In a summer of major sporting events, we discover how great athletes are also made at the dinner table, by comparing their diets, through similarities, differences and contraindications, with the diets of those who perform amateur sports to maintain (or regain) their level of fitness.
Do you dream of being in the same physical shape as your favourite champion? Caution and judgement are necessary: even though professionals and amateurs should follow more or less the same diet as the general public during the training stage, an athlete’s diet when preparing for a competition is not only unsuitable for those who do not play sports, but is considered “wrong”.
As athletes approach a competition they train less, and to ensure that their bodies have enough energy to burn, they follow a diet that is richer in carbohydrates without increasing protein intake. “Sometimes, sport events or matches are held very close to one another, such as in tennis or volleyball”, explains Professor Michelangelo Giampietro, Italian specialist in food science and sports doctor, “this gives the athlete a much shorter recovery time, which is why they should consume nutrients immediately after the end of a competition, in such quantities as to regain the water lost through sweat, the energy consumed and to repair the muscular ‘damage’ caused by the physical work. Only then will he/she be able to face the next athletic engagement in the best possible way”.
If the great champions, pre- and during a competition, follow a completely different food regime to the rest of the population, during training amateurs and top players can follow more or less the same diet from a qualitative point of view. The best one is inspired by the Mediterranean food model. Perfect for covering individual energy consumption, it includes all food groups and ensures a balanced supply of energy producing nutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins), fibre (fruits, vegetables as well as whole foods) and all non-energy yielding nutrients (water, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and bioactive compounds). Naturally, each diet takes into account individual physical characteristics, specific training programmes and scheduling of sporting and competitive commitments.
The quantity of carbohydrates to be consumed depends on the amount and intensity of the physical activity and the desired goals, but if a sport is practised regularly, the optimal diet should provide the body with at least 6-10g of carbohydrates per kg of intended body weight (about 55-60% of total daily energy). Carbohydrates are usually consumed at three different moments: before exercise, to fill glycogen deposits (muscles and liver); during exercise, to prevent muscle glycogen depletion and to avoid a drop in blood sugar; after exercise, to rebuild muscle glycogen.
INSIDE AN ATHLETE’S MIND: EXTREME DIETS ARE A DEFEAT IN THE MAKING
The benefits of diets that include carbohydrates are not only seen in athletic performance, but also on a psychological and sensorial level. The “right” diet for a sportsman or woman must also satisfy their palate to help them feel good. Take pasta, for example, which puts joy and complex carbohydrates on the menu: a plate of pasta stimulates the production of insulin, which, in turn, facilitates the absorption of tryptophan – the amino acid that promotes the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone, and melatonin, which regulates sleep. Good sleep, in fact, allows both higher performance capacity and better recovery from workouts.
Speaking of psychological benefits, healthy eating contributes to physical and mental well-being in equal measure. Eating habits can significantly influence an individual’s ability to carry out a particular physical task. However, in order to achieve the best results, an athlete’s diet should also take his or her food preferences into account so as to increase their overall psychophysical well-being.
As always, watch out for traps of “extremisation”. For some, excessive exercise is an effective way to increase energy consumption or a compensatory measure to prevent weight gain. And again, a ritualistic obsession with exercise can interfere with other daily activities and social situations. Then there is also what is known as Reverse Anorexia, or Bigorexia, the desire to increase and define muscle mass, and reduce as much body fat as possible. They are muscular, but always see themselves as too “small”.
