Diet of an Olympian: Food with a purpose

Abstract

Olympic medals are often decided by a fraction of a per cent. Over the last 20 years, elite athletes have taken a systematic approach to improving their performance. Performance nutrition is the systematic use of nutrition science to improve sporting performance and is increasingly being used by elite athletes. There are three areas of sporting performance where performance nutrition may be applied, namely the prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of adaptation from training and improvement of competition performance. Performance nutrition can help prevent illness by providing the correct amount of energy and macronutrients to match the energy needs of training and to prevent fatigue. Post-exercise carbohydrate and protein intake supports recovery from exercise and enables athletes to be in a position to train again. Nutrients such as calcium can promote bone health and prevent injury. Nutrient intake around training facilitates the adaptation to exercise. Protein intake post resistance exercise enhances the hypertrophy adaptation to exercise and manipulation of carbohydrate intake facilitates the adaptive response to endurance exercise. Use of both macronutrients and ergogenic aids (such as beetroot juice) around competition can enhance the sporting performance.