A healthy athlete can be a fitter athlete. Remember to

LegumesSometimes referred to as “the poor man’s meat,” legumes are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which is important for keeping an athlete’s blood sugar and energy levels stable. As far as plant foods go, most legumes are relatively high in protein and are a good source of slowly assimilated complex carbohydrates. This is great for providing a more stable and longer lasting supply of energy to working muscles.

Legumes can be eaten in chili, stews, and soups, and are also enjoyable when served cold in bean salads. Some of the more common legumes found in the U.S. include pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and black-eyed peas. Legumes can be purchased dry, canned, and sometimes frozen.SalmonOne of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a great way to add more protein to your diet. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are important building blocks of cell membranes and, like protein, may help athletes recover from strenuous exercise. Omega-3 fatty acids are also a great addition to anyone’s fat-loss plan.

Adding a variety of different nuts to your diet can provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and essential fatty acids.

NutsNuts are a very rich source of nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, vegetable proteins, fiber, vitamin E, potassium, folate, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, phosphorous, phytosterols, antioxidants, and arginine. Although nuts are considered a fatty food, the fat in them may be beneficial. Some healthful choices for the athlete include almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, and pistachios. Be careful not to go overboard with your nut consumption. Eating too many nuts could lead to an increase in body fatness. A good guideline may be to eat one or two handfuls per day.

Water is the most important nutrient for active people.

When you sweat, you lose water, which must be replaced. Drink fluids before, during, and after workouts.

Water is a fine choice for most workouts. However; during continuous workouts of greater than 90 minutes, your body may benefit from a sports drink.

Sports drinks have two very important ingredients - electrolytes and carbohydrates

Sports drinks replace electrolytes lost through sweat during workouts lasting several hours.

Carbohydrates in sports drinks provide extra energy. The most effective sports drinks contain 15 to 18 grams of carbohydrate in every 8 ounces of fluid.

Nutrition Science & the Olympics
Welcome to Sports Nutrition! Science is a powerful asset for athletes who want to use nutrition to their advantage. Whether an Olympic medal is won by tenths of a second in a ski race, decimal points in a figure skating competition, or goals in an ice hockey game, an athlete's nutritional status makes a critical difference in reaching peak performance.This course explores the science of sports nutrition and shows how to apply nutrition principles to benefit an athlete's training and performance.

Fueling & Cooling Olympic Athletes
Just as high performing race cars require fuel and coolant, maintaining energy, fluid, and nutrient balance are essential goals for Olympic athletes. Consistency is essential -- nutrition needs to be addressed throughout months and often years of athletic training as well as before and during competitive events. Energy and fluid needs may differ dramatically between days of physical training and days of competition. How much foods and fluids to consume? What type? When to eat and drink? Athletes deal with these questions daily. Scientific studies conducted in laboratories and on the field, the snow, and the ice rink provide answers. For specifics, visit the Fuel Movement & Sport and Eat for Performance sections.

Nutrition & Training are Team Players
Nutrition and physical training are connected -- long term athletic success depends on meeting day-to-day nutritional needs. For example, maintaining optimal hydration status and sufficient muscle glycogen stores delays the onset of fatigue and enables athletes to train longer before tiring. Also, although the stress of exercise training stimulates physiological improvement, adaptations to physical stress actually occurs in the recovery period following the exercise sessions. Satisfying an athlete's needs for rehydrating, refueling, and rest are essential components of the recovery process.

3 basic dietary prescriptions for health and fitness

1 maintain a healthy body weight by adjusting food intake and exercise
2 eat less fat and specifically less saturated fats, such as those fats found in animal products and 3 tropical oils
increase total carbohydrate, especially complex carbohydrate

Some tips for staying hydrated:
Drink small amounts of water frequently, rather than large amounts less often.
Drink cold beverages to cool your core body temperature and reduce sweating.
Weigh yourself after working out and drink 2-3 cups of water for every pound lost. Your body weight should be back to normal before the next workout.
Pay attention to the amount and color of your urine. You should excrete a large volume that is nearly colorless. Small amounts or dark colored urine can indicate dehydration.

Some of the main goals of sport nutrition are to:
prepare athlete for performance or training (before)
maintain the level of performance or training (during)
help recovery from performance or training (after)
In some sports, nutrition is also necessary in maintaining a body aesthetic (bodybuilding) or body weight (cycling).

carb diet

To avoid running out of carbohydrates for energy, some endurance athletes like long-distance runners, swimmers and bicyclists load their muscles with glycogen by eating extra carbohydrates in combination with doing depletion exercises several days before an event:
First exercise to exhaustion. Your workout must be identical to the upcoming event to deplete the right muscles.
Then eat a high-carbohydrate diet (70-80 percent carbs, 10-15 percent fat, 10-15 percent protein) and do little or no exercise starting three days before your event.
Muscles loaded with unused glycogen will be available to work for longer periods of time during competition.
See your doctor for advice before trying a carb-loading diet.

General Guidelines

What you eat several days before endurance activities affects performance. Your food the morning of a sports competition can ward off hunger, keep blood sugar levels adequate and aid hydration. Avoid high protein or high fat foods on the day of an event, as these can stress the kidneys and take a long time to digest. Empty your upper bowel by competition time. General guidelines:
1. Eat a meal high in carbohydrates.
2. Take solid foods 3-4 hours before events, and liquids 2-3 hours before.
3. Choose easily digestible foods (i.e., not fried).
4. Avoid sugary foods/drinks within one hour of event.
5. Drink enough fluids to ensure hydration (i.e., 20 ounces of water 1-2 hours before exercise, and an additional 10-15 ounces within 15-30 minutes of event.)
Replenishing fluids lost to sweat is the primary concern during an athletic event. Drink 3-6 ounces of water or dilute sports drink every 10-20 minutes throughout competition.

Sports nutritionist

Some of the main goals of sport nutrition are to:
prepare athlete for performance or training (before)
maintain the level of performance or training (during)
help recovery from performance or training (after)
In some sports, nutrition is also necessary in maintaining a body aesthetic (bodybuilding) or body weight (cycling).

Sports nutritionists tend to have varied educational backgrounds. Many have formal training in the field of exercise physiology as well as nutrition. The majority of academic research performed in the sports nutrition and sports supplement area are conducted by Ph.D. level exercise physiologists. Traditionally, the primary health professional that dispenses ‘nutrition’ information is the registered dietitian or RD. However, the education of an RD does not prepare him or her for ‘Sports Nutrition’ due to the lack of academic training in exercise physiology vis a vis the adaptive response to acute and chronic exercise. Sports nutritionists tend to specialize in working with certain athletes (e.g. bodybuilders, endurance athletes, team sports [football, baseball, etc]).

Also, sports nutritionists can be found working in academia, with professional/collegiate sports teams, assisting sports nutrition/supplement companies/brands, and working with individual athletes on a personal basis.

Cool Water

Cool water is the best fluid to keep you hydrated during workouts or events lasting an hour or less. Sports drinks (i.e., 6-10 percent carbohydrates) are useful for longer events. Most of these types of drinks should be diluted approximately 50 percent with water. Drink even if you are not thirsty. Thirst is not a reliable way to tell if you need water. You won't start feeling thirsty until you have already lost about 2 percent of body weight - enough to hurt performance. And if you stop drinking water once your thirst is satisfied, you will get only about half the amount you need.

Carbohydrate loading

To avoid running out of carbohydrates for energy, some endurance athletes like long-distance runners, swimmers and bicyclists load their muscles with glycogen by eating extra carbohydrates in combination with doing depletion exercises several days before an event:
First exercise to exhaustion. Your workout must be identical to the upcoming event to deplete the right muscles.
Then eat a high-carbohydrate diet (70-80 percent carbs, 10-15 percent fat, 10-15 percent protein) and do little or no exercise starting three days before your event.
Muscles loaded with unused glycogen will be available to work for longer periods of time during competition.
See your doctor for advice before trying a carb-loading diet.