Finnish nutritionist and Master of Food Science Kaisa Sali would like to see an increase in coaches’ knowledge of nutrition, for example, by incorporating nutrition sections into their overall coaching training.

Sali says that in Finland, sports nutrition has only started developing in recent years, while in Norway, it has been part of the athlete’s path much longer. According to Sali, nutrition is taken “a bit further” in Norway. In principle, especially for younger athletes, a proper foundation in basic nutrition goes a long way.

“Paying attention to nutrition does not necessarily mean a lot of fiddling and fussing. The most important thing is to ensure regular meals, a good eating rhythm in relation to training, and sufficient carbohydrate and vegetable intake.”

Sali notes that young athletes, in particular, who may increase their training intensity considerably at some point, may not realize that as their calorie intake increases, they should also increase their food intake. That being said, low energy intake is not always necessarily the result of disordered eating behavior.”

According to Sali, your feelings reveal a great deal. Low energy intake is often interpreted as a state of overtraining, and studies also show that these are linked.

“If you often find yourself feeling fine in the morning, but your afternoon training is not productive, you have probably eaten poorly. It is common for a fit young person to be able to do a good morning workout because of the stored carbohydrate in the muscles and liver from the night. Still, during the day, the carbohydrate stores cannot be properly replenished, and this is reflected in the afternoon training as tiredness.”

Other signs of low energy intake include mood swings, being prone to sickness, various injuries, especially stress fractures, and, for women, menstrual irregularities.

The most common problem among young skiers is low carbohydrate intake. Sali, who has studied the food diaries of both young people and adults, says that she cannot recall a single situation in which the amount of protein in a skier’s diet should have been increased.

“Inadequate carbohydrate intake is particularly common among female athletes, while boys more often need to pay attention to the quality of their diet. Even endurance athletes need to learn to eat enough and also to incorporate enough vegetables into their diet. Vegetables play an important role in the diet, too.”

If an athlete realizes that their energy intake may be deficient, Sali says that they should first check that their eating rhythm is regular and includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a few snacks. If these meals are included, you can start to increase portion sizes.

“Simply add carbohydrate-rich foods to your diet at each meal. For example, bananas, rice, pasta, fruit, and even more oatmeal at breakfast.”

Read More: Nutrition fundamentals for recreational skiers

When it comes to supplements, Sali points out that they are not a substitute for real food. When choosing supplements, it is essential to be aware of possible doping substances when picking a product and to remember that the “more is better” rule does not apply in this case.

“If you take large doses of vitamins C and E, for example, it may actually reduce your training response, i.e., you will not get as good training benefit. On the other hand, if you take large amounts of minerals, they may impair the absorption of other minerals.”

“However, I am by no means saying that supplements are completely useless, and I would encourage you to take D-vitamin, for example, from autumn to spring. Very few people also need iron supplements if their iron levels are not sustained at a high enough level by diet. Vitamin C and zinc can shorten the duration of a cold, but they should certainly not be taken continuously. You should always know what you need and why.”

Also Read – Sports nutrition supplements: How to optimize your performance?

This article was originally published on ProXCskiing.com on 18.05.2022.

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