Nutrition for Performance: 5 Key Rules for Athletes

Salus • January 24, 2020

Do you know what it means to eat healthy? You’ve probably heard a few things here and there about “what to avoid” and “what to include” in your diet to improve the way your body looks and feels. But what about nutrition for performance?

5 Key Tips: Nutrition for Performance

No doubt you’ve heard these nutrition tips before. And maybe you’ve discounted them because the celebrity tips sound more “fun.” While it can be tempting to turn to a fun “quick fix” to get the results you want, if you want lasting change, your food choices matter.

It’s all about getting back to the basics.

And they take consistency, dedication.

  1. Rebuild with Protein.
    Protein is important to help us repair muscle tissue and recover properly. Include protein-dense foods in each meal AND snack. Choose foods like chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, protein powder. Keep the portion approximately the size of your palm for each meal/snack (in general: one palm for females, two palms for the males).
  2. Go Green.
    Include plenty vegetables in every meal and snack. Yup, veggies for breakfast. And make them green.
  3. Eat the Right Carbohydrates.
    Don’t be scared of carbohydrates. Your body uses carbs for energy. Include nutrient dense carbohydrates like sweet potato, oatmeal, potatoes, brown rice, fruits. Keep the portion approximately the size of your palm for each meal/snack (one palm for the ladies, two palms for the men).
  4. Don’t be Afraid of Fats.
    Eating fat doesn’t make you fat. For too long, fat has been vilified in the media. But, the truth is that dietary fat is essential to maintaining a healthy balance. Include fats such as coconut oil, nuts, olives, olive oil, flax oil, fish oil. Keep portions approximately the size of your thumb for each meal/snack (in general: one thumb for females, two thumbs for males per meal).
  5. Focus on Food Quality.
    Food has the power to directly impact your energy, performance, recovery, hormones, focus, etc. Food quality matters. A big problem with the “IIFYM” (If It Fits Your Macros) trend is that people are highlighting donuts and sugar-free crap next to their 6-pack. The problem is these “macro-friendly” foods are extremely low quality. Choose high-quality nutrient-dense foods 95% of the time to maximize performance.

Nutrition for Performance

Nutrition is the foundation of every healthy lifestyle. Even if you’re busting your butt at the box but not paying much attention to the type of food going on your plate, you won’t see optimal performance results.

The general, we recommend whole foods including: fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins.

Avoiding processed foods and high-glycemic carbohydrates is also key.

Does Body Fat Impact Performance?

Alright, brace yourself. No doubt you’ve heard some backlash over comments made on social media about placing a goal number on body fat percentage for athletes. No doubt, this causes uproar in the community, leaving many criticizing these comments.

No one is immune to the influence of social media. The key it to recognize how these recommendations directly relate to you and your goals.

One thing to consider: Nutrition is the foundation of performance, it’s the building blocks for everything we do. And yet, you’d be surprised how many athletes either try to out-train a bad diet or just don’t know how much nutrition matters. If you want to be competitive at the highest levels of your sport, you have to eat right.

Nutrition is the foundation of performance.
You can’t out train a bad diet.

But, in regards to body fat levels and performance….it depends.

Placing a generic number on body composition without knowing the individual’s lifestyle and needs, fitness goals, where they are in their training cycle, their experience, health history, etc, will not apply to most of the people reading this post.

This is where customized nutrition coaching comes into play.

Salus Nutrition Coaching: Sports Nutrition for Performance

If you’re ready to maximize performance through nutrition, don’t turn to the latest celebrity trends or Instagram post suggestions, create habits that last forever.

As your Salus Nutrition Coach, we understand the importance of eating a clean and balanced diet… and we are passionate to share that knowledge.

Whether your goal is to eat for performance, increase energy, gain muscle or lean up, we can help.

In your 3-month Nutritional Coaching program, you will:

  • Identify what your current nutritional state is and how to make changes appropriately.
  • Find out what a clean and balanced diet looks like for you to increase energy.
  • Learn how to monitor and control your nutritional intake directly for your goals.
  • Receive coaching on HOW to be successful with your nutrition choices that fit your lifestyle.
  • Receive all the support and accountability you need to make positive, life-changing dietary changes.

We will work with you to reach your goals and form new habits that last a LIFETIME! This is about real LONG TERM results. No cookie cutter programs or quick fixes here.

Let’s chat. Contact info@salusnj.com to learn more

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