The right nutrition: This is how athletes improve their performance!

The right nutrition: This is how athletes improve their performance!

Healthy Eating Day was celebrated on March 7, 2025, an occasion that focuses on the importance of a balanced diet. Dr. Hans Braun, head of the sports nutrition department at the German Sports University Cologne, emphasized in an interview the relevance of a versatile and varied diet, especially for competitive athletes. He emphasizes that healthy eating should not be seen as a restriction, but as a pleasure.

The challenges athletes face require targeted food choices. Dr. Braun doesn't plan any special foods for Healthy Eating Day because he believes healthy eating habits require long-term behaviors that should be integrated into everyday life. This was supported by a survey by a health insurance company which found that nine out of ten people consider eating healthy to be important or very important. Nevertheless, Dr. Braun is skeptical about the actual implementation of this knowledge in everyday life.

The connection between sport and nutrition

The interactions between sport and nutrition are crucial for the performance of athletes. As the Academy for Sports and Health explains, targeted nutrition can significantly improve both the performance and regeneration of high-performance athletes and recreational athletes. A balanced diet that provides enough macro and micronutrients is essential.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a healthy, wholesome diet that includes at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Energy intake is crucial for athletes because their needs are higher than those of non-athletes. The essential tips include drinking enough fluids before, during and after training and reducing sugar and salt.

Nutrition tips for athletes

Nutrition tips for endurance athletes include:

• Erhöhte Energiezufuhr über längere Zeiträume.
• Kohlenhydratspeicher vor dem Training auffüllen.
• Nach 90 Minuten Training Kohlenhydrate zuführen (z.B. durch isotonische Getränke).
• Flüssigkeitszufuhr während Trainingseinheiten über 60 Minuten sicherstellen.

For strength athletes, however, the focus on protein intake is crucial:

• Nach dem Training sollten Nährstoffspeicher innerhalb von 30 bis 120 Minuten aufgefüllt werden.
• Proteinbedarf liegt bei 1,2 bis 1,7 Gramm pro Kilogramm Körpergewicht.
• Eiweiß sollte über den Tag verteilt konsumiert werden.

Additionally recommends Sports Athletic website strategic nutrient strategies to optimize endurance, strength and regeneration. Before training, the consumption of difficult-to-digest fats and carbohydrates should be minimized. A diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in fats contributes to stable blood sugar levels and enables optimal performance.

In summary, when it comes to nutrition for athletes, it's not just about the choice of food, but also about the right timing of food intake. A balanced diet is the key to improved athletic performance and health.