Objectives of athlete nutrition
Maintaining a balanced caloric and protein balance - the relationship between intake and expenditure - is critical for maintenance and tissue growth in athletes and sedentary people. When energy intake is insufficient to cover energy needs, it is difficult to maintain protein or nitrogen balance, even when the RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances) are provided. ) established for proteins, since when low-calorie diets are consumed, the degradation of endogenous proteins increases, greatly affecting non-contractile muscle proteins.
In studies carried out with young people who train strength or resistance, it has been estimated that the RDA of proteins can even double. Young athletes need to meet the energy demands associated with growth and physical activity. The chronic consumption of low-energy diets in young people could delay growth and development having a negative impact on the physical performance of training.< /p>
In winter sports strict control of body weight is not common which is associated with the consumption of low-calorie diets, but the type of exercise itself - which includes rapid movements with a high eccentric component - leads to tissue damage (tendons, ligaments and muscles) that can be repaired quite quickly (minutes , hours) or longer term (days, weeks) depending on the degree of tissue damage.
Energy expenditure at rest in absolute value increases during childhood due to the increase in body size due to growth, this increase during childhood seems to be more related to body weight , than with size or age. On the contrary, energy expenditure relative to weight (kcal/kg/day) at rest reduces during childhood, being constant between 1 and 4 years and reducing linearly until 16-18 years.
Among the factors responsible for this reduction is a decrease in the surface area to body weight ratio, which determines lower energy expenditure associated with maintaining body temperature. On the other hand, theproportion of metabolically active tissues (brain, heart, liver, kidney and lungs) in relation to total body weight is greater in early childhood and decreases with age. /strong>
How does physical stress affect our body?
In snow sports, such as snowboarding, the physical stress to which the body tissues are subjected adapts through a compensatory immune response mechanism that protects against infections. In certain situations, when training is excessive, or in periods of greater physical or psychological stress (competitions, travel, very extreme temperatures), a depression in the immune response has been observed. strong> of athletes, increasing the incidence of the appearance of diseases of bacterial or viral origin.
An efficient diet to avoid injuries
It is known that malnutrition in this century is the most common cause of secondary immunodeficiency in the world. It is evident that adequate nutrition helps the body to maintain the natural mechanisms of the immune system.
It is estimated that around 50% of injuries caused in non-contact sports could be prevented by consumption of an adequate diet. The most important nutritional deficiency associated with sports injuries is water. Dehydration contributes to the incidence of injuries in all sports but especially in football and combat sports.
In any sport a reduction in mental function associated with dehydration can lead to the appearance of an injury. It is estimated that water requirements vary depending on the total energy consumed, it is easy to remember that we should drink one ml of water for every kcal ingested. However, when training in hot and/or humid conditions, sweat losses increase and it will be necessary to replace them by increasing beverage consumption.
On the contrary, mild or moderate deficiencies of macro and micronutrients are more difficult to relate to the incidence of injuries in sports. However, chronic low-calorie feeding has been linked to a reduction in the ability to work.
A deficient nutritional status is associated with a low glycogen reserve, a deficiency in iron and other micronutrients and can lead to a reduction in muscular resistance. It has been observed that the incidence of injuries is higher in athletic women and in dancers who present amenorrhea or anorexia.
General nutritional advice for preventing the incidence of injuries:
- Choose meals based on the food pyramid, if possible daily, consuming sweets and fats in moderation (apex of the pyramid) and a high amount of foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as cereals and derivatives, vegetables, legumes that constitute the base of the pyramid.
- Establish healthy eating patterns starting with breakfast and limit between-meal meals to foods that contain a high amount of nutrients.
- Drink plenty of fluids, but limit the type of drinks to skimmed dairy products, low-fat broths, citrus drinks or other juices and water and natural infusions. Limit the consumption of soft drinks and coffee. Sometimes tea can be an acceptable drink, as long as it is not drunk during meals but on an empty stomach.
