food for Sport and exercise

Sport and exercise can be a large part of some people’s lives and is extremely beneficial for overall health. Eating the right types of foods, in the right quantities, can help any sportsperson or avid exerciser regardless of age, gender or level of fitness.

EXERCISE INTENSITY

Not all sport and exercise is the same in terms of intensity. There are different exercise intensities:

• Low intensity - when exercising, you can hold a conversation with ease.

• Moderate intensity - often seen as breathing with some difficulty; when exercising you need to take a sharp breath to speak.

• Vigorous intensity - when exercising, you can hardly speak and are panting quite heavily.

Examples of low, moderate and vigorous intensity exercise are listed below:

Your nutritional needs can vary depending on how often you train and how intense you train. If you do low to moderate intensity exercise, there is no real need to focus on specific sport nutrition, rather general healthy eating based on the dietary guidelines. This includes having adequate amounts of good quality protein for muscle strength, healthy fats for bodily functions and fibrous carbohydrate for energy levels and digestion, which can be useful to assist with activity.

In contrast, if you do vigorous intensity training and are a keen exercise enthusiast (someone that trains more than five times a week), it is crucial nutritional needs are seen to be more or less on-par with an athlete. This means it’s important to consider what you eat before exercising (to fuel up) and after exercising (to replenish energy stores and help with recovery); we call this pre- and post-exercise meals. But first, let’s take a look at what you should be eating in general.

EVERYDAY NUTRITION

For those who do regular vigorous intensity exercise, your day-to-day nutritional needs increase. Think of your body as a car, the more you drive, the more fuel you need. Further, the bigger your car, the more fuel you require. Here are some things for you to consider to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

• Consider what you are eating around training – have you had food before, and do you have something available after?

• Are you meeting your protein targets of 1.2–2g per kg of body weight, spaced evenly over the day? Put simply:

o   Does your breakfast have a good amount of protein?

o   Is your lunch as good nutritionally, if not better than dinner?

o   Does your dinner plate look like below?

• Are you eating enough to compensate for your exercise? Often sugar cravings are a sign of hunger.

• Are you eating from all four food groups (fruits and vegetables, protein, carbohydrate and dairy) to assist in overall performance and recovery?

PRE-EXERCISE MEAL

For any kind of exercise it’s important to have some fuel in the tank. However, before vigorous and/or endurance exercise (e.g. running or high intensity training) it’s important you are giving your muscles and brain the nourishment they need to perform at your best. Here are some of our top tips:

• Ensure you are adequately hydrated at least one hour prior to exercise (one way to tell is if your urine is clear).

• If your exercise lasts longer than an hour and a half consider having:  

  • A meal four hours prior: This should consist of carbohydrate with a small amount of protein (e.g. couscous salad with sliced beef, ½ tin spaghetti with toast and one or two poached eggs).

  • A decent snack or small meal two hours prior: This should be high in carbohydrate but low in fibre and protein to reduce getting an upset stomach (e.g. bowl of cereal with milk plus a banana).

• Be sure to try new foods in training first before any competition or event.

FOOD DURING EXERCISE

For those doing prolonged vigorous exercise for more than an hour and a half, it is important to consider eating during exercise. When you are exerting your body for long periods of time (e.g. marathon running), you need to top up your energy levels to stay fuelled, reduce fatigue, and reduce the risk of injury. Here are some of our top tips for eating while exercising:

• If competing, familiarise yourself with the food and drinks to be available on competition day or take your own.

• Aim to eat or drink 30-90g carbohydrates per hour at regular intervals (every 20 minutes if practical). Some examples include a banana, pikelets or a sports gel.

• Hydration is variable depending on the individual, the activity and the environment, so consider practicing your protocol during training. If you are a heavy sweater, and/or notice your face and lips become salty, investing in electrolytes (through a sports drink or capsules) may assist in reducing the negative impact of dehydration.

  • If you weigh yourself before and after exercise, the goal is to stay under a 2% weight loss. If it is more than that (e.g. 80kg male losing more than 1.6kg), consider your food and hydration strategies during exercise. If you experience cramping, diarrhoea, bloating or excessive weight loss during exercise, consider visiting a specialist registered dietitian or registered nutritionist for support.

POST-EXERCISE MEAL

After any sort of moderate and/or vigorous exercise, recovery is key. From a nutrition perspective, it is important to refuel your body with nourishing foods and fluids to help repair your muscles. Here are a few tips:

• Aim to have a snack containing protein, carbohydrates and fluid. A great option is a smoothie that has oats, banana, fruit, Greek yoghurt, milk powder plus water/milk/alternative. This nails all three requirements and is excellent for recovery.

• Aim to follow this with a meal within one and a half hours after exercise.

  • If in the morning, this could be a bowl of wholegrain cereal with Greek yoghurt and fruit or eggs on wholegrain toast with vegetables.

  • If in the afternoon or evening, this could be a wholegrain sandwich with lean meat, a serve of Shepherd’s pie or spaghetti Bolognese.

• For those who exercise in the morning, the breakfast above followed by a decent morning snack will be sufficient for recovery.

• Aim to be completely hydrated over six hours post exercise, if you’re a heavy sweater, consider a sugar free electrolyte drink or tablets.

THE BENEFITS OF LEAN RED MEAT FOR ATHLETES

• Great source of protein. Lean red meat contains all of the essential amino acids that your body cannot make. It is packed full of protein that will assist in meeting your increased daily needs for muscle maintenance and recovery.

• Good source of iron. Iron is important for fighting fatigue, immunity and carrying oxygen around the body and lean red meat contains the more easily absorbed iron form (haem iron).

• Good source of B12 and zinc. These nutrients are crucial to assist in reducing an athlete’s risk of illness.

• Source of creatine which can be useful (especially for females) in assisting performance during high intensity interval training or weight training. However, to obtain the full benefits of creatine, supplementation is recommended under the advice of your sports nutrition specialist.

For further information on sports nutrition, consult with a Registered Nutritionist or a Dietitian who specialises in sports nutrition.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements to Conrad Goodhew, a NZ Registered Sports Dietitian, for his review of this page (June 2020). https://www.conradgoodhew.com/

References

American College of Sports Medicine and American Dietetic Association. (2009). Joint position statement: Nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Campbell, B., Kreider, R.B., Zigenfuss, T., La Bounty, P., Roberts, M., Burke, D., Landis, J., Lopez, H., & Antonio, J. (2007). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 4(8), 1-7.

Mahan, L, K., Escott-Stump, S., Raymond, J.L. (2012). Krause’s Food and the Nutrition Care Process. 13th edition. Elsevier Inc. Missouri, USA. 

Maughan, R.J., Burke, L.M., Dvorak, J., Larson-Meyer, D.E., Peeling, P., Phillips, S.M., Rawson. (2018). IOC consensus statement: Dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 52. 439-455.

Ministry of Health. (2015). Eating and Activity Guidelines for Adults. Wellington, Ministry of Health.  

Mountain, S.J. (2008). Hydration recommendations for sport 2008. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 7(4). 187-192.