How effective is the diet in training high-performance athletes?

For many years, athletes have adopted controlled diets to enhance their strength, endurance and performance. Since the times of Ancient Greece, athletes were recommended to consume rare meats and wines, in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage over their opponents.

Since then, there has been considerable progress in the evolution of sports, enabling athletes to count on a range of professionals to help them with both nutrition and performance improvement. In sports such as football, billions of reais are invested in the infrastructure of gyms and training centers, aiming to provide ideal conditions for the development of athletes.

However, it is not just football that has evolved in this direction, MMA, Basketball, Cycling, Athletics, among others, are examples of sports that take great care of the physical part of athletes. It is no surprise that they are very popular sports, attracting the attention of many fans around the world, whether through broadcasting the games, or interacting directly with the events through sports betting sites and slots.

Foods that contribute to better performance and injury prevention

Elite athletes require a balanced diet, full of nutrients that provide the energy necessary to face intensive training and competitions, avoiding self-medication. Each meal should contain foods such as complex carbohydrates, high-quality proteins and healthy fats. Furthermore, adequate hydration plays a crucial role in maintaining performance, and it is essential to replace electrolytes lost through sweat.

When it comes to injuries, it is practically inevitable that a high-performance athlete will not face them at least once during their sporting career. However, there are elements in food that can contribute more effectively to preventing them. Including foods rich in calcium, vitamin D and magnesium is essential for keeping bones and muscles robust and healthy. Additionally, a diet that is equally rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and protect joints.

_­Despite this, there is no guarantee of completely avoiding pain and injuries that an athlete may face, however, strengthening muscles and maintaining a healthy body can significantly extend an individual's sporting longevity. When we see a player around 40 years old still playing a relevant role on the field, this is the result of a careful process involving both training and nutrition.

Which sports require a more specific diet?

In most sports, nutritional intervention is crucial, especially in sports lasting more than two hours and high intensity, such as trails, marathons and medium and long-distance triathlons. In these cases, diet plays a fundamental role in reserving energy during the challenge.

In certain sports, such as MMA and Boxing, there are a strict requirement in relation to the weight of the fighters. For this reason, the diets adopted in these sports often follow different approaches, with athletes having to face very restricted weight loss in the days leading up to weigh-ins.

In other cases, it is important to highlight that sports nutrition is always looking for an adequate intake of carbohydrates, proteins and hydration in the most balanced way possible, aiming to meet the needs of athletes, taking into account their body structure and their needs in relation to to the sport they practice.