In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive walkthrough of all aspects of sports nutrition, including basic advice, information on supplements, and the truth about a few common myths.
Sports nutrition is the study and application of how to use nutrition to support all areas of athletic performance.
This includes providing education on the proper foods, nutrients, hydration protocols, and supplements to help you succeed in your sport.
An important factor that distinguishes sports nutrition from general nutrition is that athletes may need different amounts of nutrients than non-athletes.
Sports nutrition, when combined with other areas of athletic development, such as training, can greatly improve an athlete’s performance.
When it comes to sports nutrition, recommendations are highly individualized based on a number of factors, including your sport, position, training experience, and on/off-season status.
However, a good amount of sports nutrition advice is applicable to most athletes, regardless of their sport.
To support high intensity training or competition, you’ll want to focus on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods from the five basic food groups:
In general, the foods you choose should be minimally processed to maximize their nutritional value. You should also minimize added preservatives and avoid excessive sodium.
It’s OK to consume prepared convenience foods on occasion. Just make sure the macronutrients are in line with your goals.
Here are the main things to focus on when building a high performance eating plan:
By starting out with these basic eating principles, you’ll be well on your way to building a high performance diet and supporting your training through nutrition.
Macronutrients — protein, carbs, and fat — are the vital components of food that give your body what it needs to thrive. It’s especially important to consume the right balance of macronutrients when eating to support high performance training.
Proteins, which are made up of individual amino acids, serve as your body’s building blocks. They help build everything from muscle to skin, bones, and teeth.
They’re typically derived from animal sources, but some plant-based foods also provide protein. It’s best to choose leaner proteins most of the time.
Protein is particularly important for building muscle mass and helping you recover from training. This is due to its role in promoting muscle protein synthesis, the process of building new muscle.
The general recommendation for protein intake to support lean body mass and sports performance is around 0.7–1.0 grams (g) per pound (1.4–2.0 g per kilogram [kg]) of body weight per day.
Carbs are your body’s preferred energy source. They fuel your daily functions, from exercising to breathing, thinking, and eating.
You’ll want to focus on getting at least half your daily carbs from fiber-rich sources such as:
The other half can come from simpler starches such as white rice, white potatoes, pasta, and the occasional sweets and desserts.
Simple carbs are best consumed around training sessions to top off or replenish glycogen stores, your body’s stored form of carbs.
The number of grams of carbs you should consume on a daily basis can vary greatly depending on your sport and which part of the season you’re in.
For example, an ultramarathon runner will need a vastly different amount of carbs than an Olympic weightlifter does.
Generally, carbs should make up 45–65% of your total calories. For example, if you consume 2,500 calories per day, this would equate to 280–405 g daily.
From there, you can adjust your carbohydrate intake to meet the energy demands of your sport or a given training session.
For most people, fats are the body’s supporting or secondary energy source. In select cases, such as in keto-adapted athletes, they will provide a larger portion of daily energy needs.
Fats are unique because they provide 9 calories per gram, whereas protein and carbs provide 4 calories per gram.
In addition to providing energy, fats assist in hormone production, serve as structural components of cell membranes, and facilitate metabolic processes, among other functions.
Fats provide a valuable source of calories, help support sport-related hormones, and can help promote recovery from exercise.
In particular, omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to help athletes recover from intense training.
In general, you’ll want to focus on consuming fats from health-promoting sources such as:
After protein and carbohydrates, fats will make up the rest of the calories in your diet. This usually equates to 20–35% of your overall calories.
Another notable factor to consider when optimizing your sports nutrition is timing — when you eat a meal or a specific nutrient in relation to when you train or compete.
Timing your meals around training or competition may support enhanced recovery and tissue repair, enhanced muscle building, and improvements in your mood after high intensity exercise.
To best optimize muscle protein synthesis, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) suggests consuming a meal containing 20–40 g of protein every 3–4 hours throughout the day.
It’s especially important to consume protein within the 2 hours after an intense training session, because protein synthesis is elevated during this time.
You’ll also need to replenish carbs after intense exercise. Consider consuming 30–60 g of a simple carbohydrate source within 30 minutes of exercising.
For certain endurance athletes who complete training sessions or competitions lasting longer than 60 minutes, the ISSN recommends consuming 30–60 g of carbs per hour during the exercise session to maximize energy levels.
But if your intense training lasts less than 1 hour, you can probably wait until the session is over to replenish your carbs.
Hydration status is a key area of sports nutrition that can make a difference in performance.
As you exercise, you lose fluids and electrolytes in the form of sweat, your body’s method of cooling itself down.
When engaging in sustained high intensity exercise, you need to replenish fluids and electrolytes to prevent mild to potentially severe dehydration.
Athletes training or competing in hot conditions need to pay particularly close attention to their hydration status, as fluids and electrolytes can quickly become depleted in high temperatures.
To help avoid dehydration, it’s best to be proactive and drink at least 16 ounces (oz) (0.5 liters [L]) within 2 hours before an intense training session or competition.
During an intense training session, athletes should consume 6–8 oz of fluid every 15 minutes to maintain a good fluid balance.
A common method to determine how much fluid to drink is to weigh yourself before and after training. Every pound (0.45 kg) lost equals 16 oz (0.5 L) of fluid loss.
You should consume the equivalent amount of fluid to rehydrate before the next training session.
It’s also important to replenish electrolytes during and after extended intense exercise to avoid dehydration.
You can restore electrolytes by drinking sports drinks and eating foods high in sodium and potassium.
Because many sports drinks lack adequate electrolytes, some people choose to make their own.
In addition, many companies make electrolyte tablets that can be combined with water to provide the necessary electrolytes to keep you hydrated.