Sports nutrition doesn’t end with carbohydrates, but it is tough to argue that it doesn’t begin with carbs. Carbohydrates, particularly starches, are the fuel that supplies the energy needed to engage in sports at peak ability.
Although not all sports nutrition experts agree, of course, many do believe that up to sixty percent of an athlete’s daily caloric intake should be made up of carbohydrates; and that rate should rise as high as seventy to eighty percent during periods of intense training.
But back to the starch. A good rule of sports nutrition that takes the carb route is that of that sixty to eight percent, eighty percent should be ingested in the form of starchy foods. Starches include, of course, such things as rice and grains, pasta and cereal, fruits and veggies.
Sports nutrition based on a high carb diet should not be confused with the long-established practice of carb-loading, in which athletes would not practically nothing but carbs and sugars right before competing. Studies have shown that only those athletes who are going to be involved in endurance activities such as long distance running or cycling actually benefit.
Another no-no when it comes to sports nutrition is packing in the food right before exercise or a competition. The reason you sometimes get stomach cramps when you’ve exercised on a full stomach has to do with blood flow. Everything in the body is powered by oxygen delivered by the bloodstream; your digestive system kicks into overgear after you’ve eaten heartily and the blood naturally makes it way there to help out.
But when you start exercising, the muscles send out their own help signal to the blood and as a result you don’t get the necessary supply of blood need to properly digest food, resulting in the painful cramping. A better bet—sports nutrition wise—is to eat enough so that you stave off any hunger you might feel during exercise or competition.
Although many sports nutrition experts will tout the usefulness of such things as protein, vitamins and amino acids, there really is only one other item on the menu that must be seriously considered in connection with carbohydrates. And, in fact, it’s actually part of that word: hydrates. Or, to be specific, hydration.
Sports nutrition revolves around keeping the body in peak shape and few things can do that better than plain old water. True, there are literally dozens of juices and energy drinks and sports shakes on the market, but nothing has yet been invented that provides the body as much help as good old H2O. But don’t wait until you’re already thirsty; by then you may already be on the road to dehydration.
Most sports nutrition experts recommend keeping regularly hydrated while exercising and in competition. This is especially important for endurance athletes who run the risk of overingesting fluids and experiencing muscle cramps.