Nutrition

The Power Of Nutrition In Sports

Sports performance is built upon the foundation of nutrition.

Along with genetics and training diet has a massive impact on athletic performance. Poor nutrition can lead to injury, fatigue, and poor recovery. Nutrition is fuel for the body, it ensures a faultless running engine. Therefore nutrition is an important contributor to an athlete’s overall sports performance. Genetics and solid training might have carried you through so far but at the highest level of competition, this weakness will most likely get exposed.

There is no such thing as the perfect diet for everyone. People are all unique. Based on gender, age, body type, and activity level dietary needs will vary. It is essential to be aware of your own body constitution for developing your perfect diet.

In the 1940s William H. Sheldon introduced the concept of body types. He subdivided humans into three different body types based on body disposition, bone structure, muscular system, and the tendency to put on fat. The types are called Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph. The body type determines the training and diet plan that works best for you. Every body type can achieve an athletic body by being extremely disciplined and working hard. The right diet will speed up that process.

Endomorph

high body fat
stocky/curvey build
slow metabolism
gain weight easily

Endomorphs naturally tend to be stockier and/or have curvy, fuller figures. This body type puts on muscle mass easily but has a hard time keeping body fat in check. Endomorphs can tolerate a high training load and recover quickly – a perfect precondition for intense workouts. The difficulty is controlling body fat. Even in a bulking phase, the endomorph has to follow a strict diet plan to avoid fat gain. It’s key to not overeat and to keep the fat intake low.

Macronutrient Ratio for Endomorph

Carbs 60%
Fat 20%
Protein 20%

Ectomorph

long & lean
fast metabolism
hardgainer
low body fat

Ectomorphs tend to be long-limbed and not particularly muscular; can be skinny without necessarily having lean body composition. It’s the body type that is the most resistant to weight and muscle gain because of a fast metabolism – Hardgainer. People with this body type have little observable body fat, are only lightly muscled, and have a small frame and joints. Hardgainer have to work hard to see results in building muscle mass. They have to be cautious to not overwork their body and allow it to recover properly since recovery takes an ectomorph a little longer. Ectomorphs have no problem building up endurance, they are naturally gifted. The prototype of an ectomorph is a marathon runner. Nutrition-wise it’s important to have a high protein intake to help muscle growth.

Macronutrient Ratio for Ectomorph

Carbs 50%
Fat 25%
Protein 25%

Mesomorph

lean & muscular simultaneously
loose and gain weight quickly
gain muscle mass quickly
low body fat

A mesomorph combines the best attributes out of the other ones. Those are the best preconditions for an athletic body. Mesomorphs quickly build muscle mass and put on fat slowly. This body type tends to have a long torso and shorter limbs. Mesomorphs are known for a quick recovery and easy weight loss.

Macronutrient Ratio for Mesomorph

Carbs 65%
Fat 10%
Protein 25%

Nutrition Hacks

For everyday healthy eating

P+F+C Formular

Before you start preparing remember what you need for a balanced meal. A lean protein, vegetables with healthy fats, and a complex carbohydrate should be included.
You can use your hand to approximately use the right amount of each macronutrient. The size of your palm determines your protein portions. Accordingly, your fist determines your veggie portions, your cupped hand your carb portions and your thumb determines your fat portions.

Sugar, sugar, sugar

To get a better feeling for the sugar content in any packaged product, simply divide the sugars by four to get a visual of the number of teaspoons of sugar you’d be consuming.
4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon

Learn how to spot ultra-processed food

Ultra-processed food should be avoided in a healthy diet. How do I spot it? As simple as it is check the nutrition fact label. Usually, if a product contains more than 5 ingredients it is ultra-processed.

Make your own sauce

By making your own sauce you automatically reduce calories, added sugars, and artificial ingredients. It's an easy way to add tons of flavor without piling on calories and sugar.

Use Greek yogurt as a substitute

Plain Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in fat. Therefore it's the perfect replacement in almost any recipe for mayo, cream cheese, or sour cream.

Avoid sugary drinks

Sugary drinks like juices, soft drinks, and flavored coffee contain plenty of empty calories. Replace them with water instead. Add fresh fruit to spice it up every now and then.

Backup meals for busy days

To avoid unhealthy take-away food, keep some backup meals at home. For example, you can cook for two and freeze the extra portion. You can also stock frozen veggies and frozen protein like salmon to speed up the cooking process on busy days.