Have you been watching the 2021 Olympics? I am always so inspired by watching athletes in peak shape compete against other athletes from all over the world! I know they weren’t born ready to compete in the Olympics, although some of their talent is God given, but they had to diligently train years to achieve their peak performance.

Typically, when we think of athletes training we think of cardio, lifting weights, or practicing a sport. However, nutrition has been a growing piece of what goes into training! And don’t think “well, I’m not an Olympian so this does apply to me.” It absolutely does! Food is our fuel for EVERYTHING! Food fuels our hands, our legs, our arms, our internal body processes, and our brain of course!

So what fuel are you feeding your body? I want to acknowledge something before we move any further. Erase and get rid of the concept that some food is “bad” and other food is “healthy.” When you’re selecting which food to fuel your body, categorize your choices as “healthier” or “less healthy.” The FDA once tried to regulate which foods could be labeled “healthy.” Rumor has it, they got rid of that very quickly because items such as coconuts did not meet the criteria for being “healthy” due to their saturated fat content; yet, they do offer health benefits as they are high in fiber, manganese and copper.

With that being said, let’s move onto the broad view of the importance of nutrition related to sports, exercise, and everyday living.

What are Essential Nutrients?

Essential means the body needs it and cannot produce it. The basis of nutrition examines whether or not your getting essential nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fat), minerals, vitamins, and water.

Carbohydrates (carbs) have been shown in a bad light for many years… especially with this crazy Keto diet rampaging around because consumers are excited when they get to follow a diet that encourages them eating whipped cream and bacon (not together; gross). The point being, carbohydrates are everyone’s main source of fuel (glucose). So we NEED carbohydrates!

When you think of protein you typically think of chicken, beef, and pork. A stereotype is that body builders, power builders, and athletes “need” excessive protein. While it’s true that everyone needs protein for developing, growing, and repairing muscle and other tissues, prolonged excessive protein intake can cause long-term damage to your kidneys. Don’t overdue it with protein supplementation and consumption. Protein can also come from milk, cottage cheese, cheese, beans, nuts, nut butters, eggs, etc., and it’s an essential component for your diet.

Lipids, aka fat. Lipids are found in the form of oils and fats. It’s easy to think “if I don’t eat fat then I won’t put on more fat stores.” However, you still need lipids in your diet. They provide structure to cell membranes, aid in synthesis of hormones, and facilitate absorption of fat-soluble vitamins within the body.

If you take anything away from today, let it be this: PLEASE TAKE YOUR DAILY VITAMIN. In school, I believed that if you were disciplined and educated, then you could consume all essential nutrients from your diet. I put this concept into practice with a USDA food calculator (which doesn’t exist any more sadly – wow I’m getting old) and tried to create the perfect week of meals that met 98-100% of essential nutrients. After hours and hours and days of altering components of meals and putting in all of my creativity, I failed. The closest I could reach was meeting 82% of all essential nutrients. That’s when I deemed it IMPOSSIBLE to eat the perfect diet. So, take your vitamin so can lay your head down at night and know that your body thanks you for providing 100% of essential nutrients for its processes.

Stepping off my soap box now…

Vitamins help facilitate chemical reactions in the body. Different vitamins are either fat or water soluble. The foods you get vitamins from are mainly fruits and vegetables. So, there is reason why we say “eat your fruits and veggies.”

Minerals are inorganic elements that play a critical role in the structural development of tissues and regulation of bodily processes. Minerals are classified as major or trace. You consume your minerals mainly from vegetables and animal products.

Lastly, water! The recommendation is typically 8 glasses of water per day but we actually don’t know where that recommendation came from. We have tools and calculations to more accurately estimate your water needs but 8 glasses per day has been working well so far so that’s what professionals have agreed upon to continue with. Water is especially important for athletes for a number of reasons, not just the fact that they are sweating. Water is important in temperature regulation, lubrication of joints, transporting of nutrients to activate tissues, and so much ore. You consume water by drinking it plain and by eating vegetables and fruits.