Sportingperformanceandfood

Summary
Goodnutritioncanenhancesportingperformance.
Awell-planned,nutritiousdietshouldmeetmostofanathletesvitaminandmineralneeds,andprovide
enoughproteintopromotemusclegrowthandrepair.
Foodsrichinunrefinedcarbohydrates,likewholegrainbreadsandcereals,shouldformthebasisofthediet.
Waterisagreatchoiceoffluidforathletestohelpperformanceandpreventdehydration.

Thelinkbetweengoodhealthandgoodnutritioniswellestablished.Interestinnutritionanditsimpactonsporting
performanceisnowascienceinitself.
Whetheryouareacompetingathlete,aweekendsportsplayeroradedicateddailyexerciser,thefoundationto
improvedperformanceisanutritionallyadequatediet.

Dailytrainingdietrequirements
Thebasictrainingdietshouldbesufficientto:
provideenoughenergyandnutrientstomeetthedemandsoftrainingandexercise
enhanceadaptationandrecoverybetweentrainingsessions
includeawidevarietyoffoodslikewholegrainbreadsandcereals,vegetables(particularlyleafygreen
varieties),fruit,leanmeatandlow-fatdairyproductstoenhancelongtermnutritionhabitsandbehaviours
enabletheathletetoachieveoptimalbodyweightandbodyfatlevelsforperformance
provideadequatefluidstoensuremaximumhydrationbefore,duringandafterexercise
promotetheshortandlong-termhealthofathletes.

Theathletesdiet
Anathletesdietshouldbesimilartothatrecommendedforthegeneralpublic,withenergyintakedividedinto:
morethan55percentfromcarbohydrates
about12to15percentfromprotein
lessthan30percentfromfat.
Athleteswhoexercisestrenuouslyformorethan60to90minutesadaymayneedtoincreasetheamountof
energytheygetfromcarbohydratestobetween65and70percent.
Morerecentadvicealsoprovidesguidelinesforcarbohydrateandproteinbasedongramsperkilogram(g/kg)of
bodyweight.Thecurrentrecommendationsforfatintakeareformostathletestofollowsimilarrecommendations
tothosegivenforthegeneralcommunity,withthepreferenceforfatscomingfromoliveoils,nuts,avocado,nuts
andseeds.Athletesshouldalsoaimtominimiseintakeofhigh-fatfoodssuchasbiscuits,cakes,pastries,chips
andfriedfoods.

Carbohydratesandexercise

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Duringdigestion,allcarbohydratesarebrokendownintosugar(glucose),whichisthebodysprimaryenergy
source.Glucosecanbeconvertedintoglycogenandstoredintheliverandmuscletissue.Itcanthenbeusedasa
keyenergysourceduringexercisetofuelexercisingmuscletissueandotherbodysystems.Athletescanincrease
theirstoresofglycogenbyregularlyeatinghigh-carbohydratefoods.
Ifcarbohydrateinthedietisrestricted,apersonsabilitytoexerciseiscompromisedbecausethereisnotenough
glycogenkeptinstoragetofuelthebody.Thiscanresultinalossofprotein(muscle)tissue,becausethebodywill
starttobreakdownmuscletissuetomeetitsenergyneeds,andmayincreasetheriskofinfectionsandillness.

Carbohydratesareessentialforfuelandrecovery
Currentrecommendationsforcarbohydraterequirementsvarydependingontheduration,frequencyandintensity
ofexercise.Foodsrichinunrefinedcarbohydrates,likewholegrainbreadsandcereals,shouldformthebasisof
theathletesdiet.Morerefinedcarbohydratefoods(suchaswhitebread,jamsandlollies)areusefultoboostthe
totalintakeofcarbohydrate,particularlyforveryactivepeople.
Athletesareadvisedtoadjusttheamountofcarbohydratetheyconsumeforfuellingandrecoverytosuittheir
exerciselevel.Forexample:
Lightintensityexercise(30mins/day)

35g/kg/day

Moderateintensityexercise(60mins/day)

57g/kg/day

Enduranceexercise(13hrs/day)

610g/kg/day

Extremeenduranceexercise(morethan4hrs/day)

812g/kg/day

Sportingperformanceandglycaemicindex
Theglycaemicindex(GI)ranksfoodandfluidsbyhowcarbohydrate-richtheyareandhowquicklytheyaffectthe
bodysbloodsugarlevels.TheGIhasbecomeofincreasinginteresttoathletesintheareaofsportsnutrition.
Moreresearchisrequiredtoconfirmthebestrecommendationsforsportsnutrition.However,thereisa
suggestionthatlowGIfoodsmaybeusefulbeforeexercisetoprovideamoresustainedenergyrelease.
ModeratetohighGIfoodsandfluidsmaybethemostbeneficialduringexerciseandintheearlyrecoveryperiod.
However,itisimportanttorememberthetypeandtimingoffoodeatenshouldbetailoredtopersonalpreferences
andtomaximisetheperformanceoftheparticularsportinwhichthepersonisinvolved.

Pre-eventmeal
Thepre-eventmealisanimportantpartoftheathletespre-exercisepreparation.Ahigh-carbohydratemealthree
tofourhoursbeforeexerciseisthoughttohaveapositiveeffectonperformance.Asmallsnackonetotwohours
beforeexercisemayalsobenefitperformance.
Somepeoplemayexperienceanegativeresponsetoeatingclosetoexercise.Amealhighinfatorproteinislikely
toincreasetheriskofdigestivediscomfort.Itisrecommendedthatmealsjustbeforeexerciseshouldbehighin
carbohydratesandknownnottocausegastrointestinalupset.
Examplesofappropriatepre-exercisemealsandsnacksincludecerealandlow-fatmilk,toast/muffins/crumpets,
fruitsaladandyoghurt,pastawithtomato-basedsauce,alow-fatbreakfastormueslibar,orlow-fatcreamed
rice..

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Eatingduringexercise
Duringexerciselastingmorethan60minutes,anintakeofcarbohydrateisrequiredtotopupbloodglucoselevels
anddelayfatigue.Currentrecommendationssuggest30-60gofcarbohydrateissufficient,andcanbeintheform
oflollies,sportsgels,low-fatmuesliandsportsbarsorsandwicheswithwhitebread.
Itisimportanttostartyourintakeearlyinexerciseandtoconsumeregularamountsthroughouttheexercise
period.Itisalsoimportanttoconsumeregularfluidduringprolongedexercisetoavoiddehydration.Sportsdrinks,
dilutedfruitjuiceandwateraresuitablechoices.Forpeopleexercisingformorethanfourhours,upto90gramsof
carbohydrateperhourisrecommended.

Eatingafterexercise
Rapidreplacementofglycogenisimportantfollowingexercise.Carbohydratefoodsandfluidsshouldbeconsumed
afterexercise,particularlyinthefirstonetotwohoursafterexercise.Totopupglycogenstoresafterexercise,eat
carbohydrateswithamoderatetohighGIinthefirsthalfhourorsoafterexercise.Thisshouldbecontinueduntil
thenormalmealpatternresumes.
Suitablechoicestostartrefuellingincludesportsdrinks,juices,cerealandlow-fatmilk,low-fatflavouredmilk,
sandwiches,pasta,muffin/crumpets,fruitandyoghurt.

Proteinandsportingperformance
Proteinisanimportantpartofatrainingdietandplaysakeyroleinpost-exerciserecoveryandrepair.Protein
needsaregenerallymetbyfollowingahigh-carbohydratediet,becausemanyfoods,especiallycereal-based
foods,areacombinationofcarbohydrateandprotein.
Theamountofproteinrecommendedforsportingpeopleisonlyslightlyhigherthanthatrecommendedforthe
generalpublic.Forexample:
Generalpublicandactivepeoplethedailyrecommendedamountofproteinis0.81.0g/kgofbody
weight(a60kgpersonshouldeataround4560gofproteindaily).
Sportspeopleinvolvedinnon-enduranceeventspeoplewhoexercisedailyfor4560minutesshould
consumebetween1.01.2g/kgofbodyweightperday.
Sportspeopleinvolvedinenduranceeventsandstrengtheventspeoplewhoexerciseforlonger
periods(morethanonehour)orwhoareinvolvedinstrengthexercise,suchasweightlifting,shouldconsume
between1.21.7g/kgofproteinofbodymass.
Dietarysurveyshavefoundthatmostathleticgroupscomfortablyreachandoftenexceedtheirprotein
requirementsbyconsumingahigh-energydiet.Despitethis,proteinandaminoacids(thebuildingblocksof
protein)arepopularnutritionalsupplements.

Aminoacidsandsupplementsinsportingperformance
Manypeoplebelievethatadditionalprotein,orevenspecificaminoacidsupplements,willprovideextrabenefitsfor
athletesinvolvedinintensetraining.Formostpeople,sufficientamountsofproteincanbeobtainedfromahealthy
diet.
Whilemoreresearchisrequired,concernsassociatedwithveryhigh-proteindietsinclude:
increasedcost
apotentialnegativeimpactonkidneyfunctioninsusceptiblepeople

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increasedweightifproteinchoicesarehighinfat
alackofothernutritiousfoodsinthedietsuchasbread,cereal,fruitandvegetablesduetoafocuson
proteinfoods.

Vitaminsupplements
Awell-plannedandnutritionallyadequatedietshouldmeetanathletesvitaminandmineralneeds.Supplementswill
onlybeofanybenefitifyourdietisinadequateoryouhaveadiagnoseddeficiency,suchasanironorcalcium
deficiency.Thereisnoevidencethatmega-dosesofvitaminsimprovesportingperformance.
Useofvitaminandmineralsupplementsispotentiallydangerousandtheyshouldnotbetakenwithouttheadviceof
aqualifiedhealthprofessional.Dietaryimbalancesshouldbeadjustedbyanalysingandalteringthediet,rather
thanbyusingasupplementorpill.

Waterandsportingperformance
Dehydrationcanimpairathleticperformanceand,inextremecases,mayleadtocollapseandevendeath.Drinking
plentyoffluidsbefore,duringandafterexerciseisveryimportant.Dontwaituntilyouarethirsty.Fluidintakeis
particularlyimportantforeventslastingmorethan60minutes,ofhighintensityorinwarmconditions.
Waterisasuitabledrink,butsportsdrinksmayberequired,especiallyinenduranceeventsorwarmclimates.
Sportsdrinkscontainsomesodium,whichhelpsabsorption.Asodiumcontentof30mmol/L(millimolesperlitre)
appearssuitableinsportsnutrition.
Usingsalttabletstocombatmusclecrampsisnolongeradvised.Itislackofwaternotsodiumthataffectsthe
muscletissue.Persistentmusclecrampsmightbeduetozincormagnesiumdeficiencies.

Wheretogethelp
Yourdoctor
DietitiansAssociationofAustraliaTel.1800812942
SportsDietitiansAustraliaTel.(03)99261336

Thingstoremember
Goodnutritioncanenhancesportingperformance.
Awell-planned,nutritiousdietshouldmeetmostofanathletesvitaminandmineralneeds,andprovide
enoughproteintopromotemusclegrowthandrepair.
Foodsrichinunrefinedcarbohydrates,likewholegrainbreadsandcereals,shouldformthebasisofthediet.
Waterisagreatchoiceoffluidforathletestohelpperformanceandpreventdehydration.

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Thispagehasbeenproducedinconsultationwithandapprovedby:
DeakinUniversity-SchoolofExerciseandNutritionSciences

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