal	Carbs: 0.5g/lb Protein: 0.185 g/lb
Dinner	Carbs: 0.6g/lb Protein: 0.2/lb Fat: 0.1/lb

Download Our Easy to Follow Athlete Nutrition Guide Here

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS NOT NUTRITIONAL ADVICE, JUST AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FOR ATHLETES AND PARENTS!