Menos Hiras says the link between a proper diet and good athletic performance has evolved into a science called performance nutrition.
Why is nutrition important?
Nutrition is essential for athletes because it supplies the energy required to perform physical activities. Food impacts their training, strength, recovery, and performance. The type of food and the times they are eaten equally contribute to the body’s performance and recovery levels.
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend sports warrior, or a daily exerciser, the way to improve performance is through a nutritionally competent diet.
A training athlete’s daily essential diet should:
Provide enough nutrients and energy to meet the demands of exercise and training;
Enhance recovery and adaptation in between training sessions;
Menos Hiras says it should include a wide assortment of food like wholegrain cereals and bread, fruit, vegetables (with emphasis on the green and leafy kinds), low-fat dairy products, and lean meat, to supplement long-term nutrition behavior and habits.
Allow the athlete to achieve ideal body fat and weight levels for optimum performance;
Provide enough fluids to ensure complete hydration before, during and after training;
Advance the health of the athlete.
Meanwhile, an athlete’s energy intake should be divided into the following: 55% carbohydrates, 12-15% from protein, and no more than 30% from fat.
Why is eating adequate carbohydrates important?
Athletes who train strenuously for more than an hour to an hour and 30 minutes daily need to boost the energy amount they get from carbohydrates to 65-70%, Menos Hiras stresses.
All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is the body’s primary source of energy. Glucose can be transformed into glycogen stored in the liver and muscle tissue. This is used as an energy source to fuel muscle tissue during exercise.
Menos Hiras says that if a physically active athlete does not get enough calories or carbohydrates, a glycogen shortage occurs. Since the body does not have enough fuel for the body, it breaks down skeletal muscle to have its energy needs met. This leads to compromised athletic performance and health.
