There’s no doubt that sports are a big part of the Australian psyche. From a young age, we’re encouraged to exercise and participate in sports to ensure positive health and wellbeing. Yet what we often overlook is the role of diet and nutrition in sports performance, not only in relation to training and competition, but also in recovery between training sessions and for long-term health.
So, what are the dietary components that we should consider for peak sports performance?
Adequate energy intake
It may seem obvious, but all athletes – whether they be everyday or elite – require an adequate energy intake to play sport at their best. As energy comes from the food you eat, it’s important that you understand your overall energy requirements so that you can maintain your performance across training sessions, game days, and recovery times between sessions.
You also need enough energy for good health generally, and to reduce your risk of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). This occurs when athletes don’t eat enough to match the energy they use in their sporting activities. REDs can lead to health problems like fatigue, weakened bones, and poor performance, and if they continue for a long time, REDs can cause serious health problems with heart health, bones, growth, and even mental health. To avoid REDs, it’s important for athletes to consume enough energy from food to fuel their bodies properly.
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Consider your carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are macronutrients that supply quick bursts of energy to support endurance or resistance training. If you exercise daily, you’ll need to consume whole grain carbohydrates such as breads, cereals, pasta, and rice, as well as fruits and vegetables which supply carbohydrates, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.
If you train about an hour per day, you’ll need a daily intake of between 5-7g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight. And, if you train between 1-3 hrs per day you will need about 6-10g per kg of bodyweight.
If one training or competition session lasts for less than 60 minutes, you’ll generally not need to supplement with extra carbohydrates during training.
For those who train or compete for more than 60 minutes, extra carbohydrates are needed to ensure peak performance, with athletes requiring between 60-90g of high GI carbohydrates per hour. High GI carbs will maximise how quickly the nutrients are absorbed and delivered to your working muscles where you need the energy supply.
The best carbohydrate source to have depends largely on your preferences and what you can tolerate. Some options include CHO-containing sports drinks, jam sandwiches, crackers, energy gels, easy to eat fruit like bananas and muesli bars.
A place for protein
Protein is essential to maintain and build muscle mass, but it’s also vital for the general repair of tissues and to help maintain your immune system.
Your protein intake will vary according to whether you’re an endurance athlete or a resistance athlete, but either way you’ll need to consume more protein than a non-exercising individual. Protein requirements begin anywhere from 1.4 grams per kilo of body weight for endurance athletes, to two grams per kilo of body weight for resistance-based athletes. We find that most athletes already meet their protein requirements, so paying greater attention to protein intakes may be more pertinent for vegetarians and vegans.
Keep up your fluids
While not a nutrient, fluids are a vital component of your diet that you must consider. All athletes should have a fluid plan – both for preventing dehydration, and for regulating body temperature. On average, a person should consume about 2 litres of fluids every day. As an athlete, you will need to drink more, however it is hard to generalise exactly how much. This will vary for each athlete as it will depend on level of exercise, environmental conditions (such as heat and wind) and individual sweat rates. When you do not consume enough water, your physical and cognitive performance begins to deteriorate, which clearly will affect your sports performance.
In terms of general tests for sufficient hydration, the simplest check is the colour of your first morning urine, which should be a light hay colour.
Should you be using ergogenic supplements?
Once you have established a healthy eating plan, that is meeting your energy and carbohydrate requirements for fuelling your training, you can consider using some supplements.
The ones that are backed by the science and will not cause you any harm include:
- Creatine monohydrate is a useful supplement for vegetarians and vegans, as this protein is only found in muscle meat. It helps to regenerate your creatine-phosphate energy system, which is responsible for fuelling quick bursts of activity, such as lifting weights, sprinting for the finish line, or marking the football.
- Beetroot supplements contain nitrate, which your body, including the microbiome in your mouth, converts into nitric oxide. When this happens, it dilates your blood vessels, delivering more blood (and hence oxygen) to your working muscles. As bacteria is critical to generate this process, it is important that athletes do not use anti-bacterial mouthwashes or lollies as this will limit the effectiveness of the beetroot supplement. For performance benefits, the beetroot product (be it juice, powder, or food) should contain between 350–600mg of inorganic nitrate.
- Caffeine is a stimulant that reduces your perceived effort of work, therefore allowing you to train harder and perform at a better level. You need about 3mg of caffeine per kg of body weight. While coffees are a wonderful way to get the kick you need, levels do vary significantly from coffee shop to coffee shop, and even from one barista to another. As such, athletes mostly take caffeine as a supplement to get their correct dose.
As with any ergogenic supplement, it is always important to trial it in training before you use it in competition. This way, you can monitor how your body will react to it during heavy exercise. Some ergogenic supplements can cause side effects such as include gastro-intestinal upsets, runners’ diarrhoea, cramps, nausea, and headaches, so it’s very important that you check the effect on your body.
The bottom line
Fuelling your body with enough of the right nutrients can make a big difference to your performance and your health. Remember, there are many great resources on healthy eating, fuelling for performance and your health, so be sure to check out the Sports Dietitian Australia (SDA), Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) websites. For more personalised advice, please see your accredited sports dietitian.
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