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Mackenzie Landa

Whitney Gilchrist

ENC 2135

April 9, 2017

April 29, 2017, Revised

Eating to Win: Nutrition for Athletes

If you took a seven- day food journal, what would it look like? Would you be

embarrassed to share it? One persons diet is going to vary from the next but the core of it should

be the same. The basic nutrients that need to be consumed for a healthy lifestyle are nearly

identical for everybody. However, it does vary with how much one needs to consume of both the

nutrient and the caloric content. Not only do calories matter, but the nutrients matter as well

when deciding what and when to eat. Age, gender and activity amounts go into consideration

when planning a diet. Athletes need to eat differently than the normal, sedentary or lightly active

person. Different types of athletes need to eat differently from each other as well. Endurance

athletes do cardio as their main form on training. Strength athletes put an emphasis on muscle

building and power. The type of training the athlete is doing leads to the kind of diet that they

should have. An endurance athlete who is constantly burning calories by running will need to eat

plenty of carbs, while a football player for example, will need to eat more protein rich foods.

Females will need to have a different diet as well, because females have special dietary needs

that differ from males. Female athletes need to pay special attention to what they are consuming

and the amounts that they are consuming. It is wise for a non-athlete to pay attention to their diet

to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it is essential for an athletes performance to keep an extra

active eye on their daily diet.

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What does The Perfect Diet look like? There is actually no such thing as the perfect

diet. Typically, competitive athletes have two straightforward dietary goals which include eating

to maximize performance and eating to maintain optimal body composition (Parks et al).

Athletes must eat to maintain their weight as well as to perform to the best of their ability.

Optimal nutrition facilitates and enhances physical activity, athletic performances and recovery

(Parks et al). The athlete will need to know the basic principles of nutrition to be able to achieve

this first goal. They will need to know what and how much macronutrients and micronutrients

are necessary for their lifestyle.

Macronutrients your basic food sources such as carbs, protein and fats. Micronutrients

will be your essential vitamins and minerals, in which sometimes supplements are necessary to

make sure one optimizes their intake. According to Sport Nutrition for Young Athletes, there

are three main macronutrients that make up ones diet. Carbohydrates are the most important one

for endurance athletes, especially runners and swimmers, and should compromise 45-65% of the

calories eaten throughout the day. One gram of carb equals four kilocalories of energy that is

dispersed to muscles as well as the liver. They are released the most quickly for energy during an

endurance activity. Great sources of carbs include grains such as rice and whole wheat pasta,

fruits and veggies, as well as dairy products such as milk and yogurt. Protein is the next

important macronutrient. It should be 10-30% of ones diet. This nutrient is important for

building and repairing muscle, being especially important to consume post-workout. It is not the

primary source of energy but it is important nonetheless. Protein can come from a variety of

foods including meat and poultry, fish, beans, dairy, nuts or even protein powder. There is much

more to say about the different sources and types of protein. According to Protein for Athletes

by dietician Christine Rosenbloom, milk protein is imperative for muscle building. Next, whey
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protein is one of the most popular types of proteins as it rebuilds and repairs muscle fibers after a

tough workout. Egg proteins come next and digest easily and have all the essential amino acids.

Finally, soy protein is a vegetarian protein that helps with muscle building. All of these proteins

can get the job done. Fats are also vital to an athletes diet. Healthy fats can come from nuts or

healthy oils such as olive or canola and are essential for absorbing vitamins and feeling full.

They should be 25-35% of your diet, but the unhealthy saturated fats that come from greasy

foods should only make up to 10% of ones diet.

Micronutrients are also vitally important. These are the elements in food such as calcium,

vitamin D and iron which are all crucial to athletes pushing their bodies day in and day out.

Calcium is vital to bone health and strength. It comes from dairy and one should aim for 1000-

1800 IU daily. Vitamin D can be gotten through fortified orange juice or even from spending

time in the sunlight. The recommended amount for this nutrient is around 600 IU. Iron is another

highly essential element needed to maintain energy. It delivers oxygen to the bloodstream and

can be found in leafy greens and red meats. Iron deficiency is called anemia and is common

among endurance athletes. It is crucial that females get a fair amount of this nutrient or else they

face harmful consequences that will be furthered covered in the coming paragraphs. Studies

have found that certain micronutrients and antioxidant vitamins can be utilized at a faster rate by

endurance athletes (Setright). This is because an endurance athlete is constantly burning their

fuel and will often need supplements to maintain an adequate amount. An athlete needs to eat

often to maintain energy. Elite males and female athletes typically eat 5-6 meals/snacks per day

(Shriver et al). It is also essential to intake calories directly after a workout to obtain optimal

benefits. There is a thirty-minute window in which depleted muscles more readily absorb calories

needed to replenish what has been lost through the workout.

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There are also certain foods that are helpful in recovery. NCAA.org informs us that tart

cherry juice has been found to help reduce inflammation in the muscles and that chocolate milk

has all the essential nutrients to recover and rebuild and is a great go-to post exercise. Berries are

antioxidants. There are also certain pairings that enhance the absorption of what the foods have

to offer. For example, beans should be eaten with a carb such as rice or quinoa so that the protein

content in the bean can be more readily absorbed. According to EatingWell, this is because beans

do not have all of the amino acids (another micronutrient) that other animal proteins like eggs or

chicken would have. Another example is with iron. Iron should not be consumed with calcium

or else it will not absorb well and have not benefit. Spinach is an iron rich food, just do not eat it

with dairy or you will not reap the benefits you thought you would get from eating these greens.

With so many options to choose from while deciding what to put into your body and so

many rules telling people how to eat, it is important that athletes be well informed to make the

right choices. Many NCAA universities offer an athlete-only dining hall called Training Table.

The Training Table operates not unlike traditional dining halls with a salad bar, pasta bar, main

entre, sandwich bar and fresh fruit options. The difference, many students say, is the quality and

variety of the food (Solem-Pfeifer). This dining option gives the athletes guidance with their

meals and offers not only a more variety than they would find elsewhere but also convenience

because it is usually located near their training facilities. It is getting easier to make right eating

choices, and because of this, athletes have less room for excuses for not eating optimally to

enhance their performance.

How much does one need to eat? The answer to this question is not cookie cutter.

Balancing energy intake with energy expenditure is crucial to preventing an energy deficit or

excess (Purcell). Not fueling properly can cause a variety of issues in an adolescent as well as
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an adult athlete. These include but are not limited to, delayed puberty, menstrual dysfunction in

females, and an increase in fatigue, injury and illness. Energy requirements vary by age, gender,

activity level, and whether or not one is still growing. The proper effort needs to be put into diet

so that one can get the proper benefits out of training. Without the right nutrition, training is lost.

This is an especially important concept for female athletes. The female athlete triad is

something all female athletes should know about and beware of the signs and symptoms of

undernourishment. Kidshealth.com is a well-known webpage with articles form doctors,

nutritionists, dieticians, etc., that give trusted advice on kids health and here they stated that the

Female athlete triad is a combination of three conditions: disordered eating, amenorrhea, and

osteoporosis. A female athlete can have one, two, or all three parts of the triad (kidshealth.com).

This problem often can be combated by proper nutrition and sport education.

The first problem begins with disordered eating which is when a girl or woman does not

eat enough calories to support the demands of her training. Reasons as to why may vary from

body image issues, lack of knowledge, or even both. The next problem to occur is usually

amenorrhea. This is a decrease in the hormones that regulate the womens menstrual cycle

usually caused from lack of nutrition or intense training periods. The third stage is osteoporosis.

One would probably think that only the elderly might get osteoporosis but there are many other

types of this disease as well. Once a female has been eating poorly and exercising intensely for a

considerable amount of time, her menstrual cycle will cease and estrogen levels will decrease.

Bones will weaken due to low calcium intake and poor bone formation from lack of minerals.

NCAA.org tells us that this kind of deficiency can end up destroying her athletic career because

it often results in stress fractures or other bone related injuries. The website KidsHealth informs

us that, Many girls have concerns about the size and shape of their bodies. But being a highly
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competitive athlete and participating in a sport that requires you to train extra hard can increase

that worry. Girls with female athlete triad often care so much about their sports that they would

do almost anything to improve their performance. While at first one may see improvement after

changing their diet, it will not last long. Soon the fatigue will be too much and their performance

will suffer. A woman needs body fat for her body to properly function and the truth is that if she

is trying to loose weigh while competing and training, the first to go will probably be the muscle.

Food needs to be thought of as fuel for performance, not an enemy. Athletes eat to perform and

this is fundamental to remember.

Not only women and girls need to be concerned about consuming essential nutrients and

calories. Many college athletes have a hard time balancing their diets on top of their busy days

and tough training regimens. The article titled, Performance Nutrition Program for Collegiate

Student-Athletes Increases Utilization of Sports Dietitians for Nutrition Information states that

Lack of knowledge, body composition pressures, limited time and frequent travel were the most

faced problems regarding diet. Athletes need to be very diligent in how they live their life and

what they choose to put into their bodies.

However, once again, this is more of a problem for woman as opposed to men. Female

athletes are more vulnerable to nutrition related issues than their male counterparts, including

nutrient deficiencies, eating disorders, body image issues, and weight management problems

(Shriver et al). Nutrition programs within collegiate athletics have been working on informing

both genders about proper nutrient procedures. Many division I colleges now provide snacks or

meals for their athletes so that they can ensure they are fueling themselves properly.

Athletic performance and recovery for college athletes is enhanced by attention

to nutrient intake. Developing an ideal nutrition plan for health and performance
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includes identifying the right quantity, quality and proper timing of food and fluids

needed to support regular training and peak performance. As training demands

shift during the year, student-athletes also need to adjust their intake and

distribution of essential nutrients while maintaining a properly balanced diet that

supports their academic, training and competition needs (NCAA.org).

By working together, athlete, coaches and nutrition professionals can work towards making sure

athletes are properly equipped to follow an ideal and optimal diet to support their individual

needs.

Many athletes these days have taken to special diets such as high protein or gluten free.

The thought behind these diets is that this special way of eating will improve performance. For

example, take protein. According to Rosenbloom in her article Protein for Athlete, she states

that Skeletal muscle makes up 40-45% of body weight and is the largest storage site for amino

acids. Muscle is protein, water, fat, glycogen and some minerals. Because this is such an

important nutrient, they put a special focus on it. However, they sometimes end up lacking when

it comes to the carbs and this will result in an energy deficiency. This diet is not bad and may

actually be beneficial for some athletes, but one should take careful consideration and gain all the

knowledge possible before beginning any type of new or special diet. Gluten free is another

example of a structured diet. Some choose to limit gluten by choice while others do so because it

upsets their stomach. These athletes or people have what is called Celiac Disease. For those with

this diagnosis, Ingestion of small amounts of gluten can cause major disruption in gluten

intolerants (Miranda et al). Whatever the reason, some choose to swear by the possible

performance enhancing benefits of strictly following different fad diets.

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Deciding how to eat as an athlete can be overwhelming. There are so many ideas and

takes on how much to eat, how little to eat, when to eat, when not to eat and everything in

between. Though it is smart to follow some of the guidelines listed above, when it comes down

to it one has to simply listen to their body. It will tell you when you are hungry and you just have

to act of the cues that it is giving off. Eat when youre hungry, not when youre bored. Eat

directly after a workout. Eat enough to fuel your workouts. By following the basic guidelines any

athlete can fuel themselves to have a performance breakthrough and be the best athlete that they

can possibly be.

Works Cited

"Eating Disorders." KidsHealth. The Nemours Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2017.

<http://kidshealth.org/>.

Miranda, J., A. Lasa, M.A. Bustamante, I. Churruca, and E. Simon. "Nutritional Differences

Between a Gluten-free Diet and a Diet Containing Equivalent Products with Gluten."

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition (2014): n. pag. Web.(n.d.): n. pag. Web.

"Nutrition and Performance." NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb.

2017. <http://www.ncaa.org/health-and-safety/nutrition-and-performance>.

Parks, Rachel B., Scott J. Hetzel, and Alison Brooks. "Performance Nutrition Program for

Collegiate Student-Athletes Increases Utilization of Sports Dietitians for Nutrition

Information." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (2016): n. pag. Web.

Purcell, Laura K. "Sport Nutrition for Young Athletes." Paediatrics & Child Health (2013): n.

pag. Web.
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Rosenbloom, Christine, PhD, RD, CssD. "Protein for Athletes: Quantity, Quality, and Timing."

Nutrition Today (2009): n. pag. Web.

Shriver, Lenka H., et al. "Dietary Intakes and Eating Habits of College Athletes: Are Female

College Athletes Following the Current Sports Nutrition Standards?." Journal of

American College Health, vol. 61, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 10-16. EBSCOhost,

Setright, Russell. "Get the Winning Edge." Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine

Society, vol. 21, no. 3, 2015, p. 155+. Academic OneFile. Accessed 25 Feb. 2017.

Solem-Pfeifer, Grace. "Training Table Offers Healthy Eating Experience for Athletes, Students.

Arts and Entertainment. University Wire, Social Science Premium Collection;

US Southeast Newsstream,

"The 13 Biggest Nutrition and Food Myths Busted (Page 6)." EatingWell. N.p., n.d. Web. 05

Mar. 2017.