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Nutrition Tips for Athletes

Good nutrition is not optional for athletes who expend more energy and use more water and minerals than a "couch potato." Being active keeps you fit, but to stay healthy athletes must double their efforts to replace water and minerals lost through activity and sweat.

  1. Endurance Athletes

    • Carbohydrates are the super foods for endurance athletes who run marathons, jog, cycle and cross-country ski. Endurance athletes should eat whole grain rice, pasta, cereal and bread as well as fruits and vegetables. They also need protein. Endurance athletes should eat poultry, lean meat, fish, eggs and low-fat dairy products. But a high-protein diet isn't advised for the endurance athlete. It will cause you to feel sluggish because your body can't digest the foods quickly enough to use for energy. As for fat, endurance athletes should select foods that are low in fat, and less than 30% of calories should be from fat.

    Non-Endurance Athletes

    • Unlike the endurance athletes, non-endurance athletes are allowed a higher-protein diet. Non-endurance athletes include weight lifters and football and baseball players. These athletes will use more muscle for short periods of time. These athletes get the bulk of their nutrition and energy from carbohydrates that are mostly starches. Carbohydrates non-endurance athletes should eat include foods made with flour and sugar and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes. Eating bananas and bagels and drinking fruit juices helps the non-endurance athlete prepare to perform just before a competition. But after competition, the non-endurance athlete will need to eat high-carbohydrate foods to replace the glycogen the muscles used in competition.

    Fluids

    • Keeping hydrated is important to an athlete before, during and after competition. Drinking water and sports drinks regularly will keep the body functioning at competition time. Although you need water, you also don't want to drink too much. Too much water can lead to nausea, fatigue and cramping. Some athletes even take caffeine before competition to enhance their performance. But athletes should avoid drinking coffee, tea and alcohol because these drinks can cause dehydration.

      The day before competition, drink 8 fluid ounces with each meal and two 16 fluid ounces between meals. During physical activity, drink 8 fluid ounces regularly every 30 minutes. Also replenish the body with fluids after activity. Sports drinks such as hypertonic drinks, isotonic drinks and hypotonic drinks can give you just what you need before, during and after physical activity. Drink hypertonic before competition to give you the carbohydrates you need to compete. Isotonic drinks are made to drink during physical activity to restore carbohydrates. Hypotonic drinks are great for replenishing the body with fluids lost through sweat.

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