You have probably heard that athletes supplement their training routine with a healthy sports nutrition. This is of course important to stand out from the competition in today's high-performance environment. But why exactly do nuts play such an important role for nutrition-conscious athletes?
We will address this question in this article. We will not only explain why nuts are such an important part of an everyday sporting routine, but also what you can get out of them for yourself – no matter how often you do sports.
To make things as clear as possible, we will first discuss the reasons for a sufficient nut intake before we go into practice and show you how you can incorporate the knowledge into your everyday sporting life.
Do athletes have an increased need for nutrients?
Anyone who wants to be successful in their respective sport has to train a lot. So far so good – but how does this affect eating habits? Do athletes need more nutrients as a result of training? Or is it enough to follow the general nutrient recommendations?
To answer this question, we need to consider two factors. Firstly, energy is burned during physical activity. Secondly, the body needs sufficient nutrients to regenerate. So, athletes do indeed have an increased need for energy and nutrients.
How many carbohydrates do athletes need?
The amount of additional energy needed depends very much on the type of exercise. While you tend to burn fat when jogging, high-intensity activities such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training) primarily deplete your carbohydrate stores.
The following is important to keep in mind: strenuous exercise – referred to as ‘high intensity’ – tends to use up carbohydrates. Less strenuous, but longer-lasting exercise tends to metabolise more fat.
How many carbohydrates, fats and proteins do athletes need?
In principle, the recommendations for athletes are similar to those for the general population. Consequently, carbohydrates should cover 50-55% of energy requirements, protein intake should be 12-15% and fat intake should account for the remaining 30-35%.
Only for high-performance athletes does the distribution change a little. However, we usually only speak of high-performance sport when training is 12 hours or more per week.
Consequently, most people who are enthusiastic about sports tend to be recreational or fitness athletes. If your training volume does not exceed 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week, you can rely on the percentages mentioned above. However, you should pay particular attention to your micronutrient requirements.
This is how many minerals, vitamins and co. you need as an athlete
When you sweat during exercise, your body loses not only water but also minerals. Not only magnesium but also calcium and, in particular, sodium are lost. In addition, the strain means that more iron and potassium are needed. To avoid an undersupply, you should therefore ensure a sufficient intake of minerals.
It is not yet fully understood whether athletes have an increased vitamin requirement. However, the following can be said with certainty: as an athlete, you should avoid a vitamin deficiency at all costs. This is because many vitamins play an important role in sporting activities and regeneration.
Vitamin C, for example, promotes the storage of iron, thiamine (vitamin B1) ensures a functioning carbohydrate metabolism and vitamin E is important for the oxygen supply. Thus, all these vitamins influence athletic performance and thus also the desired training adaptations.
What role do nuts play in a sports nutrition?
As we have now learned, as an athlete you should avoid an undersupply of nutrients, as it is harmful. Since nuts are excellent sources of nutrients, they are an ideal source for this.
Not only do nuts provide you with plenty of healthy fats, they also provide a large amount of protein. They also supply the body with important minerals and vitamins . For example, a portion of nuts can cover a considerable part of your vitamin B and E needs. In addition, many types of nuts contain plenty of magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. Thus, they cover exactly those nutrients that athletes in particular urgently need.
Should I eat nuts before or after exercise?
Now the question arises as to when it is best to consume your daily portion of nuts. Should you eat nuts before exercising or rather after? The answer is neither. Because around sporting activities, you should rather pay attention to a low-fat diet. This is because fat stays in your stomach longer and thus literally ‘lays in your stomach’ during sports.
However, smaller amounts of fat are not as important – especially if they are consumed well before your workout. You can find our personal tip for the ideal breakfast before a workout here. It is best to consume nuts some time before your workout. How exactly you incorporate them into your diet is, of course, up to you – but we would still like to give you a little inspiration.
How can I incorporate nuts into my diet?
Nuts are ideal as a breakfast companion, but also as a snack between meals. In particular, nuts are a great topping for your smoothie bowl or porridge to give your meal a little bite and also to spice it up nutritionally. Or why not try these delicious nut energy balls:
Conclusion
Nuts not only help to meet energy requirements, but also provide plenty of micronutrients. This makes them an important part of the daily diet for athletes in particular, as they support the body from both a health and a performance-oriented perspective. What's more, they are easy to incorporate into your daily routine and give your dishes a special flavour.
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