The Perfect Guide To Understanding Sports Nutrition And How Supplements Can Be Beneficial To Health – News18

To start off the conversation, one thing that everybody needs to keep in mind and take into account is the fact that Sports Nutrition is not for everyone. It can be that there are aspects of sports nutrition that can be beneficial for people who are not directly involved in any game, a lot of people owing to medical conditions do resort to various kinds of supplements. However, that does not mean that like an athlete they too need to be well-versed in all that sports nutrition entails and the multi-faceted benefits of various supplements.

Vishnu Menon, Founder of Iron Asylum explains what the concept of sports nutrition is, he says, “Sports nutrition is the application and study of how to use nutrition effectively to support athletic performance. This includes various aspects of the same like nutritious food, hydration, and efficient supplements to help build endurance and strength to succeed in your sport.”

“Athletes may need different amounts of nutrients than non-athletes and this is what distinguishes sports nutrition from general nutrition. Sports nutrition when combined with regular training and other aspects of athletic development can be very effective,” he further added.

Sports nutrition is extremely different from the regular nutrition that non-athletes aim at. There is a certain mechanism that works in this aspect and those involved in sports should only be taking supplements that have been prescribed to them. The arena of supplements can be a little tricky because you need to be alert at all times and it is definitely not meant for experimentation until the doctor suggests so.

Piyush Kerni, Co-founder of 3S fitness technologies, points out, “Sports nutrition is different from regular nutrition because athletes have different nutrient requirements as compared to non-athletes. Their body must build endurance and strength in order to perform optimally. Besides this, the rigorous training routine must be supplemented so that the body can heal faster.”

He also mentions, “The right nutrition is crucial to optimize the beneficial effects of physical activity. Whether you are a professional athlete, a bodybuilder, or a swimmer, sports nutrition can help you achieve your goals.”

There are certain supplements that are not only consumed by athletes but non-athletes too can subscribe to them provided a doctor suggests it to them. Here is looking at the health benefits some of these widely popular supplements offer-

1. Protein Powders 
   Remember that protein is truly the building block of the body. Protein powders are isolated forms of proteins, such as egg white, pea, brown rice, soy, etc. Protein powders ensure that athletes consume the required amount of protein necessary for recovery and endurance. Research suggests that protein supplements while training can aid in increasing lean body mass.
2. Vitamins and Minerals Supplements
   Effective multivitamins contain basic vitamins and minerals that can help in achieving better health. Essential vitamins like Vitamin D, B12, etc can be easily supplemented. Lower vitamin levels have been known to affect body and mind health. For example, a deficiency of vitamin D can cause a loss of bone density.
3. Fish oil
   Supplementing with omega-3 fats such as fish oil helps in speedy muscle recovery after an intense workout routine. Besides obtaining omega-3 from a regular diet by eating fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, nuts, etc, supplementing with omega-3 supplements is crucial to perform at the highest level. For individuals who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, plant-based omega-3 supplements are also available.
4. Creatin
   Creatin is a compound that the body produces from amino acids. It is known to aid in energy production during different short, high-intensity activities. Supplementing daily with creation aids in improving power and strength output.