Athletes want nutrition to work for them. They deserve practical strategies for hydrating and fueling during training, traveling, and competing. To be effective, nutrition guidance for sports and exercise must be based on science, integrated into exercise training programs, and apply to real life situations. Meeting nutritional needs is an active process -- it doesn't just happen. Relying on trial and error to learn which foods work for an athlete wastes valuable time, energy, and money. Waiting until competitions to apply nutrition science is waiting too long. Addressing nutritional needs during training is essential for optimal performance.
Commitment and consistency are as important in nutrition as they are in training. Coaching athletes in food and fluid choices and teaching them how to monitor results helps establish connections between eating behaviors and desired results. How can athletes use foods and fluids to complement their exercise training and satisfy their appetites and taste preferences? Viewing energy, fluid, and nutrient needs as part of a fueling cycle is an excellent start. Breaking each day into time periods that relate foods and fluids to the demands of exercise training is a logical first step in using nutrition to support exercise training and performance goals.
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The two most basic nutritional needs for any active person are energy and fluids. How much do athletes need? Estimating these needs is addressed in the Energy Balance, Fluid Balance, and Your Nutrition Numbers topics. Satisfying energy and fluid requirements every day puts athletes in prime position to meet other nutrient needs as well. What type of food? The Food Guide Pyramid gives athletes a global perspective on daily food and nutrient needs. While the original USDA Food Guide Pyramid places the Grain Group at its base, fluids are so critical to top athletic performance that adding a "fluid layer" to the base of the pyramid helps emphasize the importance of hydration. Link to Food Guide Pyramid for specifics on foods within each group, food group servings, and serving sizes. If choosing just the right amounts and types of food from the Food Guide Pyramid seems a daunting task, simplify the process. Here are some helpful hints. |
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