Endurance Nutrition – For Peak Performance

Endurance depends to a great extend on the foods the athlete consumes – which is why the ‘right’ endurance nutrition should be well-balanced as well as carbs-rich. Carbs ensure high glycogen stores to fuel your cells with energy needed for top endurance activity.

Generally there isn’t an endurance formula suitable for every athlete – choosing foods and beverages that do not bother the stomach are of high importance. Experiment which foods work best can lead to your optimal endurance nutrition.

However, endurance athletes should not forget to fuel up before they go - athletes should consume 60-70% of the calories from carbohydrates!

Some Advice for Endurance Nutrition / Endurance Events

• Gas-forming foods, high fibre foods, and very salty foods should be avoided
• Liquid meals empty faster from the stomach than solid meals
• Stay with foods you know and do not experiment during the event
• Sport drinks before the event – they provide the body with sugar that stores as energy and refills your body with lost Electrolytes after the event
• Magnesium is an essential mineral to support muscle function
• Hydrate daily with 2-3 litres of water, as well as before, during and after the event
• Take carbs needed during the event and replenish your burned and lost energy, especially once you run or race longer than 90 minutes
• Replace the estimated calories you burn by eating carbs twice each hour

What about Minerals and Vitamins regarding Endurance Nutrition?

By eating about 1800 or more calories a day, athletes provide themselves with most of the essential vitamins and minerals they need. However, for good health and optimal performance additional endurance supplements may be appropriate.

Moreover, athletes who avoid certain foods (e.g. milk-free diets) or who follow pH Balanced or Vegetarian diets may need additional supplementation to make up for the minerals and vitamins not being supplied by their food.

Multivitamin, multimineral supplements that supply 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (e.g. Supergreens) will provide the (endurance) nutrients needed.

Sugars and Carbs

Regarding sugar intake it may be possible in some cases that consuming foods very high in sugar before exercising could hurt the endurance performance by suddenly causing blood glucose levels to drop.

Yet carbs are vital in terms of endurance, power and stamina. They consist of sugars and starches found in foods like breads, pasta, milk, cereals, vegetables, fruits, honey, table sugars and syrups. Carbs are the preferred source of energy for athletes in terms of endurance and nutrition and essential for a long run or race.

A stable blood sugar level achieved through consuming sufficient carbs balances the energy levels and muscle glycogen stores in the body.

Why is Glycogen important for Endurance?

When athletes exercise, train or compete, their muscles need energy to perform. During exercise the body uses some of its glycogen supply stored in the muscles. So if the athlete does not replenish the glycogen stores, muscles become sore and stiff. How do they replenish the glycogen stores? By consuming carbs!

Our body breaks down carbs into glucose that is carried through the blood to the cells to be used for energy. Glucose (regardless whether it comes from starches or sugars) provides the energy needed for working muscles.

Carb-Loading

There is a technique for athletes to increase the amount of glycogen (or energy) in the muscles which is called ‘carb-loading’ – it can be beneficial for endurance athletes who require 90 minutes or more of non-stop exercise. How does it work?

The athlete eats approx. 10 grams carbs (due to minimum effect on serum glucose levels many athletes preferably take low glycemic foods like whole wheat pasta, fruits, vegetables, and grains) per kg of body weight for six to seven days before an event (at the same time, the intensity of training is gradually reduced, up to zero a day ahead of the event).

Then, two to three 3 days before the event, you cut back on carbs. Six to twelve hours before the event you load up again on carbs.

Carbs-loading is harmless for athletes as long as it doesn’t exceed the above mentioned parameters. Generally, once the endurance nutrition derives more than half of its calories from carbohydrates, the athlete will have adequate and unobjectionable levels to fuel his or her athletic activity.