Nutrition Tips for Athletes

When you need a diet that can meet your high-performance needs and help you to recover quickly afterward; whether you are a high-performance athlete, or just getting started; regardless of your sport of choice; if you live in the Rocky Mountains or the tropics of the Caribbean—finding optimal food and fluid strategies to meet your goals is essential and found in Sports & Performance Nutritionist Lisa Dorfman’s Next Level Performance Nutrition© Guide Best diet for Athletes Miami.

Performance Nutrition Strategies for Athletes

Learning how to fuel your body is imperative for training and competition; for preventing illness and injury, and for maintaining optimal health is essential for optimal performance. Here are Lisa’s top strategies to get you started.

• Get Enough Energy aka Calories in Your Daily Diet. Successful sports training and performance starts with consuming adequate calories to support training and everyday activity needs. Without adequate calories, improvement in strength, endurance, muscle mass will be more challenging to attain and may even increase the risk of illness and injury. Calories come from food which provides the major macronutrients carbohydrates, protein, and fat. All nutrients are essential for the best diets for athletes Miami.

• Do not be Carb phobic! Carbohydrates are a great source of energy.  Carbs are required for high-intensity gym workouts to long-distance endurance training. Include vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Whole grains have the added benefit of minerals and fiber, which helps maintains a feeling of fullness/satisfaction and aids in digestive health.  Inadequate carbohydrates can lead to depletion, a compromised immune system, and overtraining syndrome.

• Protein is essential for recovery, strength, and endurance. Good sources of protein include lean red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, or plant-based—beans/legumes, peas, tofu, tempeh, and whole grain-based products like quinoa, sorghum, and bean pasta.

• Fats are critical for health, especially essential omega 3 fats. However, too much fat in the diet regardless of the source can impede performance and health. Consuming a high-fat diet during training and prior to competition can impact physique, weight, and stamina; cause gastrointestinal issues such as gas and cramping, and poorly affect performance. Healthy fats considered higher in the essential omega 3 and omega 6 fats include nuts—almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts; seeds—melon, sunflower, flax, sesame; cooking oils—peanut, mustard, coconut, sunflower oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, soyabean oil, flaxseed oil.

• Vitamins & Minerals are essential for optimal performance and health. It is often challenging for athletes to attain vitamins and minerals through diet alone due to lifestyle schedules—school, work, family; eating on the run, inadequate fluid intake, and intake of less nutritious easy- to -prepare or street foods consumed on the run. Electrolyte loss from sweat during training and competition is also a concern for heavy sweaters. The best way to ensure getting enough vitamins and minerals is through a balanced diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy or dairy alternative sources. 

• Do not Avoid Sodium. Sodium is a component of salt and a critical electrolyte for muscle and nerve function. Electrolytes also include chloride, potassium, magnesium, and can be replaced through a variety of whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Using salt at mealtime and/or the consumption of sports drinks and even energy bars and shakes can also help meet vitamin, mineral, and electrolyte needs.  Nutrition experts who offer Weight Loss Programs Miami share the importance of sodium as a performance lifesaver, especially for heavy sweaters.

• Always check with your medical provider the best diets for athletes in Miami for any training and performance regimens.

About This Author

Lisa Dorfman Joined: February 4th, 2021