From Walsh Natural Health

                                     August 2013          

Sports Support: Nutrition for Boosting Performance, Preventing Injury, Speeding Injury Recovery and More

"I wasn't feeling well in the first half. I felt down,  man. I had three slices of pizza before the game and the food took me down.

Whether you are trying to get the most out of your workout or are playing sports competitively, good nutrition can give you the boost that you need. The low quality protein bars, candy and Gatorade used by many of our young athletes could stand a little upgrade, to say the least. Read on for the best way to maximize your workout, avoid injury, heal from injuries more quickly, and more.  

Nutrition for Boosting Performance and Preventing Injury 

Athletes need good nutrition to perform at their best and prevent injury. Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables will go a long way toward keeping the body strong. A diet high in fresh, whole foods provides the vitamins and minerals needed to keep the body functioning well. Eating highly acidic diets, those filled with only carbs, meats, refined sugars and soda conversely will cause minerals to be used to buffer these acid-creating foods rather than be available for maximum functioning.

Quality protein is important to building and maintaining muscle. Proteins are used for the manufacture of new tissue, repair of old tissue, making hormones and making the enzymes necessary for body processes. The best time to consume protein is immediately after exercise. A small amount of protein can also be consumed during exercise, but should be only 20%, with the rest being carbohydrates. Whey protein powder is perfect for building muscle as it is high in the branched chain amino acids, which are used for this purpose. Whey protein also has immune-building benefits so can be beneficial for athletes that are playing in the elements. There are also vegan proteins that contain soy, brown rice, hemp protein, cranberry protein, pea protein, or some combination of these that are good sources. Beef jerky, if from grass-fed cows and free of hormones, can also be a good source. I like the Tanka bars, which are from buffalo, as this type of meat is de-facto grass-fed and typically very lean.

Omega-3 fatty acids have multiple benefits for athletes. Omega-3s are missing in the typical American diet and need to be balanced with omega-6 fats, which are prevalent in our diets via soy, corn, sunflower and safflower oils. Most packaged foods contain these oils. Omega 3s break down into EPA and DHA. The EPA component of fish oil is important for calming inflammation, reducing muscle soreness, reducing exercise-induced asthma and bronchial constriction,increasing fat breakdown, and improving oxygen delivery to the heart. The DHA component is integral to cell membrane health, crucial for the athlete because the membrane's health affects all of the signaling that goes on in the body. It is also important for focus and concentration, an important component of competitive sports.

Carbohydrates are very important for athletes that are trying to maintain or increase bulk. When we stress the body with exercise, our muscles first  burn carbohydrates for energy, then fat, then protein. This points out the need to have sufficient carbohydrate calories before exercise if we are trying to maintain weight/mass. Refined or white carbohydrates do provide energy, but have few of the vitamins or minerals that allow us to properly use the energy. For this reason, the majority of our carbohydrates should come from complex sources such as whole grains, beans, nuts, vegetables and fruit. Complex carbohydrates are ultimately broken down to glucose, main source of fuel for the muscles, but this happens more slowly, avoiding quick insulin spikes that come with simple carbohydrates. 

Hydration is crucial to athletic performance.  Dehydration occurs with a loss of body weight of just 1% and at a loss of 2% athletic ability is impaired. A 150 lb athlete that loses 3 lbs during exercise can have loss of coordination, fatigue, confusion, dry skin, or elevated body temperature. We also lose important electrolyte minerals through perspiration. Gatorade may be a favorite of young athletes, but it is loaded with simple sugars and sodium and offers little in the way of nutrition. While sodium can help us retain water, potassium is most rapidly lost through perspiration. A lack of potassium can cause muscle cramping and poor water balance in the body. Coconut water is high in potassium and has some of the other electrolyte minerals, so is a good choice for hydration. An electrolyte drink like Endura or Electro mix can also help you remain hydrated.

A calcium/magnesium supplement is advisable for athletes under 25. Most of our bone structure is formed by this age and the extra demands of a sport on the body may deplete the body of these essential minerals. Athletes that do not have diets high in these minerals may also need supplementation.

B vitamins are vital for many enzymatic reactions in the body and help the body to adapt to stress. They are involved in muscle metabolism and the production of energy from our food. Some of the B vitamins help with the manufacture of hemoglobin and hence are important to oxygenation of the tissues. Taking a B complex can reduce the amount of stress that workouts put on the body.

Adaptogens, a class of herbs that help the body respond better to stress, have been used in Europe and Asia to improve athletic performance for years. These herbs nourish the adrenal glands, can lower cortisol, and provide energy. Rhodiola is a favorite of Russian athletes. Ginseng has been used in China and other Asian countries. Ashwaganda is the most well-known ayurvedic adaptogen. Cordyceps is a favorite of runners because it is an adaptogen, but also increases lung capacity. A combination mushroom products called CordyChi can help the body to perform better at higher altitudes and in endurance sports.

Free radicals are naturally produced in the body as a result of exercise. Taking antioxidants to neutralize these free radicals can improve exercise performance and speed recovery of the body after intense exercise. Vitamin C is perhaps best known for this purpose, but a greens formula, superfruit formula, alpha lipoic acid, Vitamin E and others can work as well. Antioxidants can be beneficial both before and after a workout or sporting event. I love to have some Vitamineral Green powder in coconut water prior to a workout.

Vegetarians need to be mindful of getting enough iron for oxygenation, B12 for energy production, and zinc for protein and hormone metabolism. These nutrients can be deficient in vegetarian diets since their main sources are animal proteins.

Speeding Injury Recovery