Regulating energy balance is an important goal for athletes. Energy balance occurs when total energy intake from food matches energy expenditure with daily activity. Energy is provided by carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol found in foods and liquids. Energy requirements are affected by factors such as an individual's body size, body composition goals, and energy expended in training.
Carbohydrate is an important nutritional source for athletes. It is the main fuel in exercise, especially during long periods of continuous exercise or intense workouts. The body has a limited capacity to store carbohydrate (muscle and liver glycogen) and its stores must be replenished regularly to support training. Low carbohydrate stores can cause fatigue, poor performance in training or competition, and a negative impact on the immune system.
Carbohydrate requirements are largely influenced by training load (frequency, duration, and intensity) and competition types. Given this, daily carbohydrate intake should reflect daily exercise level. On high-activity days, the amount of carbohydrate intake should be calculated to facilitate exercise performance and improve the recovery process between exercise sessions.
On the other hand, on low-activity days, carbohydrate intake (especially from sources that are poor in nutrients such as liquor, soft drinks, sugar, etc.) cake etc) may need to be reduced to reflect the lower training load. Carbohydrate needs need to be taken into consideration while meeting other nutritional goals. Fortunately, very few foods consist of a single nutrient.
Protein is necessary to support the repair of damaged body tissues and the production of new proteins in response to training stimuli. Endurance athletes under heavy training may need to take extra protein to replace the energy spent during training and to ensure regeneration and repair after training. Strength training athletes seek supplemental protein to increase muscle size and strength in response to resistance training. Negative energy balance and insufficient carbohydrate intake during heavy training may increase protein needs.
Protein requirements also increase the most. There is evidence that exercises are recommended early in a new exercise program or when exercise stress occurs at a new level (for example, a change in type, unit or intensity of training). However, once the body adapts to this stress, levels of protein requirements can generally be reduced to those in active people. Therefore, the guidelines for protein intake presented can best be considered to represent maximal protein needs for athletes. Current sports nutrition guidelines do not support a high protein diet or special protein supplements. Dietary surveys show that athletes target protein intake only following the extra energy consumption required to support high training loads.
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