Sports Nutrition, Supplements, and Stress
Sports nutrition is a science that focuses on getting the best performance from athletes through diet. What has been discovered about sports nutrition can be of benefit to all people who are active. Sports nutrition is used for activities that stress strength and endurance, like bodybuilding or cycling. Sports nutrition also helps people rebound well from their activities and athletes recover well when they are done competing or training.
General guidelines suggest athletes receive around 0.5 to 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight, depending on the type of activity. There are also important guidelines for the amount and sources of carbohydrates, fat, and other nutrients, which will be discussed in greater detail in this unit. Eating whole foods is another accepted recommendation for athletes. Processed foods, such as sugar, white rice and bread, strips away most of their nutritional value. If the quality of food source is important to a person of low activity, it is that much more important to an athlete. The body that is being asked to perform needs quality fuel or performance will suffer… and then the body will suffer. More injuries can be connected to a poorly nourished athlete than accidents while training.
“Fueling” is a word commonly used to express the importance of diet to an athlete. Fueling conveys the importance of choosing sources of nutrition wisely. Priority should go to nutrient-rich foods, high quality proteins, unsaturated fats, and very limited processed foods and sugar. Fluid balance is also important to prevent dehydration or over-hydration. Either situation can become deadly in the worst case scenario. Care should be taken to replenish fluids in the correct amounts.