Nutro-Health Care and Lifestyle Programs

Athletes

What is the problem with today's nutritional advice for athletes?

Athletes are being marketed many things that are not truly healthy. Because marketing tactics are clever and often deceptive, and athletes are interested in taking action to support their goals, an athlete may end up drinking, eating, and taking supplements which are counterproductive to their overall health and athletic performance. Classic case-in-points are Gatorade, power bars, and ripped fuel. Though these are obvious problematic products, there are many other beautifully marketed products which appear genuine and healthy when in fact they are not. These healthy appearing pro-athlete foods are actually dense in sugar and processed with chemicals, while often missing nutrients an athlete needs to perform and recover.

What special nutritional needs does an athlete have?

Athletes need way more nutrients than the average person not only for peak performance of muscles and energy production, but also for recovery and to prevent breakdown of the bones, joints and cells. Intense exercise increases oxidative stress and therefore requires more antioxidants to prevent oxidative damage to the cells including micro-lesions to the entire vascular system.

And because an athlete needs to produce more anti-inflammatory hormones to support healing as well as other chemicals to support enzymatic activity, he or she must get more enzymes and hormone precursors from their food. Otherwise, deficiencies which may impact the rate of healing or other bodily functions (such as reproduction, brain, digestion and others) may worsen.

Another important and often overlooked nutritional concern for athletes is digestive health. Without good digestion, all the nutrients in the world cannot enter the blood and cells. Plus stress of competition can further aggravate poor health in the gut and render the athlete less able to perform.
Overall, an athlete requires more of every nutrient, including proteins, minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, as well as complex carbohydrates from gluten free sources (ideally). As you can see a real athlete, one determined for short and long term success, longevity and health, must pay close attention to the foods, drinks, and supplements they ingest. Just as an athlete trains for competition with the intention of peak performance, nourishment which is rich and supportive needs to be pre-planned and executed consistently.

7 Tips for for a Highly Effective Nutritional Program

1. Take care of your digestive health: Consume probiotics, glutamine & digestive enzymes from foods such as pineapple, papaya, kim chi, miso & real fresh yogurt and consider purchasing pharmaceutical grade probiotics, enzymes, and other nutrients as needed.
2. Get plenty of protein: Aim for organic animal protein in at least two meals a day as well as nuts, quinoa & legumes daily.
3. Pack in the minerals, enzymes & antioxidants: You can get these from fresh raw vegatables and deep colored fruits.
4. Eat Essential Fats, focusing on omega 3's: Sources; organic egg yolks, walnuts, wild caught fish, grass fed beef, poultry & flax.
5. Drink a Post-Workout Smoothie a Day: Pack your smoothie with all the extra nutrients your system needs (see our suggested athlete’s smoothie)
6. Customize Your Program: A licensed nutritionist at nutrolution can help you with any special needs, preferences & health goals.
7. Plan ahead & write it down: Putting your plan in writing is the first step towards making it happen.