Build Up What You Tear Down

Would you put regular gas in a Lamborghini? This is the phrase that is always used to try and explain why nutrition is so important for athletes. It’s used to get athletes to look at themselves as a machine that needs the right fuel to function, but the reality is nutrition is so much more important than that to an athlete. Machines either run or they don’t while athletes have good days, bad days, injured days, and completely in-the-zone days. How consistently an athlete has good and in-the-zone days compared to bad and injured days can often make the difference between being able to move onto the next level, or retiring their sporting career early.

 This is the reason why nutrition is such an important piece of the athlete’s training plan. Practice, weight lifting, and even physical therapy breaks the body down. One of the largest determinate factors of whether or not an athlete will be ready to go full speed again the next day is how he/she builds their body back up. Proper nutrition can get this done through 3 main ways. First eating high quality lean protein such as chicken or fish will give your muscles the protein they need to repair themselves. Second, consuming whole grain products will replace the energy you exerted during your training so the next day you are ready to go again. The third way is consuming 5-8 servings a day of fruits and vegetables a day. Though often over looked by athletes, this is the most important factor because it can help reduce inflammation which helps with muscle recovery, reduces risk of chronic inflammation related injuries, and keeps the immune system strong to assist in minimizing sick days.

All three of these components (protein, whole grains and carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables) should be incorporated into each meal you eat throughout the day to ensure your body a steady stream of the nutrients it needs to perform at its optimum level. Once athletes have been able to achieve this, they are ready to focus more on what is called “nutrient timing”. Look out for my next article explaining how focusing on different food groups during different parts of your day and training cycle can give athletes an extra benefit on top of what was discussed here. In the meantime, use the plates below to help guide you in making your plates throughout your training and competition year.

As fall sports begin, remember to emphasize to athletes everywhere the importance of nutrition and to focus on building up everything that you tear down! Michael Coseo, MS, RD, LD