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PERFORMANCE NUTRITION GUIDE
HOW NUTRITION CAN HELP
YOUR SPORTS PERFORMANCE
Performance nutrition can improve performance in a
variety of ways but generally it falls into these 3 categories:
MAXIMISING
ADAPTATIONS
PERFORMANCE
INJURY &
ILLNESS
PREVENTION
MATCH
STRATEGIES
Maximising adaptations
from training
Reducing the risk of
injury and illness
Optimise energy levels to maximise outcomes
from training sessions
Implement strategies that can help reduce
the number of missed training days
Maximise recovery to support adaptations
& accelerate readiness to train again
Implement strategies that can reduce the
duration of injuries and illness
Implement strategies to optimise body
composition for performance
Assess relevant biomarkers (blood) to adjust
food and supplement strategies to alter any
deficiencies that may enhance the risk of
injury or illness.
Strategies to enhance key performance skills
and physical demands
Match
Strategies
Implement strategies to enhance physical/
physiological requirements on match day
(e.g. power, repeated sprints)
Integrate strategies to maximise cognitive
function (concentration, reaction time, focus)
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WHAT WE LOOK AT
IN SPORTS NUTRITION
When it comes to sports nutrition these are the main areas that we look at:
MACRONUTRIENTS
This is the term used for the main parts of your diet that you require large quantities of;
PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES and FAT. They are the main sources of energy and vital to
maintain good health and maximize performance. We will go into a little more detail about
each of these later in the guide.
MICRONUTRIENTS
This is the term used for parts of your diet that you need but only in relatively small amounts
compared to the macronutrients. Generally these are the VITAMINS and MINERALS that
are needed by the body. Good examples are Vitamins C and D, Iron, Calcium, Sodium etc.
that all help your body to perform.
This is the term for additional things that can potentially help sports performance that you
may not always be able to get from a regular balanced diet. For example creatine monohydrate is a well-known ergogenic aid and has rigorous scientific backing for its potential
benefits to sport. Found naturally in red meat in fairly low levels, supplementing it beyond
what may be possible to eat can positively improve performance.
ERGOGENIC AIDS
Although it is not always “nutrition” as such there are a number of general health areas that
can also boost performance and can be addressed easily. This is where we look at hydration,
hygiene, sleeping etc. All these things can have a huge impact on your performance so need
to be considered, if you miss training from being ill or don’t sleep well to help recovery the
knock on effects can lead to not performing as well as you can.
GENERAL HEALTH
Building a nutritional strategy is something that is completely individual to the athlete; there is no one size
fits all! It also doesn’t happen over night and takes time to perfect and tweak. Because of that all of our
nutrition plans focus on these 5 key principles:
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Preparation
2
Quality
3
Quantity
4
5
Frequency
2
Hydration
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MACRONUTRIENTS
Here is a table showing you some of the key bits of information about
the macronutrients. They all play an extremely important role when it
comes to your health and performance.
PROTEIN
CARBOHYDRATES
FAT
Protein is vital for various functions such as
building and repairing muscle structures,
contractility and general health. They
come from meat, fish, eggs, nuts etc.
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred
energy sources and should make up
50-60% of your energy intake. This is the
only source of fuel for your brain and is the
main energy source during most sports
Fat is a great energy source. We store
around 50 times more energy in fat
than carbohydrates. Top nutritionists
are currently investigating ways we can
manipulate a diet so we can better utilize
that energy source for events such as
the Tour de France
Each gram of protein contains
4 kcal of energy
Each gram of carbohydrate contains
4 kcal of energy
Each gram of fat contains 9 kcal of energy
Protein should make up approximately
20% of your total energy intake. However
this can change depending on your
nutritional goals
Carbohydrates are broken down into
glucose and depending on their type it
affects blood glucose concentration in
different ways. This is referred to as the
glycemic index (GI)
Fats are categorized as saturated or
unsaturated fats. Saturated fats, like
those found in processed meat,
should be avoided.
Unlike carbohydrates and fat, protein
cannot be stored in the body.
It’s a case of use it or loose it
They are defined as being of a high (HGI)
or low (LGI) glycemic index. Starchy carbs
such as bread and potatoes are HGI,
vegetables and some fruits are LGI
Fat needs to be present in your diet to aid
with the absorption of vitamins and provide
essential fatty acids that are not produced
in the body
They are made up of amino acids.
There are a total of 20 amino acids;
8 essential (cannot be made in the body)
and 12 non essential
LGI carbs cause less of a spike in blood
glucose levels and provide a slower
release of energy. HGI carbs provide
a quicker energy boost
Involved in an impact sport such as rugby
or boxing? Fats are what are used to
protect your body from those impacts!
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MICRONUTRIENTS
This is a huge area of sports nutrition that could be a whole text book
in itself, so for the sake of this guide we will have a look at a few of the
better known and more studied micronutrients.
SODIUM
IRON
During moderate to intense exercise, you
can produce up to 2 litres of sweat per hour
depending on the environmental conditions
and your own sweat rate. Sweat contains vital
electrolytes, including sodium. Sodium is
the most important electrolyte as it helps to
stimulate thirst, improve taste and promote
absorption and retention.
One of the most important roles that Iron plays
is as a component of haemoglobin, this is found
in red blood cells and is what carries oxygen
from the lungs to the rest of the body’s cells.
One red blood cell has around 250 million
haemoglobin molecules so a higher level of
Iron can mean a higher aerobic capacity and
better performance.
Symptoms of low Iron levels can typically be
seen as low energy levels or feelings of fatigue,
it may not always be the case if that is how you
feel but simple blood tests can quickly check.
This mineral is especially important to female
athletes due to losses during the menstrual
cycle, so make sure dietary intake is sufficient.
There are 2 types of Iron in food; heme and
non-heme. Heme Iron has a higher absorption
rate and can be found in red meat where as
non-heme is slower to be absorbed and can
be found in vegetables such as spinach.
VITAMIN D
Also known as the sunshine vitamin our body
can actually synthesize it when UV rays from
the sun hit the skin. It is a fat soluble vitamin
that is closely linked with calcium absorption
in the gut but is naturally present in very few
foods. It is commonly supplemented during
the winter months or to athletes that train
predominantly indoors because of the lack of
exposure to natural sunlight.
Vitamin D plays a very important part in
many things with new literature being
produced all the time validating its
significance. Roles include; neuromuscular
function, immune function, anti inflammatory
properties, bone health, mental state and
lowering blood pressure.
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ERGOGENIC AIDS
In 2015 we in the UK spent around £66
million on sports nutrition food and drinks and
that number is forecast to grow over the next
few years. It is a huge market that companies
want to tap into and aren’t afraid to not always
be as up front and honest about the potential
benefits of their products. So when it comes to
these supplements it’s always good to check
things over and not buy into the marketing
because it can become very costly.
Supplements that have the potential to
improve your performance massively depend
on the type of sport you are doing, you as an
individual and what you are trying to improve.
We are more than happy to go through some
of the possible things you could try to get that
extra edge so don’t hesitate to ask.
GENERAL HEALTH
As was mentioned earlier some of the areas
we address aren’t always strictly “nutrition” as
such. We also try to look at other lifestyle factors
that can help keep you healthy and as ready to
train and perform as best as you can. A great
example of this is sleeping…
You spend almost 1/3 of your entire life asleep
and it is extremely important for the body to
recover properly both mentally and physically.
There are some nutritional strategies that
can have positive effects on your sleep habits
ranging from obvious ones such as avoiding
caffeine late at night and some more traditional
ones that do actually work such as a glass of
warm milk before bed (seriously).
However, some of the most effective
ways to improve your sleep quality are
general practices, for example changing
your bedding regularly or having better
curtains. The most effective one however
is avoiding looking at TV/laptop/phone
screens whilst in bed, the light emitted
from them plays havoc with some of your
internal systems that help you get to sleep
so keep your bedroom for sleeping and
use the gadgets else where.
We hope you enjoyed the information in this
guide and wish you all the best in applying the
knowledge you gained.
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