Why Supplements Are Important In Athletes’ Diet?
Taking supplements such as minerals and vitamins are essential for everyone because the food you eat alone isn’t sufficing enough to overcome the deficiency you have. The need for supplements becomes crucial, especially, for athletes since high levels of consistent activity can increase the need for multi-vitamins and minerals.
Importance of Supplements
Most people believe that supplements only provide energy, which is a myth because they don’t have calories. However, they help in converting food into energy, producing oxygen-carrying nutrients, strengthening the immune system, maintaining the muscles and also aids in the recovery of damaged tissues.
Athletes have a faster metabolism rate and their bodies function at maximum potential as compared to non-athletes. Exercising regularly can increase metabolism and the vitamins are all used up, thus increasing the need for more micronutrients. How many minerals and vitamins are needed to compensate for the loss? That’s the question!
The institute of medicine has come up with dietary reference intakes (DRIs) that mention a set of values to evaluate the need for supplements according to age and gender.
It includes three things: recommended dietary allowance, adequate intake, and last but not least, tolerable upper intake level.
RDA refers to the average daily intake to reach the nutrient requirements of healthy people. If in case of incomplete evidence to produce an RDA, we refer to the Adequate Intake. Lastly, the upper intake level shows the maximum daily consumption of nutrients that may not cause any negative impact on your health.
It’s important that one must know the figures for optimal daily intake because overdosing on supplements can cause serious health issues, which you should avoid at any cost. Most athletes have this delusion that increasing the intake of vitamins can boost up their performance.
Taking too many nutrients is going to make things worse than good. Therefore, one should be cautious while taking supplements.
Important Vitamins and Supplements in Athletes Diet
1) Calcium
Calcium plays a pivotal role in the growth, strength, and restoration of bones. This is a must in the athlete’s diet. Calcium supplementation comes in two types: citrate and carbonate. Both of them are effective in their ways. However, Calcium citrate can be absorbed much faster by the body than Calcium carbonate.
2) Iron
One of the common deficiencies found in people is iron deficiency. Athletes need around 70% iron than everyone. If the iron requirement isn’t met, the performance deteriorates over time due to inadequate hemoglobin levels that are responsible for carrying oxygen. Iron deficiency can also undermine the functioning of muscles. Therefore, make sure you’re getting optimal iron by eating foods rich in iron or taking supplements.
It’s important that athletes must take charge of their bodies and nurture them with the right foods and supplements to have a healthy physique and higher performance
3) Magnesium
This crucial mineral is involved in hundreds of functions in the body. Some of the key functions of magnesium that will interest you is that it helps convert food into energy and create proteins from amino acids. Furthermore, it is part of the mechanism responsible for the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Some foods that are high in Magnesium and easy to pack in a gym bag include Dark chocolate, nuts, and seeds, figs and bananas.
4) Omega 3’s
This family of essential fatty acids are commonly found in fatty fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Ontop of maintaining heart health and possibly lowering triglyceride – blood fat levels, some studies have shown that these Omega-3’s may help in inflammation.
5) Protein Powder
An athlete will need protein in order to repair and rebuild their muscles that have been broken down during strenuous activity. Proteins, while not providing energy, they help to optimize carbohydrate storage in the form of glycogen. It is important to remember to eat a diet high in carbohydrates before strenuous activity and high in protein afterward.
On top of adding supplements to your diet CBD has become quite popular in the market and is used by many famous sportsmen since it has greatly supported and maintained their health. The Endocannabinoid system works on the neural activity and supports the existing ECS system in your body which means that it can help you to counter muscle stress and restore athletic performance.
In case you’re looking for an all-natural CBD supplement, Impact CBD Oil is worth the try! It’s all you need to start your fitness journey.
