Sports nutrition recommendations will look different for every athlete, but by working with your clients on an individualized basis, you can help them reach their goals and perform their best. By definition, sports nutrition is the application of nutritional principles and strategies to enhance sports performance.

Sports nutrition is also the foundation of athletic success since a well-designed plan allows athletes to perform their best.

Fueling properly can help athletes prepare and recover from training sessions and competitions , which helps improve their overall performance. Furthermore, adequate energy intake is important to maintain body weight and maximize the overall training effect.

Sports nutrition focuses on specific dietary needs for performance. Healthy eating habits are important for everyone, but this rings even more true for athletes.

They should be consuming a well-balanced, healthy diet from a variety of different foods. Here are the key macronutrients and subsequent foods that dietitians should focus on for athletic performance:.

Carbohydrates are required to provide energy during exercise , and are stored primarily within the muscles and liver. They are also important to maintain blood glucose and replace muscle glycogen.

While carbs are important for energy , they are not all created equal when it comes to health benefits. However, this number can vary for active people. Here are some general recommendations surrounding carb intake for athletes:. Note: experts have found many athletes fail to consume enough carbohydrates to fully replenish muscle glycogen stores.

Fat is the primary fuel for light to moderate intensity exercise, and provides fuel for muscles during endurance exercise. It also helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, provide essential fatty acids, protect vital organs, and enhance satiety.

Some nutritious dietary fat sources include nuts, seeds, fatty fish, avocados, and extra-virgin olive oil. Tip: pair vitamin D with a fat source to enhance absorption and boost athletic performance. Protein has been positively associated with weight management, bone health, and metabolic health.

Moreover, studies have shown eating protein after a workout may maximize muscle repair and optimize strength. For building and maintaining muscle mass, studies show that 1.

Some dietary sources of protein include poultry, red meat, fish, dairy, legumes, eggs, tofu, and fortified foods. Tip: learn more about how protein impacts athletic performance with this article.

Sports nutrition supplements can improve athletic performance of clients who play sports or participate in physical activity. Here are some of the most commonly used supplements for athletes. Note: Supplements are not a substitute for poor eating habits, and should be used in conjunction with a nutritious diet.

Creatine is a compound formed of amino acids that supplies energy to your muscles. Some benefits include improved exercise performance, faster recovery after intense exercise, and increased fat-free muscle mass during training.

If your client wants to increase muscle creatine stores, an intake of 5 g of creatine monohydrate or 0. Some dietary sources of creatine include red meat and fish. For instance, one pound of uncooked beef and salmon has around g of creatine.

Protein powder is a powdered form of protein that comes from milk, egg white powder, or plant sources. It is often used as a convenient, quick, and portable source of protein. Protein powder can help bridge the gap for any protein deficiencies your client may have.

However, if they already meet their protein needs, then protein powder may not be necessary. Sports drinks contain carbohydrates in the form of glucose, as well as electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and chloride. Sodium replaces lost fluid from sweating and enhances rehydration, and the glucose present in the drink can replenish glycogen stores.

Furthermore, sports drinks have been shown to help endurance performance and recovery with endurance exercises lasting 60 minutes or more. TIP: Read our article with the best tips to create meal plans for athletes.

The overall goal of sports nutrition is to make your athlete better equipped to excel at their sport.

Endurance athletes most likely undergo one to three hours per day of moderate to intense exercise. As such, they will need a high-energy intake in the form of carbohydrates.

According to research, carbohydrate consumption for endurance athletes may vary :. Endurance athletes also lose additional body water and sodium from sweat, so replacing fluids and electrolytes can help to prevent dehydration. Resistance training such as weight lifting or bodyweight exercises helps to build the strength of skeletal muscle.

Protein is especially important during strength training to increase and maintain lean body mass. Your nutrition plan will vary depending on the event your athlete will compete in.

For example:. Whilst there may be a benefit in increasing protein intakes for athletes and those recreationally active to a high level, the importance of high protein diets is often overstated for the general population. It is a common misconception that high protein intakes alone increase muscle mass and focussing too much on eating lots of protein can mean not getting enough carbohydrate, which is a more efficient source of energy for exercise.

It is important to note that high protein intakes can increase your energy calorie intake, which can lead to excess weight gain. The current protein recommendations for the general population are 0. If you are participating in regular sport and exercise like training for a running or cycling event or lifting weights regularly, then your protein requirements may be slightly higher than the general sedentary population, to promote muscle tissue growth and repair.

For strength and endurance athletes, protein requirements are increased to around 1. The most recent recommendations for athletes from the American College of Sports Medicine ACSM also focus on protein timing, not just total intake, ensuring high quality protein is consumed throughout the day after key exercise sessions and around every 3—5 hours over multiple meals, depending on requirements.

In athletes that are in energy deficit, such as team sport players trying to lose weight gained in the off season, there may be a benefit in consuming protein amounts at the high end, or slightly higher, than the recommendations, to reduce the loss of muscle mass during weight loss.

Timing of protein consumption is important in the recovery period after training for athletes. Between 30 minutes and 2 hours after training, it is recommended to consume g of protein alongside some carbohydrate. A whey protein shake contains around 20g of protein, which you can get from half a chicken breast or a small can of tuna.

For more information on protein supplements, see the supplements section. To date, there is no clear evidence to suggest that vegetarian or vegan diets impact performance differently to a mixed diet, although it is important to recognise that whatever the dietary pattern chosen, it is important to follow a diet that is balanced to meet nutrient requirements.

More research is needed, to determine whether vegetarian or vegan diets can help athletic performance. More plant-based diets can provide a wide variety of nutrients and natural phytochemicals, plenty of fibre and tend to be low in saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Fat is essential for the body in small amounts, but it is also high in calories. The type of fat consumed is also important. Studies have shown that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat in the diet can reduce blood cholesterol, which can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Fat-rich foods usually contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids but choosing foods that contain higher amounts of unsaturated fat and less saturated fat, is preferable as most of us eat too much saturated fat.

Find more information on fat on our pages on this nutrient. If I am doing endurance training, should I be following low carbohydrate, high fat diets? Carbohydrate is important as an energy source during exercise.

Having very low intakes of carbohydrate when exercising can cause low energy levels, loss of concentration, dizziness or irritability. Because carbohydrate is important for providing energy during exercise, there is a benefit in ensuring enough is consumed.

This is especially for high-intensity exercise where some studies have shown that performance is reduced when carbohydrate intakes are low. Some studies in specific exercise scenarios such as lower intensity training in endurance runners, have found beneficial effects of low carbohydrate diets on performance.

However, these results have not been consistent and so at the moment we do not have enough evidence to show that low-carbohydrate diets can benefit athletic performance. Water is essential for life and hydration is important for health, especially in athletes and those who are physically active, who will likely have higher requirements.

Drinking enough fluid is essential for maximising exercise performance and ensuring optimum recovery. Exercising raises body temperature and so the body tries to cool down by sweating.

This causes the loss of water and salts through the skin. Generally, the more a person sweats, the more they will need to drink. Average sweat rates are estimated to be between 0.

Dehydration can cause tiredness and affect performance by reducing strength and aerobic capacity especially when exercising for longer periods.

So, especially when exercising at higher levels or in warmer conditions, it is important to try and stay hydrated before, during and after exercise to prevent dehydration. In most cases, unless training at a high intensity for over an hour, water is the best choice as it hydrates without providing excess calories or the sugars and acids found in some soft drinks that can damage teeth.

For more information on healthy hydration see our pages on this topic. For those who are recreationally active to a high level, or for athletes, managing hydration around training or competition is more important. The higher intensity and longer duration of activity means that sweat rates tend to be higher.

Again, the advice for this group would be to ensure they drinks fluids before, during and after exercise. Rehydration would usually involve trying to drink around 1.

Below are some examples of other drinks, other than water that may be used by athletes, both recreational and elite. Sports drinks can be expensive compared to other drinks; however it is easy to make them yourself! To make your own isotonic sports drink, mix ml fruit squash containing sugar rather than sweeteners , ml water and a pinch of salt.

Supplements are one of the most discussed aspects of nutrition for those who are physically active. However, whilst many athletes do supplement their diet, supplements are only a small part of a nutrition programme for training. For most people who are active, a balanced diet can provide all the energy and nutrients the body needs without the need for supplements.

Sports supplements can include micronutrients, macronutrients or other substances that may have been associated with a performance benefit, such as creatine, sodium bicarbonate or nitrate. The main reasons people take supplements are to correct or prevent nutrient deficiencies that may impair health or performance; for convenient energy and nutrient intake around an exercise session; or to achieve a direct performance benefit.

Whilst adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrate are both essential in maximising performance and promoting recovery, most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need by eating a healthy, varied diet and, therefore, supplements are generally unnecessary. For athletes, supplementing the diet may be beneficial, possibly on performance, on general health or for reducing injury and illness risk.

However, there is not much research on many of the commonly used supplements, and there are only a small number of supplements where there is good evidence for a direct benefit on performance, including caffeine, creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate , nitrate and sodium bicarbonate.

Even in these cases, the benefits on performance vary greatly depending on the individual and there is only evidence for a benefit in specific scenarios. This means that any athletes considering supplementation will need to weigh the potential benefits with the possible negative impacts, such as negative effects on general health or performance, risk of accidental doping or risks of consuming toxic levels of substances such as caffeine.

The advice to consider supplementation for a performance benefit is for high performance athletes and should be carried out alongside expert advice from qualified sports nutritionists or dietitians.

It is a common myth that consuming lots of excess protein gives people bigger muscles. Quite often, people taking part in exercise focus on eating lots of protein, and consequently may not get enough carbohydrate, which is the most important source of energy for exercise.

The main role of protein in the body is for growth, repair and maintenance of body cells and tissues, such as muscle. Fifteen to 25g of high-quality protein has been shown to be enough for optimum muscle protein synthesis following any exercise or training session, for most people, and any excess protein that is ingested will be used for energy.

The recommendations for daily protein intake are set equally for both endurance training and resistance training athletes, so higher intakes are not recommended even for those exclusively trying to build muscle.

Any more protein than this will not be used for muscle building and just used as energy. Therefore, whilst among recreational gym-goers protein supplementation has become increasingly popular for muscle building, it is generally unnecessary. However, after competition or an intense training session, high quality protein powders can be a more convenient and transportable recovery method when there is limited access to food or if an individual does not feel hungry around exercise, and may be effective for maintenance, growth and repair of muscle.

If you have a more general query, please contact us. Please note that advice provided on our website about nutrition and health is general in nature. We do not provide any personal advice on prevention, treatment and management for patients or their family members.

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The article looks at: Foods for fuel and exercise How to stay well hydrated Supplements. Eating well for physical activity and sport can have many benefits including: allowing you to perform well in your chosen sport or activity reducing the risk of injury and illness ensuring the best recovery after exercise or a training programme However, the dietary patterns that will best suit an individual will depend on the amount and intensity of activity.

Preferred sources of protein include lean meats, eggs, dairy yogurt, milk, cottage cheese and legumes. Make a plan to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. The goal is to eat at least five servings per day, and include varieties of fruit and vegetable color. One serving is approximately the size of a baseball.

Fruits and vegetables are filled with the energy and nutrients necessary for training and recovery. Plus, these antioxidant-rich foods will help you combat illness like a cold or the flu.

Choose whole grain carbohydrates sources such as whole-wheat bread or pasta, and fiber-rich cereals as power-packed energy sources. Limit the refined grains and sugars such as sugary cereals, white breads and bagels. You'll benefit more from whole-grain products.

Choose healthy sources of protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, peanut butter, eggs, nuts and legumes. Stay hydrated with beverages, as a two percent drop in hydration levels can negatively impact performance.

Options include milk, water, percent fruit juice and sport drinks. However, realize that sport drinks and percent fruit juice tend to be higher in overall sugar content and, in the case of fruit juice, lack many of the health benefits present in its whole food counterpart.

Also, be sure not to confuse sports drinks such as Gatorade with "energy" drinks such as Red Bull and similar beverages. Stick with whole food options as much as possible as opposed to highly processed foods.

Without adequate calories from the healthiest food sources, you will struggle to achieve your performance goals. Plan a nutritious meal by choosing at least one food from each category. Healthy fat. Adequate hydration is a key element in sports performance.

Most athletes benefit from developing a personal hydration plan. A general rule for training is to consume a minimum:. Limit trans fat like partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fat, found in fatty meat and dairy products like whole milk, cheese, and butter. Choosing when to eat fats is also important for athletes.

Fatty foods can slow digestion, so it's a good idea to avoid eating them for a few hours before exercising. Sports supplements promise to improve sports performance. But few have proved to help, and some may do harm. Anabolic steroids can seriously mess with a person's hormones , causing unwanted side effects like testicular shrinkage and baldness in guys and facial hair growth in girls.

Steroids can cause mental health problems, including depression and serious mood swings. Some supplements contain hormones related to testosterone, such as DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone. These can have similar side effects to anabolic steroids. Other sports supplements like creatine have not been tested in people younger than So the risks of taking them are not yet known.

Salt tablets are another supplement to watch out for. People take them to avoid dehydration, but salt tablets can actually lead to dehydration and must be taken with plenty of water.

Too much salt can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea and may damage the stomach lining. In general, you are better off drinking fluids to stay hydrated.

Usually, you can make up for any salt lost in sweat with sports drinks or foods you eat before, during, and after exercise. Speaking of dehydration , water is as important to unlocking your game power as food.

When you sweat during exercise, it's easy to become overheated, headachy, and worn out — especially in hot or humid weather. Even mild dehydration can affect an athlete's physical and mental performance. There's no one set guide for how much water to drink.

How much fluid each person needs depends on their age, size, level of physical activity, and environmental temperature. Athletes should drink before, during, and after exercise. Don't wait until you feel thirsty, because thirst is a sign that your body has needed liquids for a while.

Sports drinks are no better for you than water to keep you hydrated during sports. But if you exercise for more than 60 to 90 minutes or in very hot weather, sports drinks may be a good option.

The extra carbs and electrolytes may improve performance in these conditions. Otherwise your body will do just as well with water. Avoid drinking carbonated drinks or juice because they could give you a stomachache while you're training or competing. Don't use energy drinks and other caffeine -containing drinks, like soda, tea, and coffee, for rehydration.

You could end up drinking large amounts of caffeine, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure. Too much caffeine can leave an athlete feeling anxious or jittery. Caffeine also can cause headaches and make it hard to sleep at night. These all can drag down your sports performance.

Remember that you gain the most benefit when you pair protein with carbohydrates. It is recommended to seek the guidance of a sports dietitian to maximize your training gains. Try eating a snack with carbs and protein immediately after your workout followed by a well-balanced meal within two hours to gain the necessary protein.

A smoothie, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt cup, or turkey roll-ups are easy snacks to stash and eat immediately after a workout. Antioxidants are substances found in vitamin C-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

They are also found in herbs and spices. They can reduce muscle soreness and tissue damage. Antioxidants can help the body bounce back easier from one training session to the next. Certain foods like cinnamon, pomegranate, beetroot, tart cherry juice, and turmeric have all been explored as recovery enhancers.

Work antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory food sources into your meals and snacks throughout the rest of the day following a workout for the best results.

Eat a balanced array of foods that vary in color like leafy greens, oranges, and red cherries to maximize your performance and recovery. Additionally, the benefits of adequate, consistent, and restful sleep are massive. Pre-sleep nutrition strategies can help take your recovery to the next level.

This includes a pre-bedtime snack rich in complex carbohydrates, quality proteins, antioxidant-dense fruits, micronutrient-laden veggies, and sources of melatonin. Consult a dietitian to make sure your regimen suits your needs and health status before making sweeping dietary and sleep routine changes.

By following the 4 Rs, you can positively impact your athletic performance and improve your overall health.

Carbohydrate foods and fluids should be consumed after exercise, particularly in the first one to 2 hours after exercise.

While consuming sufficient total carbohydrate post-exercise is important, the type of carbohydrate source might also be important, particularly if a second training session or event will occur less than 8 hours later.

In these situations, athletes should choose carbohydrate sources with a high GI for example white bread, white rice, white potatoes in the first half hour or so after exercise.

This should be continued until the normal meal pattern resumes. Since most athletes develop a fluid deficit during exercise, replenishment of fluids post-exercise is also a very important consideration for optimal recovery.

It is recommended that athletes consume 1. Protein is an important part of a training diet and plays a key role in post-exercise recovery and repair. Protein needs are generally met and often exceeded by most athletes who consume sufficient energy in their diet.

The amount of protein recommended for sporting people is only slightly higher than that recommended for the general public.

For athletes interested in increasing lean mass or muscle protein synthesis, consumption of a high-quality protein source such as whey protein or milk containing around 20 to 25 g protein in close proximity to exercise for example, within the period immediately to 2 hours after exercise may be beneficial.

As a general approach to achieving optimal protein intakes, it is suggested to space out protein intake fairly evenly over the course of a day, for instance around 25 to 30 g protein every 3 to 5 hours, including as part of regular meals. There is currently a lack of evidence to show that protein supplements directly improve athletic performance.

Therefore, for most athletes, additional protein supplements are unlikely to improve sport performance. A well-planned diet will meet your vitamin and mineral needs.

Supplements will only be of any benefit if your diet is inadequate or you have a diagnosed deficiency, such as an iron or calcium deficiency. There is no evidence that extra doses of vitamins improve sporting performance.

Nutritional supplements can be found in pill, tablet, capsule, powder or liquid form, and cover a broad range of products including:.

Before using supplements, you should consider what else you can do to improve your sporting performance — diet, training and lifestyle changes are all more proven and cost effective ways to improve your performance.

Relatively few supplements that claim performance benefits are supported by sound scientific evidence. Use of vitamin and mineral supplements is also potentially dangerous. Supplements should not be taken without the advice of a qualified health professional. The ethical use of sports supplements is a personal choice by athletes, and it remains controversial.

If taking supplements, you are also at risk of committing an anti-doping rule violation no matter what level of sport you play. Dehydration can impair athletic performance and, in extreme cases, may lead to collapse and even death.

Drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise is very important. Fluid intake is particularly important for events lasting more than 60 minutes, of high intensity or in warm conditions.

Water is a suitable drink, but sports drinks may be required, especially in endurance events or warm climates. Sports drinks contain some sodium, which helps absorption. While insufficient hydration is a problem for many athletes, excess hydration may also be potentially dangerous.

In rare cases, athletes might consume excessive amounts of fluids that dilute the blood too much, causing a low blood concentration of sodium.

This condition is called hyponatraemia, which can potentially lead to seizures, collapse, coma or even death if not treated appropriately. Consuming fluids at a level of to ml per hour of exercise might be a suitable starting point to avoid dehydration and hyponatraemia, although intake should ideally be customised to individual athletes, considering variable factors such as climate, sweat rates and tolerance.

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Skip to main content. Healthy eating. Home Healthy eating. Sporting performance and food. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet.

On this page. Nutrition and exercise The link between good health and good nutrition is well established. Daily training diet requirements The basic training diet should be sufficient to: provide enough energy and nutrients to meet the demands of training and exercise enhance adaptation and recovery between training sessions include a wide variety of foods like wholegrain breads and cereals , vegetables particularly leafy green varieties , fruit , lean meat and low-fat dairy products to enhance long term nutrition habits and behaviours enable the athlete to achieve optimal body weight and body fat levels for performance provide adequate fluids to ensure maximum hydration before, during and after exercise promote the short and long-term health of athletes.

Carbohydrates are essential for fuel and recovery Current recommendations for carbohydrate requirements vary depending on the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise.

Eating during exercise During exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, an intake of carbohydrate is required to top up blood glucose levels and delay fatigue. Eating after exercise Rapid replacement of glycogen is important following exercise. Protein and sporting performance Protein is an important part of a training diet and plays a key role in post-exercise recovery and repair.

For example: General public and active people — the daily recommended amount of protein is 0. Sports people involved in non-endurance events — people who exercise daily for 45 to 60 minutes should consume between 1.

Sports people involved in endurance events and strength events — people who exercise for longer periods more than one hour or who are involved in strength exercise, such as weight lifting, should consume between 1. Athletes trying to lose weight on a reduced energy diet — increased protein intakes up to 2.

The strategies used are different for each athlete and are developed using a detailed knowledge of:. The Sports Institute provides a range of nutrition services to enhance performance during both training and competition phases.

Common interventions include:. Some common examples include:. What is Performance Nutrition? Assessment and monitoring : On-going assessment of body composition, blood biochemistry and overall health to identify areas needing improvement and assessment of impact.

Travel advice : For the vast majority of athletes in the Sports Institute, foreign travel is common. The nutritionists provide valuable advice for preparing for travel as well as coping when abroad e.

food hygiene, food choices and food safety. hydration, recovery, supplements and develops their skills in cooking and shopping. How Does Performance Nutrition Help Athletes?