Knowing essential nutrition and sports supplements helps athletes gain adequate calories to enhance their workout potential.
Athletes need more calories than a daily diet to do heavy workouts for better performance.
Providing the requisite composition of micro and macronutrients to the body boosts the energy level of athletes and powers up their practice.
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) states that optimal nutrition enhances physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise.
What are Sports Supplements?
Sports Supplements are nutraceutical products or simple nutrition boosters that actively cover the nutritional deficiencies in elite athletes.
According to a New Media source - The Economic Times, the present value of the Indian sports nutrition market is around 1300 Crores and will reach 22.8% in the year 2023.
Why is it essential to take Sports Supplements?
Athletes face deficiency in nutrition either due to a lack of a balanced diet or weak enzymes that couldn't help them break down the natural micronutrients present in the body.
These ergogenic aids help strengthen the nutritional composition in the body with sufficient nutrients like vitamins and minerals to gain muscles, help in weight loss, increase hydration in the body and increase the energy level in the body.
Nutrients That Every Sportsperson Should Possess
Sports are a must-follow for physical fitness, and this field requires numerous activities like cycling, bodybuilding, sprinting, and more.
It takes a rigorous training process and heavy workout sessions for the athletes to maintain their fitness and give their best on the field. They need a sufficient amount of nutrients in their body in specific ratios.
Below is the list of nutrients (macro and micro) and their benefits that every athlete should know & have at a minimum to power their stamina and perform longer workouts.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the essential macronutrients as they contain glucose which is the primary source of energy gain in the body.
An ideal diet for an athlete should have 50 - 60% of Carbohydrates in the calorie consumption.
Protein
Proteins help in cell growth, repair tissues, and cover injuries.
Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein. They are of two types - Non-essential Amino acids and Essential Amino acids.
Our body can produce Non-essential Amino Acids on its own, but it requires effort to provide Essential Amino Acids to the body through a rich animal-protein diet.
An ideal diet for an athlete should possess 10 - 30% of the proteins in their diet.
Fat
Fat helps store energy and produce hormones for endurance workouts. Unsaturated Fat decreases the risk of heart diseases.
An ideal diet for an athlete should have 25 to 35% of Fat in their diet.
Some necessary micronutrients for sportspersons include:
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Iron
- Vitamins
How to get these Nutrients through Sports Supplements?
Sports supplements are available in tablets, capsules, protein shake powders, and energy bars that compose the nutrients in compressed solid or fluid form.
Some major supplements for athletes are as follows:
Whey Protein
Whey Protein is a good protein supplement for athletes to boost the proteins and increase the BCAA level in the body.
Some benefits of Whey Protein are:
- It enhances muscle mass and improves strength.
- Acts as an aid to recovery from exercise.
- It helps regulate blood pressure.
- It also lowers the cholesterol content in the body.
A study states that consuming whey protein during weightlifting increases muscle mass and helps in weight loss simultaneously.
Whey Protein increases energy usage and controls the appetite for a long-duration workout.
Consuming 25 - 50 grams per day provides enough protein and BCAA to the body.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a natural fatty acid from animal products like meat and dairy products.
Intake of CLA as a sports supplement helps fat loss, maintains weight loss, and gains lean muscle mass.
Some Benefits of CLA are as follows:
- CLA reduces adiposity or fat storage.
- It prevents aging with an increase in metabolism in the body.
- It enhances muscle strength with exercise endurance.
CLA 1000 Tablets from Dr. Morepen are the best supplement to gain muscle mass and reduce fat content in the body If you are an athlete.
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (LCLT) is a compound of Carnitine and a supplement for the sports nutrition diet that fast processes the fats into energy.
The benefits of L-Carnitine L-Tartrate are as follows:
- Due to the rapid absorption rate, L-Carnitine breaks down the fats into an energy form that acts as the best post-workout supplement after strenuous exercise.
- L-Tartrate is a good anti-oxidant that helps remove oxidants occurring in the body due to heavy exercise.
- Furthermore, It reduces the risk of damage to muscles in the body.
Consuming L-Carnitine L-Tartrate capsules from Dr. Morepen will increase cellular energy through the breakdown of fatty acids and enhance athletic performance simultaneously.
Fish Oil
Fish Oil is an anti-inflammatory product from the tissues of fishes like salmon, herring, mackerel, and plants like flax seeds.
Benefits of Fish oil as supplements for sports diet:
- It reduces the inflammation of muscle cells post-workout.
- It enhances the workout durability by providing the requisite amount of EPA and DHA to the body.
- Aging causes difficulty in maintaining muscles due to a decrease in response to proteins in the body. The anti-inflammatory properties present in the Fish oil help recover proteins and resistance training of the athletes.
Muscle Food Omega-3 Softgels from Dr. Morepen is a good source of fish oil that benefits the athletes for better training sessions and helps them recover from muscle soreness.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins that help restructure the body and reduce the injury of muscles during intense exercise.
Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine are the three BCAAs required by athletes for longer workout sessions.
Benefits of BCAAs as Sports Nutrients:
- Leucine improves muscle growth and body mass. It helps the production of human growth hormones that are beneficial for cell growth.
- Isoleucine helps hemoglobin formation and energy circulation through the breakdown of glucose.
- Valine causes mental stability and maintains focus for long-distance sports. It is a good source for the nervous system through stress management.
- BCAAs are the best supplements to overcome fatigue and boost aerobic exercise for better performance.
BCAA Supplements like Dr. Morepen Muscle Food BCAA are beneficial to maximize muscle protein synthesis and prevent muscle injury through tissue repair after a massive workout.
Conclusion
Sports Supplements are beneficial for athletes to balance the nutritional diet they take by reducing the deficiency of essential nutrients and strengthening the overall potential of the body to give their best in the arena. Intake of these supplements without maintaining sufficient water content in the body is of no value as water is the best source for hydration. Lastly, consult your nutritionists or coach for the proper consumption and keep track of the consumption to protect yourself from any side effects.