Performance Nutrition

Nutrition is a topic most of us like to read about, as we think we could all use a little help on the subject.  For many of the non athlete population, it should come relatively simple....even though there are quite a few "diets" out there.  Eat a well balanced diet of  good carbs, proteins and good fats.  Stay away from salt, sugar and processed food.  Keep you caloric intake in check.  Do those things and for the most part, you should be pretty good.  For athletes (or those looking to gain/lose weight, etc) however, it can get a little more complicated.  Athletes need to look at nutrient timing, whether they need to put on muscle, lose fat, whether they are in season, out of season, whether it's game day or leading up a competition.

First, let's take a look at the three macronutrients and what the body needs for each of them.  That is, how much carbs, proteins and fats does the body require?    Carbs can come from a variety of food sources such as grains, cereals, fruits, vegetables as well as from the protein food group, such as milk, yogurt and legumes. Carbohydrates have gotten a bad name in the past, mainly because all the bad things that can be consumed are carbs....and add to out caloric intake but have little or no nutritional value (empty calories)...such as candy, potato chips, ice cream, chocolate bars, etc.  

• For your average individual, 4-5g of carbs for each kg of body weight, each day should be sufficient.  
• Athletes usually require a little bit more (usually because their activity level is quite high and carbs are their main fuel), raging from 6-10g per kg of body weight each day.  Endurance athletes can even require slightly more.  

Next is protein as is a very important part of our diet.

• Your average per on should be consuming 0.8g of protein for every kg of body weight each day 
• Athletes should be consuming 1.2-1.8g per kg of body weight, depending on whether they are an endurance athlete or strength/power athlete. 

You need to be aware that you might have to intake more during the for few months of training when you are in a hypertrophy stage and the muscles need a little extra protein.  Also, be aware that too much protein can shift your dietary carb levels to below recommended intake values, which may affect performance.  Protein can come from a variety of food, like meats, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, vegetables and more.

The final macronutrient is fat.  Though you might think of fat as a bad thing, there are a few reasons why fat is essential to the body.  One of the big reasons is it's used as an energy source....after about 15-20mins (though as intensity level rises, the use of carbs as fuel also increases).  Fat intake can vary from about 20-35% of you total energy intake every day.  Athletes can stay in this range as well, as it usually varies depending on the sport.  There are some gender specific requirements for fats that might inhibit performance, but I won't get into that.  As long as you stay in the 20-35% range, you should be good.

Your total calorie intake is the next thing I will quickly cover.  Most athletes consume roughly 3000-5000+ kcal/day.    That should keep in pace with their activity level and requirements for each macronutrient.  A lot of strength athletes consume 44-50kcal for every kg of body weight per day and some may ever require more. You can drop to low-enegy diets of between 1800-2000kcal/day or less, but many negative repercussions are associated, including weight loss and a disruption of the reproductive function in female athletes.

Timing of nutrient intake can be very important for athletes when it come to fuelling before/after exercise, muscle/energy recovery and muscle building strategies. These are a few guidelines to follow when getting your pre-exercise or pre-game meal:

• sufficient fluids to maintain hydration levels
• low in fat and fibre to encourage gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress
• high in carbs to optimize glycogen stores
• moderate in protein

When time permits, larger meals about 3-4hrs before exercise/competition with about 200-300g of carbohydrates is usually good....but when time to competition is closer, meals can be smaller.  For recovery, try a carbs and protein in a ratio of about 4:1 and aim for 30-45min after exercise to maximize the recovery process and then 1.5g of carbs per kg of body weight in 2-hr intervals thereafter.

Though this is a brief overview, it should give you an outline of where you are as far as your nutrition habits and what you need to do or try.  Everyone is different and everyone's tolerance is a little different.  Eating a large meal 3 hrs before competition is fine for some, but others may need 5 hrs.  Just be aware of what make you feel the best and try to follow decent nutritional guidelines in order to maximize your performance!!