Energy
Energy is defined as the capacity to work. Food provides the body with energy. Getting the right amount of energy from food will help athletes train well and stay healthy.
Athletes’ diets can make a difference to the success of their training programmes. The foods an athlete eats fulfils different functions in the body. This information sheet shows how food choices can enhance an athlete’s training and strength.
The major components of food are the macro nutrients:
- protein
- carbohydrates
- fat
For the athlete protein and carbohydrates are the most important.
Why should an athlete eat carbohydrates?
- Carbohydrates are a key energy source.
Where can an athlete find carbohydrates?
- Foods in the table below are good sources of carbohydrates. Portion sizes that equal 50 g carbohydrates are included to help with meal planning.
How much carbohydrates does an athlete need?
- Divide your weight (in kilograms) by 10. This number represents the number of carbohydrate portions you should eat daily. A portion is taken, as the portion sizes indicated below, to provide 50 g of carbohydrate.
When should an athlete eat carbohydrates?
- Include a carbohydrate food source with every meal. Try to eat five to six meals per day.
- Eat one portion of carbohydrates as soon as possible after a training session that lasted longer than an hour. Pack this food as part of your training kit.
- If you train 90 minutes or longer, include an energy drink during your training.
Why should an athlete eat protein?
- Protein is needed to build and repair muscles.
Where can an athlete find protein?
- Protein is found in both plant and animal sources.
How much protein does an athlete need for sports training?
- Divide your weight (in kilograms) by 10. This is the number of protein portions you need per day.
When should an athlete eat protein?
- Eat a portion of protein after each training session. Pack a protein-rich food as part of your training kit.
- Distribute the rest of your protein portions throughout the day.
Add some vegetables to help fight flu or other infections!
"Athletes’ diets can make a difference to the success of their training programmes."
Protein is powerful! Protein supplies building blocks for growth, repair and maintenance. It also plays a vital role in supporting the immune system, helps to make hormones and transports nutrients.
Myths about protein
Myth: Since muscle is made mainly of protein, the more protein you eat, the more muscle you build.
TRUTH: Piling your plate with steak and eggs or drinking protein shakes is not the secret to building muscle. Exercise – not extra protein – is the driving force behind building big, strong muscles. Taking the extra steak will not build more muscle or build it faster. Protein indeed takes a back seat to carbohydrates for providing the energy needed for muscle-building exercise. The fact is, before your body can use protein to build muscle, your body needs energy from carbohydrates to fulfill in the bodies basic needs to keep it going. If there are not enough carbohydrates, your body will use the protein for energy instead of building muscle tissue.
Myth: You need huge amounts of protein for strength before competition.
TRUTH: With the steak and eggs usually comes fat. Because fat requires more oxygen to be broken down than carbohydrates, the body has to work hard on such a pre-competition meal and therefore “wastes” energy that it could have spent during the competition.
Protein facts
- Protein comes from the Greek word proteios, meaning “of prime importance”.
- Protein contains nitrogen – something not found in carbohydrates or fats. Nitrogen makes protein unique.
- Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Some amino acids are called “essential”, which means that you can get them only from food. “Non-essential” amino acids, though, can be manufactured by your body and therefore they do not have to come from food sources.
- Food from animals (meat, poultry, fish, milk and eggs) contain all the essential amino acids your body needs and is therefore called “complete protein”. Protein from plant sources (e.g. baked beans, seeds, legumes and grains) often lack one or more essential amino acids and are therefore called “incomplete protein”.
- Proteins have two main roles: some help to drive chemical reactions in the body (functional proteins) and others give tissues and organs their shape, strength and flexibility (structural proteins).
The amount of protein needed per day depends on the level of physical activity of a person.
Protein is powerful! Protein supplies building blocks for growth, repair and maintenance.
Example:
Someone who weighs 70 kg and does recreational exercise needs 0.8–1.0 g protein per kilogram body weight per day, which is 56 – 70 g protein in total. The meal plan below shows how to obtain this amount of protein easily from a balanced diet. "Protein supplies building blocks for growth repair and maintenance."
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