Let’s dive into a few popular diets:
Ketogenic Diet: focuses on low carbohydrate and high fat intake to shift the body’s metabolism toward burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. In this approach, only 5-10% of calories come from carbs, and 10-20% come from protein. However, adhering to a true ketogenic diet can be quite challenging, and it may not be suitable for most athletes. Consuming fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day can negatively affect speed, power, mental focus, and overall performance. Carbohydrates are the body’s primary and preferred source of energy.
Low fat diet: a low fat diet can be used for certain athletes who are closely monitoring calorie intake. Dietary fats are higher in calories per gram and foods rich in fat can cause more overall calorie intake. Dietary fats are important for absorbing crucial micronutrients. Restricting dietary fat can cause vitamin deficiencies over time (in addition to other problems).
Paleo: The idea behind this diet is to emphasize whole foods like eggs, meat, poultry, fish, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while eliminating soy, ultra-processed foods, particularly those with added sugars. It also excludes dairy, grains, and legumes (such as beans). While this may seem like a healthy approach at first glance, it eliminates several food groups that can provide important nutrients. Avoiding these foods makes sense for those with allergies, but cutting out entire categories can reduce plant diversity in the diet, potentially making it harder to meet all of your nutritional needs.
Intermittent Fasting: This is more of an eating strategy than a traditional diet, focusing on restricted eating windows. Examples include eating every other day or limiting food intake to an 8-hour window. While this approach may have some benefits, it offers little advantage for athletes due to their unique training needs. The limited eating window can make it difficult to fuel properly for workouts, games, or practices, potentially leading to under-eating or overeating.
Whole 30 diet: This diet involves a 30-day period of strict eating restrictions. The aim is to eliminate food groups like ultra-processed foods, legumes, grains, dairy, and soy. Many individuals choose to adapt this diet long-term. However, it can be quite challenging for athletes to meet their nutritional needs with such a limiting dietary pattern.
Gluten-free diet: This trend has gained lasting popularity, but while gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are legitimate conditions, there’s no need to eliminate gluten from your diet if it doesn’t cause you any issues. Gluten-rich foods provide essential nutrients such as B vitamins, iron, and magnesium, all of which are important for athletes. Although gluten-free products are widely available, navigating this diet can still be challenging if you don’t have a medical reason to avoid gluten.
So what is the best diet for an athlete?
The one where you fuel yourself
Unnecessary restrictions are not effective for athletes. Developing a personalized performance nutrition plan is key to supporting your individual needs. While cutting back on ultra-processed foods is generally beneficial, some processed foods can actually enhance athletic performance. Prioritizing a balanced, nutritious diet is crucial for both recovery and optimal performance. Don’t hold back your potential with unnecessary limitations.
Reach out to our dietitian to create the perfect performance plan tailored to you!
Thanks for reading,
Crystal McLean, MS, RD, LDN
