In soccer for example, athletes run between miles during a match. So my job is to calculate the energy demands for that sport and make sure the athlete is fueling properly.

Lora : Athletes need the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins before and after a big game or tournament. Half of the plate should be carbohydrate sources such as whole grains, fruits and diary.

A quarter of the plate should be lean proteins and the other quarter vegetables. Thirty minutes before playing, athletes should consume high glycemic carbohydrates such as fruit, fruit chews or fruit juice — something easily digestible that will give a boost of energy and top off the carbohydrates stores.

After the game, athletes needs a ratio of four carbohydrates to one protein to help with recovery. When athletes are fueled properly they get better sleep, are in a better mood and perform better.

Lora : It really depends. Otherwise, water is the best option. For example, basketball is lot of stop-and-go, running up and down the court and switching directions.

Players who are under-fueled or more likely to sprain an ankle. Stress fractures will also happen if an athlete is low in Vitamin D and calcium stores. Athletes need proper vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein to stay healthy to help protect the tendons, ligaments and bones. Lora : Proper nutrition is also needed to recover and repair the body from injury.

When athletes don't get enough carbohydrates, the body uses protein for fuel, which prevents wounds from healing. All those microscopic tears in the muscle don't heal and it will continue to get worse. Lora : What I always tell my athletes is nutrition is just as important as practice and skill development - it all goes together.

Here are some preventative measures from a nutritional perspective that may help to avoid injury. Monitoring body composition is important for health, performance but also for injury prevention.

Low levels of lean muscle mass and high body fat levels are both associated with increased risk of injury. Unwanted excess body weight can negatively impact mechanical stress during exercise, thus causing musculoskeletal related injuries.

Insufficient energy intake like during periods of deliberate weight loss may accentuate fatigue and impair recovery. When the diet lacks enough calories to support the body during periods of intense training, nutrients may be sourced from within the body to support physiological functions.

For example, when dietary protein is inadequate, skeletal muscle may be broken down to fuel protein requirements, thus reducing lean muscle mass and increasing muscle injury risk.

It is important for adequate energy intake to provide the nutrients required to fuel exercise and recover optimally. Recovering from exercise is essential to help repair any damaged tissues and replenish energy stores to fuel repeated exercise performance.

Dietary protein is known for its role in lean tissue repair and growth so it is recommended to consume g after training, as part of a daily intake of 1.

Alongside protein, post-exercise carbohydrate ingestion is also advocated to promote muscle glycogen synthesis to perform subsequent high-intensity training. For sports performance dietary protein and carbohydrates get the headlines for their role in protein synthesis and energy availability, however dietary fat is equally important for performance health.

Overconsumption of certain fats may negatively influence injury risk, due to the pro-inflammatory properties of excessive trans and omega-6 fatty acids.

Anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids should be prioritised to promote immune function, protein synthesis, brain function and recovery from exercise.

Saturated fat intake should also be controlled; it is important for anabolic hormone production and structuring cell membranes, but too much may impair performance and increase fat mass due to its high calorie value. Diets that lack important nutrients leave the body in a state of nutrient deficiency that can impair physiological function and cause injury.

When blood levels of nutrients are low, the body will source it from internal stores endogenous production , for example, calcium may be extracted from bone when blood calcium levels are low. This can ultimately leave you prone to bone injuries.

Finally, preoperative nutrition and nutritional considerations for returning to a sport after rehabilitation are addressed. Keywords: combat sports; nutrition; recovery from injury; sports injuries; supplements.

Abstract Sports participation is not without risk, and most athletes incur at least one injury throughout their careers. Publication types Review. Make sure that no more than 10 percent of your total daily calories come from saturated fat, and try to consume twice as much unsaturated fat as saturated fat.

Also, do your best to hit a daily target of 3, mg of omega-3 essential fats. Keep the calcium coming. Bone strains and stress fractures are uncommon in swimming and cycling, but quite common in running—especially for those with low bone density. The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1, to 1, mg.

But the average adult consumes only to mg daily. You can avoid a calcium deficiency and the resulting increased risk of bone injuries by consuming three servings of low-fat or non-fat dairy foods per day.

Research suggests that calcium supplements are even more effective than dairy foods in maintaining bone density. Train, shower, eat.

Learn more about gaining a competitive edge with chocolate milk and sports nutrition and read my research with high school athletes recovering with chocolate milk. Andy Cheshire, Ph. He now serves as an educator and expert, promoting greater safety and performance for athletes through his muscle recovery research.

Subscribe to e-news. Skip to main content. Friday, October 1, By Andy Cheshire. Get Content Like This in Your Inbox.