'In ancient times athletes looked to magic foods to inspire their competition performance. This approach was random and elusive. Today, sports nutrition is a science based on rigorous research and testing, and offers a more systematic approach to achieving performance goals.' - Dr Louise Burke, Sports Dietitian

For the longest time, protein was an afterthought, and carbohydrates and fat got all of the attention with respect to human health. However, advances in research have found that consuming adequate amounts of protein, especially that of high quality, such as whey, soya and from lean meat sources, can promote optimal wellness and vitality.

Protein is the second largest component in the body after water. It accounts for 20% of your total weight, forming the basis for every cell in your body. Ten to twenty percent of your diet should be in the form of protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, essential to grow and repair muscle and reduce fatigue.

Protein is essential in the formation of enzymes, hormones, antibodies and blood, and to create muscle. Protein is composed of amino acids, nine of which are considered essential—that is, your body cannot produce them. This means that you can only get them through diet or by taking protein supplements.

Eating to Win
Individuals have a range of protein needs. The following are some safe and adequate recommendations for protein intake for healthy individuals.

Categories Grams of protein (g) per kilogram
Current RDA for sedentary adult 0.8
Recreational athletes who exercise at moderate intensity (these are athletes who exercise about 4-5 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes) 0.8–1.5
Endurance athlete, adult 1.2–1.6
Growing teenage athlete 1.5–2.0
Adult building muscle mass 1.5–1.7
Athlete restricting energy 1.8–2.0
Athletes training at altitude 2.2
Estimated upper requirement for adults 2.0

Calculating your protein needs
To work out how much protein you need, do the following calculations:
Example 1: You are a male endurance athlete who weighs 70 kg, thus you require:
70 kg x 1,6 g/kg = 112 g of protein a day
Example 2: You are a resistance athlete (body builder or weight lifter) at the start of your training and you weigh 70 kg, thus you require:
70 kg x 1,7 g/kg = 119 g of protein a day

Power and Strength Athletes

Power Athletes Athletes engaged in resistance training programmes while supplementing with protein showed greater improvements in strength than those using resistance training alone. In addition, protein supplemented groups showed greater improvements in lean tissue mass over the other groups.

    
Endurance Athletes

The goal for endurance athletes is not necessarily to maximize muscle size and strength, but rather to prevent loss of lean tissue - as this can have a significant detrimental effect on endurance performance.

So while carbohydrates are still the primary component of your fuel, if you do not consume sufficient energy to sustain your sporting activities, you are at risk of using protein for energy. Not enough food and nutrients coupled with too much exercise causes this to occur. This process devastates performance through muscle deterioration and increased fatigue, and also negatively affects the immune system and recovery.

In 2007 the Journal of the International Society of Sport Nutrition stated that ‘it is the position of the International Society of Sport Nutrition that exercising individuals should consume high-quality protein within the time period encompassing their exercise session (i.e. before, during, and after)’.

Ingesting a protein source that is rich in essential amino acids and is readily digestible immediately before and following exercise training is beneficial for:
  • Increasing muscle mass.
  • Boosting your rate of recovery following exercise by repairing any muscle damage faster
  • Enhancing the rate of carbohydrate storage in the muscles, and
  • Sustaining immune function during high-volume training periods.
Carbohydrate plus protein may further improve time to fatigue with exercise compared with carbohydrate only. A study in the September 2003 issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism indicated that a carbohydrate plus protein improved time to fatigue by nearly 40% compared with a carbohydrate only. Research has also suggested that carbohydrate plus protein reduces post-exercise muscle damage and restores glycogen more expeditiously than the carbohydrate-only option.

Recovery
After exercise, working out, or a game, you deplete your muscle glycogen stores. This is the body's first source of energy. You must replace muscle glycogen within thirty to forty minutes after physical activity, or you will lose that glycogen. If you don’t eat in this time window, it can take your body up to 36 hours to replace the glycogen. It is also cumulative, which means that if you play every day, you will not have the energy you had from the beginning, and your performance will suffer. Recovery is enhanced when a snack that provides carbohydrate and protein is consumed as soon as possible after exercise or competition. Eat at least 10 grams of protein and about 35-50 grams of carbohydrates after exercise to replace this vital fuel.

A 2004 edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology highlighted the positive immune and health related effects associated with post-exercise protein ingestion. Researchers reported that the athletes ingesting a carbohydrate and protein supplement following exercise had an average of 33% fewer total medical visits, including 28% less visits due to bacterial or viral infections, 37% less orthopedic-related visits, and 83% less visits due to heat exhaustion, than those without protein. Moreover, post-exercise muscle soreness was significantly reduced when ingesting protein compared to the control groups.

While moderate exercise enhances immunity, intense athletic training has been shown to stress the immune system. Free radical production and increased inflammatory activity are thought to contribute to impaired immune activity in over-trained athletes. Free radical damage is thought to further delay muscle recovery and impair performance.

There is no doubt that shortening recovery time is an extremely appealing proposition for everyone involved in sports.

Perform better
By providing your body the best nutrition, you give yourself the best chance to succeed during physical activity and playing sports.

If there is more than an hour before your next meal and you are planning to exercise again within less than 24 hours, you can also choose from the following options:

50g carbohydrate snacks, which also contain at least 10g of protein (60-70kg adult)
300-350ml fruit juice and 10g (1 scoop) Nutrilite Protein powder
1 gel sachet, 200ml Sports drink and 10g (1 scoop) Nutrilite Protein Powder
Fruit smoothie and 10g (1 scoop) Nutrilite Protein Powder
250-350ml of milk shake or fruit smoothie
Some sports bars (check labels to see carbohydrate and protein content)
300ml of fruit-flavoured yoghurt
Bowl of breakfast cereal with milk
175ml carton of fruit-flavoured yoghurt topped with 1 cup of breakfast cereal
250g tin of baked beans or spaghetti on 2 slices of toast or toasted sandwich
1 round of sandwiches, including cheese/meat/chicken in filling, plus 1 piece of fruit
1.5 cups of fruit salad with 1/2 carton of fruit-flavoured yoghurt
175ml carton of fruit-flavoured yoghurt and a muesli bar
1 large muffin with thick spread of peanut butter
250g (large) baked potato with cottage cheese or grated cheese and ½ scoop of Nutrilite protein powder
200g thick-crust pizza

Source: Adapted, NUTTAB 1995, Australian Department of Community Services and Health