How Should Sports Nutrition Be?

Athlete nutrition, unlike standard healthy nutrition programs, is a holistic nutrition program that aims to protect the general health of the person as well as to increase his/her performance in sports. Nutrition is the most important vital activity after breathing. Therefore, having an adequate and balanced nutrition plan is critical for maintaining a healthy life. However, this nutrition plan for athletes is a little more specific than normal. The age, gender, living conditions, physical and mental health status of the person are the determining criteria for creating a healthy nutrition program suitable for the person. In sports nutrition, the sport branch of the person is taken into consideration and the right nutrition program is created for the athlete.

What is the Importance of Nutrition for an Athlete?

The criteria that determine the success of the athlete are regular training, physical-spiritual motivation and nutrition program suitable for sports. It is inevitable that the athletes who are not fed appropriately for the sport will have difficulties both in ensuring the continuity of the training and in maintaining the physical and spiritual motivation. Therefore, it is possible to say that the most important criterion for the success of an athlete is to have the right nutrition program.

The performance displayed in the sport is directly proportional to the energy taken through nutrition. If the person does not meet the calorie needs created by the sports he does with the right food groups, there will be a decrease in performance in sports. The right nutrition plan, which is maintained together with the training program, improves the endurance of the athlete, increases his motivation and maximizes athletic performance. as it should be met. These needs are shaped by the person's age, gender, physical and mental health status, daily activity level and metabolic characteristics. For professional athlete nutrition, in addition to all these, the sports branch should be considered and the daily calorie and nutritional needs should be recalculated. Only in this way, the general health level of the athlete is developed and protected, Resistance to injury is increased and the person can recover faster in case of possible injury.

How Should Athlete Nutrition Be?

While creating a nutrition plan for those who do sports, the daily energy requirement of the sport branch should be taken into consideration and nutritional needs should be taken into account. The distribution of items should be made accordingly. In this direction, sports branches are divided into 6 groups as endurance sports, sports that require endurance and strength, combat sports, team sports, strength sports and quick strength sports.

• Endurance sports middle/long distance running, 20-25 km. It includes sports fields such as hiking and marathon. For the athletes in this group, the nutrition plan should be formed in such a way that 60% of the daily energy needs are obtained from carbohydrates, 25% from fats and 15% from proteins. cycling, swimming over 200 meters, canoeing, mountaineering and ice skating. In these sports, the energy requirement obtained from carbohydrates decreases slightly; The need for fat and protein increases. For a healthy diet of people in this group who prefer sports, 56% of their daily energy needs should be met from carbohydrates, 27% from fats, and 17% from proteins.
• Such as boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo In combat sports, this ratio changes as 50% carbohydrate, 30% fat, 20% protein.
• The need for calories to be obtained from carbohydrates increases in team sports such as football, basketball, tennis, handball, water polo and hockey. For athletes who prefer such sports, the nutrition plan should be arranged as 60% carbohydrates, 25% fat and 15% protein.
• Strength sports are sports such as weightlifting, discus, shot put and hammer. People who prefer the types of sports in this group should also consume foods containing 50% carbohydrate, 30% fat and 20% protein, just like those who prefer combat sports.
• Short jogs between 100-400 meters, ice up to 500 meters Skating, swimming up to 100 meters, volleyball, gymnastics, fencing, table tennis, gymnastics, decathlon, skiing, and jumping are called quick strength sports. Nutritional distribution of the daily energy required in these sports areas is 55-60% carbohydrate, 25-30% fat and 15% p It is in the form of protein.

Carbohydrates: Most of the carbohydrate consumption of the athlete should be complex carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, legumes, potatoes and noodles are complex carbohydrate group foods that can easily meet the energy needs of the athlete to be obtained from carbohydrates. Although the amount of energy of fats is higher than carbohydrates, carbohydrates are considered a more convenient energy source for the human body than fats. Burning fats and converting them into energy is much more difficult than carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are easily stored and converted into energy within minutes when necessary. For this reason, this food group takes the first place among the ones that should be eaten by those who do sports. Carbohydrates are converted into glycogen in the body and stored. Many studies show that even if the glycogen stores in the muscles are full at a normal level, the performance of the athlete greatly increases. However, if carbohydrate stores are not sufficient, it is possible to say that the risk of injury and injury increases even in simple training. For this reason, the carbohydrate consumption of the athlete should be increased and especially in the first 30 minutes and the first 2 hours after exercise, carbohydrates should be consumed to replace the glycogen spent from the stores. In the first half hour after exercise, 1 gram of carbohydrates per kg should be taken, and in the first 1.5 hours after this half hour, 1.5 grams of carbohydrates per kg should be taken. In other words, an athlete weighing 80 kilograms should consume 80 grams of carbohydrates immediately after exercise, and then take 120 grams of carbohydrates in the next 1.5 hours. In the next process, carbohydrate intake should be increased until the next exercise and it should be fed with approximately 8-10 grams of carbohydrates for each kilogram.

Fats: Although fats are risky foods for diseases such as obesity and cholesterol, they are quite necessary for the human body. And when consumed in the right amount, they are extremely healthy foods. This food group, which gives about twice as much energy as carbohydrates, is also indispensable for professional sports nutrition. An athlete who has an adequate and balanced diet should meet 25-30% of his daily energy needs from fat. However, in oils The energy obtained is suitable for accumulation in the body. For this reason, it is necessary to be under control and to prefer healthy fats in fat consumption. However, since excessive fat consumption will suppress the athlete's desire to consume carbohydrates, especially before training or during the competition, sauces such as fries, mayonnaise and creamy desserts should not be preferred. production of hormones and enzymes. Therefore, proteins can only be used as an energizer in long starvation situations where carbohydrates and fats are absent. When making a nutrition plan for athletes, 10-15% of daily energy should come from proteins. For athletes who are in the growth and development age, the need for protein increases as the muscles are still in the development phase. However, adult athletes taking more protein than necessary does not provide more muscle development, on the contrary, it is stored as fat in the body. For this reason, adult people's consumption of protein and amino acid supplements in addition to their nutrition plan is open to debate.

Foods Athletes Should Eat

People who do sports should definitely eat with frequent meals in order to protect themselves from sudden changes in blood sugar. The day should start with breakfast. For breakfast, always 1-2 boiled eggs, 1-2 slices of cheese, 1 glass of milk, 5 olives, plenty of greens or 1 fresh seasonal fruit, 1 teaspoon of tahini-molasses or honey and 2-4 slices of whole grain bread. must be consumed. Then, healthy snacks should be preferred during the day. Nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, whole-grain cereal mixed with milk, low-fat yoghurt, milk or ayran, fresh fruit-vegetables and cheese sandwiches can be listed as healthy snacks. Green salad should be preferred, and care should be taken to consume 1 bowl of soup to facilitate digestion. However, 2 portions (approximately 120 g) of meat/chicken/fish/turkey or 1 plate of legumes such as chickpeas and beans should be consumed. 2 slices of whole grain bread or 6-8 tablespoons of rice or pasta can be preferred. Finally, yoghurt consumption at meals Attention should be paid to the body and the body should be supported in terms of minerals such as calcium. After exercise, food groups rich in carbohydrates with high glycemic index can be preferred. Pasta, rice and potatoes are examples of these food groups. However, consuming easy-to-digest proteins such as milk dessert, chicken meat, cheese and yogurt can help for quick recovery after sports. Finally, attention should be paid to adequate fluid intake, especially before and after exercise, and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables should be preferred as vitamin and mineral support. and to meet nutritional needs. Apart from that, consumed food and drinks disrupt the daily energy balance of the person and negatively affect both physical and mental health. For this reason, while making a diet plan for athletes, processed foods such as fast food, foods containing simple sugar, carbonated and high sugar drinks should be removed from the program. Processed foods and refined sugary foods adversely affect the intestinal microbiota, and as a result, all body systems, especially the immune system, are damaged. Sports nutrition should be planned not only to support the musculoskeletal system, but also to operate all systems of the body with the best performance. For this reason, all food groups that adversely affect the physiological and mental health integrity of the person should be excluded while making a nutrition plan. Carbohydrates should always be in the first place among those who do sports should eat, and carbohydrate stores (glycogen) should always be used as the main energy source. Therefore, people who do sports should avoid excessive oily food consumption in order not to experience a decrease in performance.

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