Proper Nutrition for Sportsmen

For athletes, diet is of the utmost importance. Whether you're a sportsman or a sportswoman, eating healthily is the key to doing well in your training. Moreover, there is scientific evidence that suggests people who are just getting into shape after a period of relative inactivity require more of the essential nutrients and elements, like protein, than other people, including serious athletes.

So what is good nutrition for a sporty lifestyle?
If you are exercising you are going to use more calories, so someone who is not overweight should be eating more than they do when not keeping fit. A rough guide is that you need eight and a half Calories per kilogram of weight per hour. So if you weigh in at 220 pounds (100 kilograms) you would use 850 Calories during an hour of exercise.

When you begin to train regularly, don't cut back your diet, which could compromise your health. If you do need to lose weight by eating less, talk to your doctor before making any significant dietary changes. Keep in mind that it's never safe to lose more than two or three pounds per week.

Most studies agree that the most important thing when training, and when cutting back your food intake, is to maintain a balanced diet. This is the same for athletes as for the general public.

That means you should be taking in most of your calories from carbohydrates, which include vegetables, grains, oats, wheat, rice, bread, pasta, etc. The exact number that you should aim for is 57% of your diet.

Fats should comprise 30% of your intake. I don't mean fats like candy bars--I mean good, unsaturated fats like olive oil, fats from fish, fats from avocadoes, and so on. Saturated fats, like butter and shortening, should be avoided in any healthy diet.

Finally there is the protein group which should make up the remaining 13% of your diet. Protein is found in fish, meat, nuts and pulses, and is essential to make the athletic body function well.

In practice, eating well means eating only small amounts of fried foods, eating chocolates and biscuits as very occasional snacks, drinking alcohol in moderation, and eating lots of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal foods, along with fish, pulses and meat in smaller quantities. The advice given to the general public on healthy eating applies to athletes too!

If you follow the advice above and make sure to vary up your diet, you will be getting all the essential nutrients and won't really need any supplements.

What about supplementation?
There are a slew of supplements, like protein powder, available today, but there is not much in the way of scientific proof that they work. Endurance athletes (like marathoners) may want to take additional iron supplements, especially women, but you should check with your doctor first.

Consulting a good nutritionist may be a smart idea, too. And if you're hitting the road, consider supplementing, as travel food is rarely healthy.

Finally, athletes tend to reach for sports energy drinks and sports bars. These can be great for training athletes since they give all the essentials without having to make a huge meal. Just keep in mind that these bars and drinks have lots of calories, so don't load up on them. And remember to give it a few hours after eating before you start to work out so your food has time to digest.