The Importance Of Eating Meals Each Day As A High-Performance Athlete

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Athletes work hard to improve their performance, excel in every competition, and give their best when on the ground. But all this requires strong muscles, good stamina, and a body geared up for every training session or upcoming sports event, which is only possible when you are not skipping your daily meals.

When on the ground, an athlete’s body needs a constant energy supply to remain charged up to avoid getting lethargic or feeling lazy. So, whether you are a soccer player on your school football team or a professional athlete competing on an international level, a nutritious daily diet filled with the right calories is vital to perform effectively without putting much pressure on your muscles.

But why consume food on daily basis?

Importance Of Daily Meals For An Athlete

Athletes need a constant supply of energy that rightly comes from micro and macronutrients, proper intake of water and fluids. Besides, as an athlete, the food you consume affects your strength and performance and helps your body recover from tough practice sessions.

According to Dr. Carolyn Plateau at Loughborough University, athletes following inadequate diet plans before and after training or trying to reduce weight by eliminating the essential elements from their diet may lead to eating disorders.

In simple words;

• Skip a meal, and you will feel a decline in energy and blood sugar level followed by a slower metabolism.

• Besides, vigorous exercise causes your body to lose all the energy stored as fat which triggers the stress hormone. This compromises the functionality of the immune system. As an athlete, you need an active immunity system to ensure the steady growth of body mass and avoid any risk of injury.

• As for female athletes, insufficient and inadequate meals may disturb their menstrual cycle, and continued nutrients deficiency may affect the growth and sex hormone and impact the condition of hair, nails, and the smoothness of the skin.

• A deficient meal will also put more pressure on bones causing the athlete to have weak bones, leading to injuries.

For overall well-being, high-end athletic performance, and to win medals in every competition, an athlete needs to consume food daily on time. Including healthy mini-meals is also an excellent idea for fighting the untimely cravings while keeping up with the tough exercise routine at the same time.

Average Calorie Needs Of An Athlete (Performance Nutrition)

For peak performance, improved coordination, avoiding the risk of injury, and instant recovery, an athlete needs more calories than an average individual. Male and female athletes require about 2400-3000 kCal and 2200-2700 kCal per day, respectively, to ensure optimal performance and remain healthy at the same time.

According to Aloiya Earl, MD, sports nutrition differs significantly from nutrition required by an average person. An athlete needs a different proportion of macronutrients within their diet and may also need to adjust the calorie intake depending on each training session.

Now, to fill these calorie requirements, an athlete must consume meals that have just the right combination of nutrients, giving them a constant energy boost throughout their 4–8-hours training session.

1.   Carbs Are Fuel Source

Carbohydrates are a fuel house for athletes. The glucose from the body is stored up in the form of sugar, which the muscles store as glycogen. The extra glycogen is used as an energy source for the athlete. According to Joy Dobust, a sports dietitian Ph.D., storing carbohydrates for up to 3-4 days before a coming event will keep your glycogen level fueled up, for which you need to eat your daily meals at the right time.

Bread, pasta, fruit, and vegetables are excellent sources to get adequate carbohydrate storage.

2.   Micronutrients For Efficiency

Even with all the stored carbohydrates and proteins, an athlete’s body needs micronutrients to have strong bones and a robust body mechanism. Vitamins and minerals such as Thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D support a range of activities within the body of an athlete, such as:

• Improve metabolism by breaking down carbs and proteins.
• A sufficient supply of vitamins improves the overall performance.
• Ensures an active supply of oxygen.
• Promotes bone health.

3.   Don’t Forget The Protein.

Proteins are vital for athletes to improve their performance and for building strong muscles for tough training sessions. Some good source of healthy proteins includes nuts and seeds, seafood especially fish, beans, lentils, eggs, and dairy products.  

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an athlete’s diet must have higher amounts of proteins to speed or avoid recovery, fight injuries, and prevent protein catabolism. So, ISSN suggests athletes must have a proper intake of proteins ranging from 1.2-2.0g/kg of body weight per day to ensure the body gets an appropriate supply of amino acids for repairing and building body muscles.

Now, if you are an athlete or aspiring to become one, you know the importance of eating your daily meals, or you will not have that energy needed for a glorious workout and in-field performance.