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Learn from top athletes: sports nutrition tips from Jonas Müller
by Oliver Rinderknecht
Why eat food when there is protein in powder form?
9.4.2019
Translation: machine translated
Proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins - no matter what you read on the Internet on the topic of sports nutrition. Within a few minutes you will find at least one article claiming the exact opposite. And then a comment that claims the opposite of the opposite.
My advice is therefore not to believe anything or anyone on the internet in this regard. Not even me. Yes, you read that right. Always be critical when it comes to the topic of sports nutrition. Because it's about your health. And you only have one. That's why I have a simple rule for you: Before you start popping anything, talk to your coach, trainer or doctor about it. Forget all other well-intentioned advice and comments. Even the ones on this article.
First the basics: Food or nutrients
The question of "food or nutrients" is not a philosophical one. It reflects an enormously important basic understanding of nutrition. Humans - and therefore also athletes - are naturally built in such a way that they absorb the substances they need to live through food. These so-called nutrients do not occur in free form in nature. They are always "packaged" in food.
Think food first
Of course, you can take the known nutrients in tablets instead of food. However, this will most likely lead to the following problems, which are neither beneficial for your health nor your performance:
- There are several thousand substances in practically all foods - except water. Picking out individual substances, such as vitamins or minerals, always means missing out on all the others. Did nature put all these other substances in our food for no reason? Hardly.
- The original form of food - its so-called physical matrix - accounts for a large part of the effect of the food, for example in terms of satiety. If this matrix is missing, a natural, regulating factor in our food is missing.
The Swiss Society for Sports Nutrition (SSNS) is aimed at healthy adults who exercise regularly with its food pyramid for athletes. It recommends using supplementary food from a weekly training volume of around five hours or more. This is the case when exercising at least at medium intensity. The SSNS defines this as follows:
A medium-intensity load corresponds to the "stop and go" load of an average ice hockey, football or tennis match or the continuous load of approx. 2.5 km/hour. crawl-swim, approx. 8 km/h. jogging or approx. 2 watts/kg body mass on the cycle ergometer.
You can read about how top athlete Jonas Müller deals with the topic of nutrition and sport here:
Trace elements, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals? It's easy to get lost in the jungle of sports nutrition. In the following, I will therefore focus on what I consider to be the three most important nutrients for training.
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Vitamins
Proteins
A protein is a biological macromolecule that is made up of amino acids through peptide bonds. Sounds complicated, but it's not. It is quite simple. Protein is essential for the survival of us all, as it is one of the basic building blocks of body cells. When you train hard, your body realises that your muscles are being used. Sore muscles are a consequence of this. To avoid this in the future, the body regenerates the cells and builds more to withstand the strain in the future.
If you train hard and often, i.e. several times a week, then your body also needs more material to regenerate. Now you may reach your limits with a "normal" diet. You can't eat that much plant or animal protein to cover your increased protein requirements. This is where shakes come into play. They contain concentrated protein and are usually made from whey. They give your body material for regeneration.
Protein shakes are therefore training aids. They won't turn you into a bodybuilder overnight and they don't replace your training. They merely support your body. Our colleague Bärlocher has dealt with the topic of protein in detail in the following article. Well worth reading
.
Older athletes in particular should make sure they have a sufficient protein intake, as they are affected by age-related muscle loss.
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are one of the most important components of our diet alongside fats and proteins. Around half of the calories we consume come from carbohydrates. They provide the body with the energy it needs around the clock. This universal fuel is found in many foods in the form of sugar or starch, in cereals, vegetables and fruit.
Single and double sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides) are considered "bad" carbohydrates. They enter the bloodstream quickly and drive up the release of insulin. Insulin quickly lowers the blood sugar level. This can stimulate the appetite or lead to hunger pangs. But not all foods with "bad" carbohydrates are just bad. Fruit, for example, also contains vitamins and other valuable substances and should therefore be included in the diet despite its sugar content. This contrasts with sweet drinks, for example. They contain sugar - and nothing more. In other words, empty calories.
The "good" carbohydrates are the complex ones. They consist of at least three monosaccharide molecules. These must first be broken down during digestion and only then are they slowly and evenly released into the blood. They do not cause an extreme insulin spike and make you feel fuller for longer.
Complex carbohydrates are mainly found in wholegrain cereals, pulses and vegetables. Meat and fish, on the other hand, are carbohydrate-free with a few exceptions (liver, offal). Products such as pulses, quinoa, wholegrain rice and wholegrain bread also contain dietary fibre. They are therefore very suitable as a side dish.
You should pay attention to the type of carbohydrates, but also to the quantity. This is because carbohydrates that the body does not burn are stored as carbohydrates - or converted into fats - in the liver, muscles and fatty tissue. They can be called up again later if the body needs them. If not, they remain there in the form of excess pounds. The Swiss Society for Nutrition recommends covering 45 to 55 per cent of your daily energy intake with carbohydrates. One gram of carbohydrate has 4 kcal. For a calorie requirement of 2000 kcal, for example, this results in a requirement of 225 to 275 grams of carbohydrates per day.
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Vitamins
Our body needs vitamins to maintain vital functions. We can absorb them directly from food or as provitamins, which the body then turns into vitamins. They are fat-soluble and water-soluble. They are involved in many metabolic reactions. Their task is to regulate the utilisation of carbohydrates, proteins and minerals. Vitamins ensure that they are broken down or metabolised and therefore also serve to generate energy. Do you understand their importance in relation to your workout? Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E help to protect cells from oxidative stress, among other things.
What does this mean?
What does that mean? Any sporting activity, especially intensive and endurance sporting activity, is accompanied by an increase in energy consumption and therefore also an increase in the burning of oxygen. This can increase several times over compared to physical rest. The same also applies to the formation of so-called "free radicals".
In the case of unusual, particularly unusually intense exercise (especially for untrained people), the body's low antioxidant capacity is often unable to cope with such stress. Certain blood values, which can be used to measure the extent of oxidative stress in the body, then rise. And remain elevated for 24 to 48 hours. It is no coincidence that the following stress-related complaints have a similar progression over time: pain and inflammation in the muscle or tendon area, sore muscles, a feeling of stiffness, tiredness, fatigue, malaise and susceptibility to infection.
Vitamins are therefore extremely important, but are often neglected. They also strengthen the immune system and are essential for building cells, blood cells, bones and teeth.
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Finally, ask your coach, trainer or doctor whether and if so, what and how much you should take in addition to your regular diet. Unless you want to spend a lot of money to look like this in the end.
You can find all Galaxus sports nutrition here.
Header image: Is this necessary?
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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