Nutrition & Training

Eat to Compete

Michelle Easterly, MA, RD, Official Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Expert of the Boilermaker

 

When it comes to eating right, it can be confusing to know where to start and what advice to take.  It can be even more confusing to decide on a healthy eating plan to fuel athletic performance. You see, sports nutrition is different from normal nutrition because with sports nutrition, the athletes require more nutrients to keep their energy up during their various activities. Athletes perform strenuous activities, that is why more nutrients are needed to keep them running! By choosing to eat wisely you are supporting good health, optimum performance, and fueling your body for a big athletic event.

For starters, the foundation of any diet should be based upon choosing nutrient rich foods from all five MyPyramid food groups. Eating a variety of foods among all the food groups is the key to ensuring your body receives all the vital nutrients needed for daily function. Additionally, the right combination of calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats gives you more energy for top performance. These nutrients perform certain actions that will help your body as you perform strenuous kind of sports. Research conducted by Donald Layman, Ph.D., and his team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, suggests that exercise is much more effective when it’s coupled with a protein-rich diet. Published in the August 2005 Journal of Nutrition (“Dietary Protein and Exercise Have Additive Effects on Body Composition During Weight Loss in Adult Women”), this study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting protein’s beneficial role in weight management.

Now if you are wondering how much you should be eating every day, be aware that needs greatly vary among individuals. There is no “one size fits all” recommendation. Typically, active people consume between 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day depending on their age, level of activity, body size and gender. Knowing how much you should be eating can greatly affect your performance—eating too little can cause you to fatigue more easily but eating too much can lead to weight gain. When it comes to training for a big event such as the Boilermaker, you want to make sure you have an appropriate eating game plan considered well in advance of race day. We have provided some resources as well as tips to help you estimate an appropriate eating plan.  Since individual nutrition needs can vary greatly between athletes, it is recommended that you consult with a Registered Dietitian to help you set personal goals to achieve results. 

• To find a registered dietitian in your area, go to www.eatright.org.

• These meal ideas are quick to make and feature delicious, nutrient-rich foods from the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition. There are a range of calorie options to suit your particular performance meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Do you need help developing your nutrition game plan? From general health advice to training tips we have information to help enhance your training with sound nutrition advice provided by the International Center for Human Nutrition.

• For many important health reasons, nutrition scientists are rediscovering the power of protein. To find tasty new ways to power your run, follow the link to help Power Up with Protein. 

* Information provided on behalf of New York State Beef Industry Council.