Sports Nutrition Protein

For Your Exercise Regimen

By EdySutio

Let’s be honest about this. Every athlete wants to be considered as somebody in his or her chosen field. And this is true with every single athlete. This is true about you. 

But if you want to be recognized as an athlete, you’ve got to have the right nutrients in your regular food intake, specifically sports nutrition protein. While it is true that drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet is enough for the regular guy, sports people — you included — need additional nourishment, for the efficient production of energy and fuel. 

Your rigorous training must be accompanied by the right amount of sports nutrition protein. This will help you maximize your athletic talents and in the process gain more power, strength, and endurance as you train.

The dynamic of these factors is simple: you’ve got the talent and are properly driven so you are into sports and need rigorous training. To endure the training, you need sports nutrition protein. And to prepare your self for the next training, the more will be your need for a sustaining formula, like sports nutrition protein.  

The benefits of sports nutrition protein

Let us start with proteins. Proteins come in animal products such as poultry, meats, fish, eggs, dairy products and plant based stuff like beans, nuts, and other foods. These foods should provide 12-15 percent of your daily calorie intake. And this is where the challenge lies -- how to extract the needed percentage from this food without consuming the excess bulk becomes a problem. This is exactly the reason why sports nutrition protein was formulated.

The reason behind this is very much like what you have with vitamins. You take vitamin C in its elemental form because, in order to obtain the needed amount of vitamin C, you have to eat lots and lots of oranges and guavas daily. Same with sports nutrition protein. You don’t need to consume kilos of meats and beans on a daily basis. 

But why take protein? Because protein is the guy who gives your body the power to create new tissues. But since your body can only take so much, extra protein is either burned for energy or converted into fat. For this reason, a right amount of protein, particularly present in sports nutrition protein is needed. 

Other factors to consider

The amount of protein you will need depends on your fitness level, work regimen, and the intensity and duration of your exercise. Total calorie intake, which includes carbohydrate, also plays an important role in your protein intake. But bear in mind that protein, is not only a source of energy, but exactly gives your body the power build new muscle tissues.

When is reconstituting new tissues needed? When tissues undergo a bit of “destruction” during heavy exercise. But don’t worry about this destruction. It is needed by the body to exercise its immune system (hey, your own immune system also needs an exercise, just come to think of it). 

Also during exercise, the entire array of your body’s healing power is summoned. This dynamic of the human body is lost to many, specifically for those who do not believe on the necessity of involving into sports, or even simple physical activity.  

In terms of the nature of your exercise, you will need sports nutrition protein as deemed necessary. If you’re a starting athlete, you will need much more protein compared with what you need before you embarked on this journey. And if the type of sports that you are in is an endurance type, you will often burn protein for fuel. The need for sports nutrition protein is more pronounced. 

You should also consider that you body burns more protein if you do not consume enough calories for this is your body’s way of compensating to maintain ideal. Not enough food and nutrients coupled with too much exercise causes this to happen. 

On the other hand, your body may also use protein for energy if you exercise with low levels of muscle glycogen (a stored form of glucose, yes, sugar) or if you are doing sustained exercise without consuming enough carbohydrates. This is the reason why specially formulated nutrition, like sports nutrition protein, is important.

Sports Nutrition Supplements

Have The Body And Endurance Of An Athlete

By EdySutio

We envy athletes for their trimmed physique and endurance to long hours of physical activities. They achieve the body and endurance that we envy because of regular exercise, body training, proper diet and sports nutrition supplements. 

Sports nutrition supplements may be in a form of capsule, powdered shakes, liquid food and candy-like bars. What are sports nutrition supplements and what they can do to your body are the things that you should know first before you head to your local health stores for gallons of protein shakes, carbohydrates bar, and amino acid capsules.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Vitamins and Minerals

Some people think that sports nutrition supplements such as vitamins or minerals help enhance their performance in the field. According to many experts, however, extra intakes of vitamins and minerals don't add up to improvement in performance, unless of course the athlete is suffering from vitamin or mineral deficiencies. 

A well-balanced diet can meet most of the daily vitamin and mineral needs of an athlete. 

You should remember to avoid sports nutrition supplements that promise 'megadoses' of vitamins and minerals to achieve a bodybuilding body, strength of a weightlifter and speed of a basketball player. Many athletes pop these sports nutrition supplements without question. Don't be like them. They are the type of athletes who are most likely to suffer from bursting veins and even arteries because of these super supplements.

Also, avoid sports nutrition supplements that claim to be 'herbal' in nature. Don't self-prescribe vitamin oil supplements or 'herbal' muscle grower without asking your physician first. Usually, these 'herbal' supplements go in the guise of herbal supplement, when in fact they are capsules of steroids. 

If you want to help your immune system, you can take megadoses of vitamin C. Vitamin C is water soluble and excess of which is easily discharged through sweat and urine. 

To avoid sports anemia, especially to females who lose blood every month due to menstruation, the mineral iron should be part of an athlete's list of sports nutrition supplements. Iron, in blood, is responsible for carrying clean oxygen to healthy body cells and removing carbon dioxide from them. 

Athletes who have sports anemia have low hemoglobin level. You can easily spot an anemic athlete: he is always exhausted and seems to be in fatigue. 

Taking iron supplements should be done with caution. There is such a thing as iron overdose. Consult your physician first before you take iron as part of your sports nutrition supplement.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Proteins and Carbohydrates

Protein and carbohydrate are two of the most important sports nutrition supplements. Protein help the muscle grow and gain strength while carbohydrates fuel the body for long hours of exercise ahead.

Although an athlete can get protein and carbohydrates through his daily diet, he can get the large amount he needs by drinking protein shakes or eating a protein bar. There are also carbohydrates supplements in powder and bar form.

These sports nutrition supplements may be added to an athlete's daily meal. Powdered proteins and carbohydrates are delicious ingredients to a glassful of smoothies or fruit punch. 

If you love to bake your own pastries, you can add a tablespoon of these delicious sports nutrition supplements to your flour mixture. A vanilla flavored powdered protein may work for you. It is considered as the best tasting flavor of a powdered protein. 

These sports nutrition supplements are also good for people who are on the go. They are good meal replacements for those who want to lose weight or meal addition for those who want to gain weight. 

Nonetheless, anyone who has decided to add these sports nutrition supplements in their daily diet, they should also make it a point to exercise regularly to synthesize and burn out those protein and carbohydrates in the body.

Sports Nutrition

Energy Levels and High-vitamin Diets

By EdySutio

Good nutrition is very important regardless of which sport you do. A variety of nutrients are needed in your daily diet to keep fit and healthy.

A balanced diet should provide the right proportions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and dietary fiber. 

Energy is the most important nutritional factor for any form of physical activity. Carbohydrate and fat are the main fuels used by exercising muscles. Vitamins and minerals are also crucial in energy metabolism. A diet deficient in vitamin and minerals can compromise sporting performance.

The importance of a high-vitamin diet

In order to obtain vitamins and minerals, athletes need to eat a wide assortment of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. This means that a person must consume 1,200 to1,500 kilo-calories a day.

Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher (as is among male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers) is actually easy. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone.

As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. Supplementation therefore is not necessary.

High in vitamins are fruits and vegetables. Many of these are good antioxidants sources as well. High-color food choices mean high vitamin content thus high energy storage. Look for yellow-orange, red, deep green, and blue in your food. For athletes, five to nine fruit and vegetable servings are recommended each day. Grains also contain both vitamins and minerals.

Is more better?

Athletes usually meet two-thirds or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals. Athletes who have high calorie intakes of about 5,000 to 6,000 kcal/day may achieve 200% or more of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals just from foods they eat.

Despite this fact, most of the athletes who are concerned with sports nutrition take supplements to boost performance. While vitamin and mineral deficiencies impair physical performance, research indicates that supplementation of a nutritionally adequate sports diet does not improve physical work capacity, endurance, oxygen consumption, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, or resistance to fatigue.

For example, because B-vitamins release energy from nutrients, athletes with high energy expenditures have increased requirements for B-vitamins. However, eating more food provides the needed extra B-vitamins. 

When are vitamin supplements needed?

Vitamin supplements are commonly used if an athlete’s diet is not enough for his energy requirements.  Vitamin supplements provide "health insurance," as sort of back-up to ensure optimal sports nutrition.

Multivitamin supplements with no more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV.) provide a safe and adequate balance of vitamins. However, it should not be forgotten that the goal is still to eat a wide variety of foods. Food contains fiber and a multitude of phytochemicals that provide many health benefits.

Supplements should never be replacements for food. While many sports supplements contain the antioxidant beta carotene, at least 450 carotenoids are only found in food. Antioxidant value exists in other carotenoids as well.

Minerals for injury prevention

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are especially important for athletes.

Recommendations of calcium intake are based on levels than can promote calcium retention, maximize bone mineral density, and inhibit bone loss. Lower calcium intake subjects the athlete to increased risk of stress fracture. Food that provide good calcium stores are the following: dairy products, fish with bones, broccoli, and fortified cereals and juices.

Iron makes up hemoglobin, myoglobin and oxidative enzymes and affects oxygen transport and aerobic metabolism. To achieve optimal aereobic endurance, consuming adequate amounts is a must. Iron depletion, the first stage of iron deficiency is the most common type of iron deficiency among athletes. Lean red meats, dark poultry, fortified cereals, whole grains, and legumes are good iron sources.

Zinc, which is found in meat, poultry, seafood, and whole grains, is essential for protein synthesis, healing, and immune function. Zinc is also found in antioxidant enzymes and enzymes involved in energy metabolism.

Although minerals are needed to work hand-in-hand with vitamins to ensure good sports nutrition, we must remember that consuming any mineral excessively can interfere with digestion and the absorption of other minerals. This may lead to mineral imbalances. Also, all minerals can be toxic in large doses.

Good nutrition is very important regardless of which sport you do. A variety of nutrients are needed in your daily diet to keep fit and healthy.

A balanced diet should provide the right proportions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and dietary fiber. 

Energy is the most important nutritional factor for any form of physical activity. Carbohydrate and fat are the main fuels used by exercising muscles. Vitamins and minerals are also crucial in energy metabolism. A diet deficient in vitamin and minerals can compromise sporting performance.

The importance of a high-vitamin diet

In order to obtain vitamins and minerals, athletes need to eat a wide assortment of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. This means that a person must consume 1,200 to1,500 kilo-calories a day.

Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher (as is among male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers) is actually easy. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone.

As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. Supplementation therefore is not necessary.

High in vitamins are fruits and vegetables. Many of these are good antioxidants sources as well. High-color food choices mean high vitamin content thus high energy storage. Look for yellow-orange, red, deep green, and blue in your food. For athletes, five to nine fruit and vegetable servings are recommended each day. Grains also contain both vitamins and minerals.

Is more better?

Athletes usually meet two-thirds or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals. Athletes who have high calorie intakes of about 5,000 to 6,000 kcal/day may achieve 200% or more of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals just from foods they eat.

Despite this fact, most of the athletes who are concerned with sports nutrition take supplements to boost performance. While vitamin and mineral deficiencies impair physical performance, research indicates that supplementation of a nutritionally adequate sports diet does not improve physical work capacity, endurance, oxygen consumption, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, or resistance to fatigue.

For example, because B-vitamins release energy from nutrients, athletes with high energy expenditures have increased requirements for B-vitamins. However, eating more food provides the needed extra B-vitamins. 

When are vitamin supplements needed?

Vitamin supplements are commonly used if an athlete’s diet is not enough for his energy requirements.  Vitamin supplements provide "health insurance," as sort of back-up to ensure optimal sports nutrition.

Multivitamin supplements with no more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV.) provide a safe and adequate balance of vitamins. However, it should not be forgotten that the goal is still to eat a wide variety of foods. Food contains fiber and a multitude of phytochemicals that provide many health benefits.

Supplements should never be replacements for food. While many sports supplements contain the antioxidant beta carotene, at least 450 carotenoids are only found in food. Antioxidant value exists in other carotenoids as well.

Minerals for injury prevention

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are especially important for athletes.

Recommendations of calcium intake are based on levels than can promote calcium retention, maximize bone mineral density, and inhibit bone loss. Lower calcium intake subjects the athlete to increased risk of stress fracture. Food that provide good calcium stores are the following: dairy products, fish with bones, broccoli, and fortified cereals and juices.

Iron makes up hemoglobin, myoglobin and oxidative enzymes and affects oxygen transport and aerobic metabolism. To achieve optimal aereobic endurance, consuming adequate amounts is a must. Iron depletion, the first stage of iron deficiency is the most common type of iron deficiency among athletes. Lean red meats, dark poultry, fortified cereals, whole grains, and legumes are good iron sources.

Zinc, which is found in meat, poultry, seafood, and whole grains, is essential for protein synthesis, healing, and immune function. Zinc is also found in antioxidant enzymes and enzymes involved in energy metabolism.

Although minerals are needed to work hand-in-hand with vitamins to ensure good sports nutrition, we must remember that consuming any mineral excessively can interfere with digestion and the absorption of other minerals. This may lead to mineral imbalances. Also, all minerals can be toxic in large doses.

Sports Nutrition Supplements

By EdySutio

If one wants excellent performance, he must train well and fill himself with good nutrition.  This must be clear to all athletes and health buffs.  One cannot cope with mere exercise. 

A healthy diet and good nutrition must be the springboard of all activities.  If that is the case, optimum performance will come almost automatically and naturally.

Unfortunately, though, not all essential nutrients are available in food.  At times, also, some people have certain limitations when it comes to food intake.  With this, sports nutrition supplements are very important as they effectively fill in the gaps. 

Sports nutrition supplements need not be complicated.  In the first place, health must be within reach and never difficult. 

However, it should not be seen as mere swallowing of pills or tablets.  Sports nutrition supplements are simple in a way that they generally mean three things. 

First, smart training must be done in whatever sport one is in.  Second, one must be sure that most of the nutrients that he is taking in come from healthy food.  Third, sports nutrition supplements must be taken to fine tune performance. 

To identify what one needs to take sports nutrition supplements for, he must watch what he eats.  He must record what he craves for before, during, and after the workout. 

From there, he will see the trend of what nutrients he normally gets because of the food he eats and what he does not get at all.  He will then be able to identify what needs sports nutrition supplements.

Indeed, both healthy eating and workout must be practiced well to eventually be incorporated in one’s daily routine.  If one happens to lack the discipline, a strict diet plan including both regular foods and sports nutrition supplements must be laid down well. 

This should be based on certain nutritional information that are well-considered and that are incorporated to a workout routine that is most favourable to the person.  One must think of ways to make the routine likeable as much as possible to ensure sustenance.

Setting clear cut goals at the very start will also help one identify and decide on which food and sports nutritional supplements he must take in. 

He might want to take into consideration target body fat composition, body type, presence of good and bad fats, frequency of meals, cardio training, and weight training.  Such targets may likewise be good forms of motivation.

In the market, there have already been lots of sports nutritional supplements introduced. 

In spite of such diversity, they may still be classified into the following major categories: protein supplements, vitamin supplements, weight loss products, creatine, glutamine, and protein bars.  Popular brand names are as follows: Xendadrine EFX, Hydroxycut, Muscletech, EAS, Twinlab, Optimum Nutrition. 

Indeed, it may be confusing to choose as each brand would normally have unique promises but one has to remain focused on the nutritional value of each and its relevance to one’s routine and needs.  

The bottom line here is awareness of one’s needs, practices, and goals in terms of health.  Without it, no matter how good the market of sports nutrition supplements is, not one product will match well. 

It is true that certain nutrients have been found to be commonly beneficial for all but in some cases, there happens to be enough already in the body as they are regularly taken in through food.  This will obviously be not evident without proper awareness and information gathering as well. 

One must remember that these nutrition supplements are intended to fill in the nutrition gap and not cause an excess that will only be harmful to the body.