Nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, how can we expect our body to function properly if we don't fuel it well? Especially when you do a lot of sports, you have everything to gain by paying attention to what you eat to make the most of the hours spent training and ensure lasting progress. In this article, we will look at good eating habits to adopt to optimize your athletic performance and demystify common misconceptions on the subject. Let's go!
What diet should athletes adopt?
All food items can be categorized into two groups: macronutrients (elements that provide energy to the body: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) and micronutrients (they do not provide energy to the body but are essential for its proper functioning: vitamins, minerals, and trace elements).
Macronutrients for athletes
Carbohydrates are particularly important for athletes because they are more efficient than fats in providing fuel for muscles. Low glycogen reserves (derived from carbohydrates) are associated with increased fatigue and more difficult, lower-quality training. For training sessions longer than 90 minutes, it may therefore be beneficial to consume more carbohydrates than usual before the session (carb loading technique).
Among the foods richest in carbohydrates are rice, wheat, corn, rye, oats, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, and potatoes. Prefer whole grains as they contain complex carbohydrates which are absorbed more slowly by the body than simple carbohydrates and therefore provide a more stable source of energy.
Proteins promote the restructuring of certain non-muscular tissues such as tendons or bones and enable the synthesis of muscle proteins. It is therefore important for athletes to consume proteins regularly, especially just after exercise.
Here are some foods rich in proteins:
lean meats with less than 10% fat, such as chicken, turkey, lean beef,
fish such as salmon, tuna, trout,
eggs and dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, milk, or,
legumes, i.e., beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu.
Scientific studies show that dairy proteins are superior to others because they have a higher leucine content and their constituent amino acids are metabolized more quickly by the body.
Lipids, despite their bad reputation, are necessary for a healthy diet because they form cell membranes and facilitate the absorption of certain fat-soluble vitamins.
Here are some foods containing “good fats” (unsaturated): nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, vegetable oils, soft margarine, soy.
It is recommended to favor unsaturated fats over saturated fats such as meat, lard, tropical oils (coconut and palm), butter, whole and processed milk, as they are better assimilated by the body and do not accumulate in the arteries.
Micronutrients in sports
Regarding micronutrients, it should be noted that the biochemical adaptations of muscles following training are only possible thanks to them. This is why it is essential for athletes to have an adequate amount of all essential micronutrients.
The main micronutrients are iron, which can be found in red meat, poultry, and seafood, vitamin D, synthesized through sun exposure but also present in fatty fish and certain mushrooms, calcium, which is mainly present in dairy products, and antioxidants, present in spices, tea, and coffee.
How to apply these principles?
First, the most important lesson from this analysis is that a healthy diet must be varied to provide the body with all the nutrients it needs.
Secondly, energy intake must be proportionate to expenditure (unless one is trying to lose weight, which will be discussed later).
Finally, we recommend eating at fixed times, foods rich in carbohydrates (preferably complex) and lean proteins, especially in anticipation of long training sessions, which can put our reserves to the test!
What about hydration?
Being properly hydrated is a necessary condition for achieving optimal physical performance. Athletes must therefore be particularly attentive to maintaining a good level of hydration before, during, and after their training, especially to compensate for losses due to sweating. However, water alone is not enough for proper hydration; it must also contain electrolytes, which are essential for the proper functioning of the body.
Hydratis tablets offer a fast and effective hydration solution that enriches water with micronutrients and electrolytes to optimize water absorption by the body. Furthermore, the various flavors offered allow you to vary the pleasure so that hydration never feels like a chore!
What diet should you adopt to lose weight while exercising?
All diets that aim to lose body fat are based on the principle of a caloric deficit, meaning consuming fewer calories than you expend. There are a multitude of different diets, each with its advantages and disadvantages. We've provided a brief summary of the most common diets and their effects:
For low-energy diets, it's important to know that they are characterized by an intake of 800 to 1200 kcal/day, often in liquid form. Their goal is to induce rapid weight loss (1.0 to 2.5 kg/week) while preserving as much non-fat mass as possible. This diet has shown promising results in obese adults, especially when coupled with resistance training. However, it is always important to ensure sufficient micronutrient intake and to be supervised by a professional if you plan to try this particular diet.
Regarding low-fat diets, they are defined as providing between 20 and 35% of the total energy intake through fats. This type of diet is not new and has shown positive effects on weight loss, especially during the first months of the diet, compared to more energy-dense diets. However, this difference seems to fade in the long term as the body learns to compensate for this difference in energy density by reaching satiety more quickly.
Then there are low-carbohydrate diets. For this category, we can consider diets where less than 45% of the energy intake comes from carbohydrates. A 2016 meta-analysis showed that very low-carbohydrate diets (<10% of total energy) had a significant effect on fat mass loss compared to the group on a low-carbohydrate diet representing 40% of total energy, as well as the control group. In the long term, both types of low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to have positive effects on weight loss. However, these studies were conducted exclusively on obese adults, and it is less clear whether they have similar effects on adults of standard weight.
And finally, we can find high-protein diets. Generally defined as diets where more than 25% of the total energy comes from protein, this type of diet has shown excellent results in athletes undergoing resistance training. This allows for significant gains in muscle mass associated with fat loss. A hyper-protein diet representing 40% of energy intake has not, however, shown better effects than a protein-rich diet with 25% of energy intake.
According to recent scientific studies, the most effective diet for losing fat mass while exercising would be a high-protein diet coupled with intense resistance sports training.
Whatever your goal, a balanced diet adapted to your nutritional needs is essential to optimize your athletic performance. Remember that the body needs all nutrients, and consulting a nutritionist can be a key step to adapt your diet to your objectives.
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