www.performancefood.co.

uk
Practical Sports Nutrition:
Food for Athletes and Sports People
Dr Karen Reid PhD
BSc. Nutrition (Hons)
Registered Dietitian & Sport and Exercise Nutritionist (rSEN)
Director: Performance Food Ltd
Athlete Lifestyle: developing Elite Athlete
habits & behaviours
Training and
competition schedules
School, university,
work
Rest and recovery
Sleep
Nutrition eat like an
elite athlete
Goals of Sports Nutrition
Support training schedules
and physiological adaptations
Individual nutritional needs
vary depending on the
particular sport or activity and
the level at which a person
competes and trains
Performance
Maintain long-term health and
longevity of sporting career
The IOC Consensus
statement on sports nutrition
(2010)
Nutrition Performance Plan
Performance Nutrition Goals
Carbohydrate goals
Protein goals
Iron status
Personal hydration strategy
Body composition
Immune health
Bone & joint health
Travel nutrition
Competition day eating and drinking strategy
Supplements & ergogenic aids
Carbohydrate to support training and
recovery
Maintaining adequate glycogen stores
Recovery after training/competition
Delay fatigue in competitions
Carbohydrate Goals: Quantity and
Timing
Immediate recovery after
exercise
1-1.2 g/Kg per hour
Daily recovery: moderate
duration/low intensity training
5-7 g/Kg per day
Daily recovery: moderate to
heavy endurance training
7-12 g/Kg per day
Daily recovery: extreme
exercise programme (4-6 plus
hours/day)
10 -12 g/Kg per day
Eating to Train and Eating to
Recover
Eat to compete!
Fast Meals and snacks
Maintain good energy (muscle
glycogen reserves) by including a
starchy carbohydrate food at
each meal
Fast Meals and snacks
Italian or bread pizzas
made an ideal fast
lunch or snack
2 slices provide
30gms protein
77gms carbs
9.8 gms fat
Snacks Providing ~ 50gm
Carbohydrate Energy
46gm carbs for 20p
50gm carbs for 10p
50gm carbs for 40p
50gm carbs for 80p
50gm carbs for 36p
50gm carbs for 56p
Carbohydrate goals:
Quality and timing
Low GI carbohydrate foods with meals on a
day to day basis can support body fat
reduction, e.g. porridge, butternut squash,
sweet potato, basmati rice, pasta, bean salads
High GI carbs e.g. jacket potato, bread, ripe
bananas, for more rapid refuelling between
sessions
High GI compact carbs for glycogen loading
pre-competition and rapid refuelling between
events
Energy Supplements
Sports bars and gels provide
a compact fuel source during
prolonged training
Convenient, portable and the
research evidence for their
use is well supported
However, they may often be
used to replace whole foods
which provide nutrients other
than carbohydrate and tend
to be more expensive
Fluid Choices: Comparison of Drinks
per Litre
Drink per Litre Calories Carbs (g) Electrolytes Comment
Sugar Free
Squash
0 0 0 Low cal choice
No electrolytes
Ordinary
squash
200 50 0 Provides carbs
No electrolytes
Fruit juice 400 100 0 Not suitable for
rehydration
Sports
drink
180 -220 60 - 80 Yes Best choice for rapid
rehydration
Energy
Drinks
730 179 0 Not suitable for
rehydration.
Useful for refuelling
Hydration Monitoring
Pre and post exercise
weighing
Assess fluid requirements
under different conditions
Match sweat losses with
appropriate amount and type
of fluid
Consume 1.5Litres fluid for
every 1Kg body mass lost
HOW MUCH DO I
NEED TO
DRINK?
Am I drinking enough?
YES!
If your weight loss during exercise
is minimal and urine colour is 3 or
less throughout the day
NO!
If you have lost more than
2% of body mass during
exercise, and your urine
colour is 4 or more
throughout the day
Protein Goals
The IOC Consensus statement on sports nutrition (2010)
recommends an adequate intake of foods or snacks that contain
high-quality proteins throughout the day for muscle growth and
repair.
Usually this can easily be achieved from everyday foods
Meal Food Kcal Protein Carbs Fat
Breakfast
Cereal +milk (skimmed)
2 x toast
380 16.0 66.0 6.0
Lunch Baked beans on 2 x toast 450 28.0 90.0 5.0
Dinner
Chicken (200gm) in sweet & sour
sauce +rice +veg
600 70.0 100 6.0
After
Training
1 Pint of skimmed milk
+milkshake flavouring
364 17.7 74.0 1.8
TOTAL
1794 132 330 18.8
Provides ~ 1.6gm protein per Kg for an 80Kg athlete
Protein Goals: vary protein sources
over the week
Lean red meat 1-2 x a week as a rich source of iron
Chicken and turkey are healthy low fat options. Turkey is
also a rich source of Beta alanine - a natural intra -
cellular buffer which is helpful when doing high intensity
training sessions
recipes using turkey mince
strips of turkey breast in stir frys.
Oily fish 1 2 x week to provide omega 3 fatty acids e.g.
salmon, tuna, tinned sardines or mackerel
Nuts are a very useful source of important essential
antioxidants
Walnuts are a great source of Vit E
Brazil nuts for selenium
Include Iron Rich Foods to Maintain
Good Iron Status
Important to maintain good ferritin stores to
support the physiological demands of
training in particular at altitude
Increase intake of iron rich foods, in
particular haem iron sources:-
Steak, or lean red meat 2-3
times/week
Liver onions and gravy 2 x month
Eggs scrambled. poached,
omelette/frittata
Other useful non-haem sources
include:
Dark green vegetables, spinach,
broccoli, frozen peas
Iron supplementation (ferrous
sulphate taken with Vit C) may also
be necessary
Eat to Compete!
Fast Meals and snacks
Maintain good iron status by
eating lean red meat at least
1x week, and including eggs,
green veggies and fortified
breakfast cereals in your diet
Performance Food Lean
Burgers
38gm protein
65gm carbs
Less than 5% fat
Excellent source of iron
Performance Food Pizza
Omelette
Altitude Training at Font Remau
My diet has been strict, mainly
protein (lots of steak) and pasta
with vegetables of course! I've
always preferred my steak to be
on the rare side, however
there's a restaurant nearby
where their idea of a 'medium-
rare' steak is to barely cook it....I
mean the steak is practically still
bleeding when it's served. At
one point I thought it was going
to get up and walk off my plate!
Still, being an athlete the rarer
the better for me
Mo Farahs Blog 22
nd
J uly 2010
Mo Farah Team GB 1500m, 3000m, 5000m
Timing of Protein and Carbohydrate Intake Matters for Recovery and
Protein Synthesis
10-20gms of protein with
carbohydrate (1gm per Kg body
mass) within 1 hour after exercise
The Role of Milk in a Sports
Diet
Protein source
Casein
Whey
Rehydration
Fluid & electrolytes
Potential role for protein
(plasma osmolality)
Recovery
Protein & carbs
Performance Food top tip for
recovery after training
1 pint semi-skimmed milk for protein and carbs
Use milk shake flavour for extra carbs
Include a banana for the ideal combination!
Performance Food Protein
Recovery Shake
1 pint semi-skimmed milk
Add 50gms skimmed milk powder to double the protein
Use milk shake flavour for extra carbs
Provides 99gms carbs, and 20-35gms protein for around
80p
Bone & Joint Health
Healthy bones need a good
supply of calcium & vit D.
Vitamin D deficiency is
resurfacing as a key concern
amongst those with a reduced
intake of foods rich in vitamin
D and reduced sun exposure
Elite athletes with chronic low
energy intakes and low
circulating vitamin D levels
may be more prone to stress
fractures and problems related
to sub-optimal bone density
Milk and dairy foods are a
useful source of calcium
Key Dietary Sources of
Vitamin D
Oily fish
Fortified margarines
Eggs
Fish oil supplements
Vitamin D supplement
providing 5-10g Vitamin
D3
Immune Health
Hard training resulting in high levels
of stress hormones may compromise
the immune system and increase the
risk of illness and infection in athletes
The best evidence supports the use
of a high carbohydrate diet, which
lowers stress hormone levels, and
promotes recovery between training.
Emerging research suggests a
beneficial effect for probiotic drinks
and prebiotic supplements and foods
in improving intestinal tract health,
enhancing the immune system
Use 2 weeks prior to travelling
Performance Foods for
Athletes
Anthocyanins are
powerful antioxidants
found in purple fruit &
veg
Can help protect the
body against stress of
hard training
Recover quicker with
cherries & berries!
Performance Foods for
Athletes
Beat fatigue with beetroot!
Nitrates in beetroot can delay fatigue
Power up your training by eating beetroot
or beetroot juice
Food for Athletes & Sports
People
Milk and cereal as good as
expensive sports drinks in
boosting performance, claim
scientists (Telegraph May 2009)
Chocolate-flavoured milk
speeds up recovery as well
as expensive sports drinks:
Football players would be
better off drinking chocolate
milkshake after a game than
expensive recovery drinks,
claim scientists (Telegraph J une
2009)
Combine cereal, milk, nuts &
berries to create an ideal
performance breakfast!
Competition Day Food
Always take a supply of your own foods & drinks
If you feel nervous and cannot eat, experiment
using sports drinks and flavoured milk drinks
Fuelling your Training and Races
Thank you
FOR MORE INFO...
Visit us at
www.performancefood.co.uk
Fact sheets
Booklets
Meal and snack ideas
Membership benefits
IFST for the inviting me to present today
Conference organisers for being such
excellent hosts