Calories and nutrients to fuel sports performance

Calorie and nutrient intake is vital to your athletic performance and overall health. This also helps you enhance exercise performance, while improving your resistance to disease.

Optimizing your body's energy supply is important not only for athletic performance, but also for your overall health. It helps athletes optimize their response to training and improve athletic performance.
On the contrary, not getting enough energy into the body will reduce or negate the benefits of exercise, as it can hinder performance results and reduce the body's ability to recover. In addition, when not enough calories are consumed to meet the needs of activity, the body will break down fat and muscle tissue to use as fuel, leading to a loss of endurance and stamina. Besides, not eating enough calories for the body also leads to some of the following problems:
Decreased immune system, increasing the risk of diseases. Nutritional deficiencies can impair cognitive function and brain health, as well as affect bone health and other bodily functions.

When we consider a person's calorie needs, especially among young athletes, we will base them on a variety of factors, including age, intensity and duration of activity, as well as size and other factors. composition of the body.
Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake for female athletes is around 20 – 23 calories per pound of body weight (equivalent to 45 – 50 calories per kg), or even higher for athletes members are building lean muscle mass. Ideally, you should consult a health care professional or a nutritionist to determine the exact calories you need to consume to achieve energy balance.
Some telltale signs of not getting enough energy in young female athletes, including:
Body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 Body fat percentage less than 12% Missed period, menstruation Menstrual irregularities or cessation of menstruation Low bone mineral density, which may be manifested by frequent fatigue fractures. Low energy intake is not always obvious. Even people who are overweight can experience a lack of energy. In addition, many cases may lack energy, but still maintain weight. Or sometimes you can lose weight initially, then stop losing weight but continue to lack energy.

The key to helping you maintain energy balance is consuming calories through a healthy diet. Here are the essential nutrients that make up a solid foundation of a healthy diet.
3.1. Carbohydrates This is the main source of energy for your physical training and should make up 50-60% of the total energy intake of a young athlete. According to experts, you should consume 3-5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day.
Athletes should eat carbohydrates before and after exercise. Foods with minimally processed carbohydrates, high in fiber, and low in sugar are all your best sources of energy. These foods typically include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, and popcorn.
3.2. Protein This is an important factor in helping you build and repair muscle, help muscles recover quickly after exercise and improve strength. Nutritionists recommend that you consume about 0.5-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. In general, protein intake should account for 10-35% of total energy intake. The simplest and most effective way to meet protein needs is through dietary sources.
Animal protein sources include skim or 1% milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, fish and lean meats. Plant-based sources of protein include beans, lentils, nuts, soy foods, or soy milk. In particular, it is often difficult for vegetarians to meet the body's need for protein, so the addition of protein powder is essential. Also, when supplementing with protein, you should limit your daily intake to no more than 0.6 grams per pound of body weight.
3.3. Healthy Fats Healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, are essential nutrients for young athletes. Not getting enough of these fats can reduce your athletic performance. Experts recommend that you consume about 0.45 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day. Fat should make up about 20-35% of your total energy intake.
Some fats can come from animal sources, as part of meeting your protein goals, but you should limit your consumption of trans fats. Healthy fats are commonly found in nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds. Oils also contain healthy fats, including coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, and flax oil. Additionally, avocados and fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, are also good sources of healthy fats.
3.4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids This is a type of fat that is especially important for all of the body's cells, helping them to function properly and healthy. However, our bodies cannot produce these compounds, so the only way to get omega-3 fatty acids is through diet or certain supplements. The two most commonly encountered omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are found mainly in fatty fish, such as tuna or salmon. In fact, most people don't consume enough of the right fish to get enough omega-3s. In addition, now omega-3 fatty acids from fish have also been prepared in the form of functional foods. Some studies show that omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are very supportive of heart health. Furthermore, it also helps maintain proper brain and nerve function, and supports healthy joints, skin and eyes. Besides, this type of fatty acid can also help reduce pain and stiffness caused by exercise. A new study shows that DHA significantly reduces muscle soreness and improves range of motion after you perform arm exercises first.
3.5. Some other important nutrients Some people follow a healthy diet but still may not get enough vitamin D, calcium and iron. In addition to taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement, you might consider taking the following three supplements:

Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more and more common nowadays. Nutritionists recommend that children and adults consume about 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Our bodies need vitamin D to absorb calcium. A vitamin D deficiency can weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures. In addition to influencing bone health, vitamin D is also essential for the promotion of muscle mass. A recent study found that low vitamin D levels may adversely affect muscle strength in young athletes. Athletes with lower vitamin D levels performed worse on some muscle strength tests than athletes with higher vitamin D levels.
Some good sources of vitamin D include oily fish (such as sardines and tuna), as well as egg yolks and fortified milk. In addition, sunlight is also important for vitamin D production.
Many nutritionists also recommend taking vitamin K supplements along with vitamin D, as vitamin K can support health of bone and carry calcium out of soft tissues to enter bone.
Calcium: This is a mineral that helps build healthy bones and teeth. A diet lacking in calcium can lead to premature bone loss and an increased risk of fractures, in addition to muscle cramps.
It's not always easy to get enough calcium through diet alone, especially for those who avoid dairy products. In addition to dairy products, other food sources of calcium include broccoli, almonds, kale, canned salmon, and soy products.
Children aged 9-18 should consume at least 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. For adults ages 19 to 50, the recommended intake is 1,000 mg of calcium per day. However, many children and adolescents today are not getting the recommended amount of calcium.
Nutritionists also recommend adding magnesium along with calcium. Similar to vitamin K, magnesium helps prevent calcium from accumulating in soft tissues like the kidneys (the formation of kidney stones) and directing it to the bones. Iron: This metallic element is essential for the formation of red blood cells. It is an integral part of the molecule hemoglobin – a protein in red blood cells that is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to throughout the tissues.
Iron deficiency is quite common in teenage girls, whether they are athletes or not. In a recent study, about 40% of teenage girls were iron-deficient. This condition can stem from a number of reasons, including a poor diet, heavy blood loss during the menstrual cycle, heavy exercise, intestinal bleeding, and not absorbing enough iron. Significant iron deficiency can lead to anemia. Common anemia symptoms include fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness, and weakness. To identify anemia and iron deficiency, you should perform a simple blood test.
There are two types of iron found in the diet, including heme and nonheme. Heme iron is better absorbed than nonheme iron. Beef and other red meats, seafood, and poultry are all major sources of heme iron. Nonheme iron is commonly found in beans, lentils, broccoli and spinach. In some cases of iron deficiency, you may need to supplement with an appropriate amount of iron as directed by your doctor depending on the extent of your iron deficiency.

Having a healthy diet in a busy day often requires a specific plan and your efforts. Here are a few tips you can follow to ensure your young athlete's daily nutritional needs include:
Eat a healthy breakfast: You should have a few breakfast ideas ahead of time to make it easy. done on busy days. Breakfast should have a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. You can have a bowl of breakfast cereal with a glass of fortified milk, or two eggs with whole grain toast. Prepare a healthy lunch: Your lunch should have an adequate source of protein, including milk, or Greek yogurt. In addition, you should also provide a source of carbohydrates from whole grain bread or whole grain bagels. Besides, you should also prepare fruits, vegetables and nuts for your lunch. Have snacks ready: To satisfy mid-morning or mid-afternoon hunger, you should have a large bag of dried fruit or nuts ready. Have a Post-Workout Plan: Within the first hour after your workout, depending on its duration and intensity, you should be prepared to consume up to half a gram of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. body, and about 20-25 grams of protein to stimulate muscle recovery.

Reference source: mayoclinic.org