Sports Nutrition: Do Athletes Need Supplements?
Sports nutrition is more popular than ever. You see it everywhere. In supermarkets, gyms, and online, from creatine and protein powders to energy bars and pre-workouts. Many people who exercise wonder if they really need all these supplements. Perhaps you also have burning questions. Is sports nutrition important for everyone who exercises, or are there only specific cases where supplements can provide support? And if you decide to use sports nutrition, how do you choose the best product for you?
In this blog, we discuss what sports nutrition actually is, who it really benefits, and what to consider when choosing supplements. This way, you'll know exactly whether and which sports nutrition suits you best.
What is Sports Nutrition?
Sports nutrition is food specifically designed to support your athletic performance. It often involves supplements such as protein shakes, creatine, BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), and pre-workouts. Each of these products has a specific purpose. You can use these supplements at different times, depending on what your body needs at that moment.
Besides supplements, nutrition is always the foundation. Sport and nutrition cannot be seen separately. Think, for example, of proteins from chicken, fish, or dairy products. Carbohydrates from oatmeal, whole-grain pasta, or sweet potatoes are important energy sources during and after exercise. Sports nutrition doesn't always have to come from a jar, but supplements can be a valuable addition to your diet if you exercise intensively or have specific goals, such as muscle building. As with everything: it's about a good balance between healthy, unprocessed food and supplements that can support your diet.
What Sports Nutrition is Available on the Market?
There's a wide range of sports nutrition available, but what do you really need? Let's take a look at the most popular supplements:
Protein Powder
After an intensive workout, your body needs proteins for your muscles. Proteins help in the recovery of muscles after physical exertion and contribute to muscle mass growth. How much protein you need depends on your body weight and the intensity of your training. A general guideline for athletes is 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This can sometimes be difficult to obtain from your daily diet alone. Do you find it hard to get enough proteins from your daily diet? Then a protein shake is a handy supplement.
Read more about what to consider when choosing a protein powder.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most researched and used supplements. Creatine provides extra strength for explosive power efforts with a minimum daily intake of 3g creatine. Creatine is therefore specially balanced for athletes who want support in muscle building. It is important with creatine that you take it consistently, the exact timing doesn't matter.
Read further if you're curious about what to look for to choose the best creatine.
BCAAs
BCAAs are part of the proteins your body needs. Proteins consist of different amino acids, of which BCAAs form an important group. These essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body itself and must therefore be obtained through food.
BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are 3 essential amino acids:
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Valine
Pre-workout
A pre-workout gives you that extra boost for your training. This supplement usually contains caffeine and other ingredients. It's important to keep an eye on the dosage and timing, as the effects of caffeine, for example, can last for hours.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, are minerals your body needs to function. During exercise, especially during intensive or prolonged exertion, you lose electrolytes through sweat. Although the loss of electrolytes is usually not so great that it directly affects sports performance, it can play a role in extreme conditions (such as high temperatures or very intensive training). Read here when extra electrolytes can be useful.
Magnesium
Many athletes also use magnesium in their diet or as a supplement. Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in various bodily processes. It is good for the muscles and important for normal muscle function. Magnesium supports your energy levels and plays an important role in the functioning of nerves.
During exercise, you lose some of your magnesium reserves through sweat, making it important to replenish your levels, especially if you train intensively regularly. Read more about magnesium for sports and muscles and which form of magnesium is best absorbable.
Vitamins and Minerals for Athletes
What about - besides magnesium - other vitamins and minerals for athletes? Which are extra important and what should you pay attention to? In this blog, you can read more about which vitamins and minerals are important if you exercise.
When to Use Sports Nutrition?
Do you exercise a few times a week at a low to moderate level? Then you can easily get your nutrients from unprocessed foods, such as eggs, meat, vegetables, and grains. But if you exercise intensively or are training for a marathon, sports nutrition can be a valuable addition to your diet.
Here's a simple schedule to help you:
For Whom Does Sports Nutrition Add Value?
Not everyone needs sports nutrition. If you occasionally exercise for fun, you can probably get all your nutrients from regular food. But do you exercise 4 or more times a week intensively? Then supplements, such as proteins and creatine, can support you as an addition to your diet. Also for strength athletes and people who do long endurance training, such as marathon runners, certain supplements are handy to supplement the necessary nutrients alongside your diet.
Buying Sports Nutrition: What to Consider
Sports nutrition is available everywhere, but not every product is of the same quality. Here's how you can recognise a good supplement:
- Absorbability: how well can your body absorb the substances from the supplement? Choose products with well-absorbable ingredients.
- Quality Marks: check if the product has a reliable quality mark, such as an NZVT mark. An NZVT mark is especially important for top athletes because it guarantees 100% doping-free products.
- Amount of Active Substance: check the ingredients list and see how much of the active ingredient is in the product. This can vary significantly between brands.
- Additives: pay attention to additives, such as sugar, colourings, or preservatives. Preferably choose a product with as few unnecessary substances as possible.
Want to know more? Read here how to recognise quality supplements.
Good to Know!
Do you really need supplements to perform better? No, for many people, healthy, unprocessed food is sufficient. But do you train intensively or want to optimise your recovery and performance? Then supplements, such as protein powders or creatine, can provide support as an addition to your diet. Always make sure to pay attention when buying sports nutrition, and choose high-quality products.
Proteins, creatine, and BCAAs are the most commonly used supplements, but always pay attention to the quality of the products you choose. Ultimately, a healthy base diet remains the most important source of your nutrients.
Are you unsure about which sports nutrition suits you best? Feel free to ask our health coaches for advice, online or in-store.
References
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- Andres, S., Ziegenhagen, R., Trefflich, I., Pevny, S., Schultrich, K., Braun, H., ... & Lampen, A. (2017). Creatine and creatine forms intended for sports nutrition. Molecular nutrition & food research, 61(6), 1600772.
- Martinez, N., Campbell, B., Franek, M., Buchanan, L., & Colquhoun, R. (2016). The effect of acute pre-workout supplementation on power and strength performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13(1), 29.
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- Harty, P. S., Zabriskie, H. A., Erickson, J. L., Molling, P. E., Kerksick, C. M., & Jagim, A. R. (2018). Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: a brief review. Journal of the international society of sports nutrition, 15, 1-28.
- Shirreffs, S. M. (2009). Hydration in sport and exercise: water, sports drinks and other drinks. Nutrition bulletin, 34(4), 374-379.
- Senay, L. C. (2022). Water and electrolytes during physical activity. In Nutrition in Exercise and Sport, Third Edition (pp. 257-276). CRC Press.
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