Sports Nutrition: Fuel up on Information
Athletes in any sport need to carefully consider their dietary choices. With team and endurance sports on the rise, the number of online resources detailing sports nutrition has also grown. In this guide you'll see what the Web has to offer on the topic, whether you're looking to improve your performance through nutrition, track your diet, find a nutritionist, or simply find healthy recipes to complement active lifestyle.
Expand All Guide SectionsSports Nutrition Basics
Successful athletic performance is a function of three primary factors: training, rest, and ... read more »
Find a Sports Nutritionist
If as an athlete you have special dietary concerns, or would like the advice and consultation of an ... read more »
Sports Nutrition and Supplements
Dietary supplements are designed to add nutrients not otherwise consumed to your regular diet. They ... read more »
Good Foods for Athletes
When you think of an athlete's diet, visions of golden arches, glazed crullers, and Twinkies aren't likely to come to mind. But eating foods that will hinder performance is one thing; which foods can one eat to enhance performance? In this section we'll answer that question by directing you to sites that have information on the best foods for boosting strength, energy, and athletic performance.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Carbohydrate intake is crucial for athletes, especially those participating in endurance sports, such as cycling or a triathlon or marathon. Recent dieting trends like the Atkins diet promote low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets, and can be dangerous for athletes. To learn why carbohydrates are so important, read "The Skinny on Carbohydrates" from the Partnership for Essential Nutrition.
- Consult the article "Carbohydrate loading: Can your diet boost your athletic performance?" from the Mayo Clinic's Web site for more information on using carbohydrates to benefit performance in your sport. Use the article on carbohydrates from DISEN (Dieticians in Sport & Exercise Nutrition) for a quick checklist of foods containing 50 g or more of carbohydrates, which is the standard pre- and post-workout amount for refueling.
- Vegetarianism and athletics can go hand in hand; this nutritional lifestyle is defended in a well-researched article drawing on science and nutrition publications adapted from the authors of Vegan Handbook. The article has pre-meal suggestions and helpful tips about meat substitutes balancing a vegetarian diet for optimal athletic performance.
- Sodium and other electrolytes, like potassium, are important for any athlete to keep track of. Drinks like Gatorade and Powerade replenish these electrolytes during and after physical activity, preventing hyponatremia, which is a sodium imbalance often caused by excess water consumption. Learn more about hyponatremia and dehydration and ways to prevent these conditions.
- Elite athlete dietician Dan Benardot also has a fact sheet called "Fluids", which is a good supplement to the information on hyponatremia and dehydration.
- Recipes catering specifically to athletes aren't easy to come by online, so you're best off searching magazines and blogs that address your individual sports. Keep in mind that the athlete needs a "clean" diet, so any recipes that emphasize greens, lean meat, good fats, and carbohydrates are suitable athlete's recipes.
Dulcinea's Picks
For recipes and diet tips ...
Pioneer Thinking
is a healthy lifestyle site with an article called "Ten Healthful Cooking Habits" that is important for everyone but especially valuable for athletes. The advice includes how to use salt and oils in cooking, healthier cooking methods for meats, and several other suggestions on how to cut unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients from your diet.
The Australian Institute of Sport
is one of the best free resources online for recipes catered specifically to athletes. Each recipe includes complete nutritional analysis so you can see the number of grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat per serving.
OC Family
has an article aclled "Fueling the Young Athlete" that has information on sports nutrition for kids in high school and younger. The sports nutrition of children and adolescents is particularly important to learn about. It requires the same components as an adult athlete's diet but there's more emphasis on calorie intake for high metabolism, and vitamins and nutrients that help promote muscle and bone growth, like calcium and iron.
Sports Nutrition and Meal Planning
Just as it's important for athletes to monitor and record their workouts as part of their training, ... read more »
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
