Food & Sports: Minerals and Vitamins for Athletes

Having a balanced diet rich in nutrients is essential for the performance of athletes. Just like having a regular training schedule, getting a healthy meal plan helps guarantee that athletes have enough energy through their rehearsals and performance. Additionally, it gives their body the nutrients it needs to keep healthy bones, muscles, and other tissues while contributing to a quick healing process after wearing out or being injured. 

Athletes are always using their bones and tissues during their training and performances. Testing their limits and being prone to injuries. Many athletes are at greater risk of getting osteoporosis. Osteoporosis offers a good example to understand better the correlation between a bad or an imbalanced diet and intense physical activity. Among other roles, our bones act as calcium storage units, and every time our body needs this mineral, it will take it from the available sources in the body. In the case of depletion, it can wear out the bone and cause osteoporosis.  

There are some essential vitamins and minerals that form an athlete’s diet, considering their requirements and conditions, these are a few that should never be missing.

In the case of minerals, these are the ones that lead the board:

• Iron. Iron forms hemoglobin, which makes red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, making it a fundamental mineral that helps athletes have better endurance throughout their physical training. Some foods rich in iron are nuts, liver, beans, and red meat. In some cases, it might be necessary to take iron supplements. It is the case of women with heavy periods. This is why it is more common to see women athletes who need to add iron supplements to their diets. 
• Calcium. As previously mentioned, having a sufficient intake of calcium can help our bones stay healthy and strong. Besides, it also regulates blood clotting. Some foods rich in iron include dairy food, green vegetables, some nuts like almonds, and Brazil nuts and fish.
• Magnesium is another mineral that helps to boost endurance since it takes blood sugar into the muscles. This mineral is known to have many benefits; it helps absorb calcium, regulate blood pressure, and boosts metabolism. Some good food sources include nuts like cashews and almonds, spinach, whole grains, and dark chocolate. 

One of the most common vitamins to include in an athlete’s diet is Vitamin D. Sunlight is the best source to get it. This vitamin helps regulate the amount of calcium present in the body. Also, B vitamins are essential due to their role in energy production. Finally, a regular intake of antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Selenium can mitigate the oxidation effects. Therefore, reducing muscle inflammation and soreness.

Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119