Most Optimized Diet for Top Athletes

Diet is the most important thing for an athlete because the body’s performance very much depends on what you put on your plate. An optimal diet is not only nutritionally balanced to fulfill your body's needs but also sustainable, effective, and easy to follow.

Based on these checkpoints, many diet plans have been formulated, some of which are plant-based, while others comprise foods sourced from animals; and some include both. Further, dieticians recommend including supplements in meal plans. So, which diet is perfect for top athletes? Let’s find out.

Animal-based vs. Plant-based Diets – Pros and Cons

Although athletic activities and endurance are cardioprotective, athletes are more at risk of atherosclerosis and myocardial damage. A study conducted in 2017 found that 44% of endurance athletes had coronary plaques while the proportion was 22% in people with a sedentary lifestyle.[i]Similarly, another study conducted on marathon runners showed myocardial damage was present in 12% of runners while the incidence is just 4% in the control group. [ii]

Although in these studies, the direct correlation of diet was not assessed food is deemed as the major contributing factor behind such health conditions. Consumption of animal foods, no doubt, provides a large number of high-quality proteins, however, the content of saturated fats and cholesterol is also more as compared to the plant-based diet. Besides, less number of fibers and antioxidants in animal foods can further aggravate the process of chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

A plant-based diet, on the other hand, lowers your blood cholesterol levels and provides healthy fats to the body.?This not only reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases but the decreased lipid concentrations in the blood decrease the blood viscosity. This, in turn, lowers the systolic and diastolic blood pressures and also enhances the blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles.[iii]

Moreover, a plant-based diet helps attain a leaner body mass. This not only happens because of the low-fat and high-fiber content in plant foods, a study has shown that a vegan diet increases post-prandial energy metabolism by 16%. [iv] This helps in the consumption and removal of excess fat from the body. Additionally, researchers have observed that reduced body fat increases aerobic capacity. Athletes with higher aerobic capacity and VO2 max have shown better endurance and athletic performance as compared to other athletes.[v]

Anti-oxidation is another benefit of a plant-based diet. Plants, especially fruits are rich in antioxidants like vitamins A, and E, beta-carotene, etc. They protect against the exercise-related oxidative stress that is responsible for causing muscle fatigue and, in turn, reduce athletic performance.[vi]

The only question that is raised against plant-based diets is nutrient inadequacy. Athletes require more proteins for muscle, repair, growth, and recovery. However, foods sourced from plants have fewer proteins as compared to animal products. For instance, you need to take an almost one-third cup of peanut butter to match the proteins present in the 3 eggs or 3 ounces of beef. Besides, the quality of proteins obtained from plant-based foods is inferior to that of animal products. The animal-based diet contains more amounts of essential amino acids that to are more easily utilized by the body as compared to the plant proteins. Despite these facts, studies have shown that a well-balanced combination with a variety of plant-based foods fulfills all the essential requirements of athletes.[vii] [viii]

Supplements vs. Natural Foods

Athletes push their bodies to give their best, so need more nutrients as compared to a normal person. For that purpose, it is commonly believed that the diet alone is not enough to meet all the requirements and supplements must be taken for peak athletic performance. However, it’s not the case. Athletes can also do well without supplements.

Supplements are synthetic products that usually contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, botanical extracts, or a combination of these. Due to their physical and psychological performance-boosting effects, supplements are sold with the label of ‘ergogenic aids’. ?For instance, supplementing with creatine (an amino acid) enhances muscle strength and sprint performance in soccer players. [ix] [x] Similarly, supplementation with vitamins C and E decreases exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and thus prevents muscle tissue damage. [xi]

However, these performance-enhancing effects were observed when the individuals were already lacking enough of these nutrients in their diets. Several research studies have shown that taking dietary supplements does not enhance physical performance in well-nourished athletes.[xii] ?[xiii] [xiv] No significant differences were found among those athletes whose recommended dietary intakes of vitamins and minerals were met by a natural diet.

Apart from that, taking excess vitamins and minerals is also harmful to your health. For example, an excess of vitamin A can cause nausea, headache, blurring of vision, muscle aches, and problems with coordination. Similarly, taking too much iron can lead to a condition called hemochromatosis, which can affect your liver, pancreas, and skin.

Moreover, except for a few, most of the minerals and vitamins present in natural foods are better absorbed by the body compared to their synthetic forms

Besides, supplements are expensive compared to natural foods. You can easily obtain the same nutrients from affordable foods, like vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and legumes.

So, we can say that good nutrition comprising a well-balanced diet is the best way to attain optimal athletic performance. Supplements are beneficial to some extent when they are added to, not substituted for nutrient-dense foods.

Which Plant-based Foods Are Good For Athletes?

There are various nutritionally-dense foods obtained from plants that are loaded with healthy and essential nutrients. They can be just enough for meeting your daily recommended intake of all nutrients.?

The combination of the following plant-based foods can serve as the perfect diet plan for athletes.

·????????Oats

·????????Cocoa

·????????Chia seeds

·????????Beans

·????????Broccoli

·????????Carrots

·????????Tempeh

·????????Soya beans

·????????Peanut butter

·????????Flaxseeds

·????????Hemp

·????????Fruits, like oranges, bananas, apples, avocados, etc

Bottom Line

Diet is the most important thing for an athlete as optimal athletic performance depends on it. Plant-based foods can serve as the perfect diet for athletes as they not only fulfill all the daily nutrient requirements but also their antioxidants protect against exercise-induced muscle damage. Besides, a plant-based diet lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol levels preventing the risks of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, a problem commonly seen with eating animal-sourced foods. Supplements can be beneficial but they should not substitute natural healthy foods.

[i] Merghani A, Maestrini V, Rosmini S, Cox AT, Dhutia H, Bastiaenan R, David S, Yeo TJ, Narain R, Malhotra A, Papadakis M. Prevalence of subclinical coronary artery disease in masters endurance athletes with a low atherosclerotic risk profile. Circulation. 2017 Jul 11;136(2):126-37.

[ii] Breuckmann F, M?hlenkamp S, Nassenstein K, Lehmann N, Ladd S, Schmermund A, Sievers B, Schlosser T, J?ckel KH, Heusch G, Erbel R. Myocardial late gadolinium enhancement: prevalence, pattern, and prognostic relevance in marathon runners. Radiology. 2009 Apr;251(1):50-7.

[iii] Yokoyama Y, Nishimura K, Barnard ND, Takegami M, Watanabe M, Sekikawa A, Okamura T, Miyamoto Y. Vegetarian diets and blood pressure: a meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine. 2014 Apr 1;174(4):577-87.

[iv] Yokoyama Y, Nishimura K, Barnard ND, Takegami M, Watanabe M, Sekikawa A, Okamura T, Miyamoto Y. Vegetarian diets and blood pressure: a meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine. 2014 Apr 1;174(4):577-87.

[v] Mondal H, Mishra SP. Effect of BMI, body fat percentage and fat free mass on maximal oxygen consumption in healthy young adults. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR. 2017 Jun;11(6):CC17.

[vi] Powers SK, Talbert EE, Adhihetty PJ. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as intracellular signals in skeletal muscle. The Journal of physiology. 2011 May 1;589(9):2129-38.

[vii] Roberts AK, Busque V, Robinson JL, Landry MJ, Gardner CD. SWAP-MEAT Athlete (study with appetizing plant-food, meat eating alternatives trial)–investigating the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance: a randomized crossover trial. Nutrition Journal. 2022 Nov 16;21(1):69.

[viii] Melina V, Craig W, Levin S. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: vegetarian diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016 Dec 1;116(12):1970-80.

[ix] Ostojic SM. Creatine supplementation in young soccer players. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2004 Feb 1;14(1):95-103.

[x] Mielgo-Ayuso J, Calleja-Gonzalez J, Marqués-Jiménez D, Caballero-García A, Córdova A, Fernández-Lázaro D. Effects of creatine supplementation on athletic performance in soccer players: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 31;11(4):757.

[xi] Evans WJ. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and exercise. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2000 Aug 1;72(2):647S-52S.

[xii] Williams MH. FACSM. Dietary Supplements and Sports Performance: Introduction and Vitamins. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2004;1(2):1-6.

[xiii] Singh AN, Moses FM, Deuster PA. Chronic multivitamin-mineral supplementation does not enhance physical performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1992 Jun 1;24(6):726-32.

[xiv] Telford RD, Catchpole EA, Deakin V, Hahn AG, Plank AW. The effect of 7 to 8 months of vitamin/mineral supplementation on athletic performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 1992 Jun 1;2(2):135-53.