Sports Nutrition for the Elite Athlete and the Active Person

Sports Nutrition for the Elite Athlete and the Active Person

A solid nutrition plan is extremely important for training, increasing your endurance and improving your performance. Moreover, eating the right food before, during, and after training can drastically alter your recovery time as well as help you achieve your peak performance. Even if you are not into extreme sports or competing for an endurance event, a sound nutrition plan will help you delay fatigue so you can push yourself harder. Without the proper foods, your hard efforts can be fruitless. So what exactly should you eat before, during, and after exercise to ensure that you performance at your best? 

Before any sort of intense physical activity, you should consume a carbohydrate-rich meal about 3-4 hours before the event or a carbohydrate-rich snack approximately 30-60 minutes before. This will help top off muscle stores as carbohydrates are the main source of fuel and energy for your body during exercise. You should also include a small amount of protein in your pre-exercise meal to reduce soreness as well as help repair and build muscle. I recommend that the meal be low in fat and fiber to ensure proper digestion as well as prevent any bowel discomfort during an event. Optimal choices for pre-exercise meals include 1) oatmeal with almonds, skim milk, and banana 2) lean hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and a yogurt-fruit parfait 3) Turkey and Swiss sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a sports drink 4) peanut butter and honey on toast with a sports drink. Half an hour to an hour before exercise, you should have a piece of fruit, a jam sandwich or just a sports drink or some water. 

It is advisable that if you are exercising for more than an hour at a time, you should eat while exercising to ensure that you provide sufficient glucose to your working muscles and that you do not tire easily. How much you need to eat depends on how long you are active for. If you are engaging in intense exercise for over an hour, you should try to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrate every hour. This can be in the form of a sports drink or an easily digestible carbohydrate –rich food such as a cereal bar, a banana, or a handful of raisins. Keep in mind that it is crucial to drink water during prolonged exercise to prevent dehydration. 

Eating for recovery is just as important as eating before exercising. After a hard exercise session, you should aim to restore fluids and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) lost through sweat. Moreover, you need to replace the carbohydrate that your body utilized as muscle fuel during practice in addition to feeding your body protein to aid in repair of damaged muscles. You can begin nutrition recovery with a snack or meal within 15-60 minutes following exercise or competition. Good options include 1) whole wheat pita sandwich with turkey and veggies, pretzels, and low-fat milk 2) brown rice bowl with beans, cheese, salsa, avocado, and whole grain tortilla 3) stir fry with lean steak, vegetables and brown rice. As for recovery snacks, choices such as a berry smoothie made with yogurt, a sports drink with a sports bar, and graham crackers with peanut butter and low-fat milk will all allow your body to recover properly. 

Here are some meal ideas for pre-exercise and for recovery: 

Pre-Exercise Wrap 

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Number of Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat tortilla
• 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp of sugar free jelly (whichever flavor you prefer)
• 2 strawberries (de-stemmed and sliced up)
• 1/4 banana, sliced length-wise
• 2 tbsp. of low fat granola 

Directions

Chop up the ingredients and roll them up in the tortilla. Eat and enjoy.

Nutritional Information 

• Number of Servings: 1
• Calories: 314.8 
• Total Fat: 12.1 g 
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg 
• Sodium: 508.2 mg 
• Total Carbs: 50.0 g 
• Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g 
• Protein: 9.5 g 

Recovery Meal Idea: 

Maple Grilled Salmon 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned 
• Cooking spray 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.
2. 2. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
3. 3. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).
4. 4. Place fish on grill rack or pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving 

• Calories: 270 
• Calories from fat: 35% 
• Fat: 10.6g 
• Saturated fat: 2.5g 
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.6g 
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.5g 
• Protein: 31.1g 
• Carbohydrate: 11g 
• Fiber: 0.1g 
• Cholesterol: 80mg 
• Iron: 0.7mg 
• Sodium: 216mg 
• Calcium: 27mg 

*From myrecipes.com 

Carena Lowenthal, MS, RD, CDN

19 W. 34th St. PH Suite

NY, NY 10001

(917) 882-5033

www.carenalowenthal.com

carena@carenalowenthal.com

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