Frequently Asked Questions
What diet is best for athletes?
No such thing. And as you hang out on the MP4 blog you will find out that we avoid absolutes like the plague. No such thing as the “best” anything unless you are talking about steaks or homemade cookies. However, whether you are an athlete or just a bump on a log, we all can thrive on a diet packed with a variety of fruits and veggies, good protein sources and whole grains in moderation. So with that being said, the best diet for an athlete is the one that will aid in full recovery from their training and games.
Do the nutritional needs of athletes differ from non-athletes?
Yes, they need more. At a specific time. With fluids. It’s complicated. BUT, we’ll break it down for you and make it as easy as pie so that it all makes sense and you get what you need without having to make this your new full time job. In the mean time, the food athletes eat is the same food that everyone else eats meaning they do not have to have every new fangled supplement under the sun to get to where they need to go nor do they have to buy athlete specific foods to succeed.
Are there certain dietary guidelines athletes should follow?
No. It truly depends on your sport and what is required of you to perform. Long gone are the days of “you should have X/Y/Z”. With today’s testing technology and what is known about body types, your nutrition intake should be based more on your needs than the arbitrary needs of your sport. Not everyone needs to have high carbohydrate diets and not everyone can function without them. Nutrient timing is much more important to the athlete than how much of each nutrient to have every day.
Which is better for replacing fluids-water or sports drinks?
Depends on how long you have been working out and how clean your diet is. If you have been out in the elements for 90 min. or more, an electrolyte drink may be the way to go. Or if you haven’t had sodium in quite a while, you would be better served with an electrolyte drink. It matters where you are in your workout and diet. Do not feel obligated to have an electrolyte drink every time you train, water will usually suffice. On the flip side, pay attention to the climate you are working out in, how much you are sweating and whether you have been relatively sodium free in your diet. Those factors will mitigate the use of an electrolyte drink.
Is it true that athletes should eat a lot of carbohydrates?
No. And boy do we have fun with this topic. Get ready for a wrestling match over carbohydrates any time we mention them because the pro-carb folks are always lined up and primed for a fight when we go here. You can train your body to use whatever energy you have available ( i.e. fat stores vs. carb stores). You do not have to choose carbohydrates as your main source of energy. It takes time—at least a month—but you can do it. And it is worth mentioning that we mean starchy carbohydrates here. At all times we expect your diet to be filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables.
As an athlete, do I need to take extra vitamins and minerals?
No. But you do need to take some vitamins and minerals. You just don’t have to have extra or some incredibly high amount. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the foods in your diet to supply adequate vitamins and minerals because they themselves might be lacking and as an athlete, you need more than the RDA. So it is wise to supplement with basic vitamins and minerals on a daily basis, but keep that to the suggested amount.
I am not an athlete but would like to look like one. Would your program work for me?
Mmmm…no. As much as we would love to work with everyone, our primary focus is the athlete. Whether recreational (you play tennis 2 times a week with your girlfriend) or competitive, our programs are designed to make you a better athlete first and a hot body second. If you are only interested in the body, we are not the program for you.
What sports do you cover? Are you just for endurance runners?
No. We cover all sports with the exception of fitness, figure and bodybuilding. So if you participate in any of the following sports either competitively or recreationally and you want to excel even farther than you may have already, we are the folks for you:
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Baseball
- Volleyball
- Tennis
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- MMA
- Cheerleading
- Endurance events
- Skiing
- Mountain biking
- X-treme sports
- Powerlifting
- Field hockey
- Lacrosse
- Racquetball
My friend told me she gained 7 pounds training for her marathon. Does that have to happen to run one?
No! And do not settle for that either. Most likely your girlfriend was either not following a plan made for her or she prescribed to the age old thought that ‘now that I am running, I can eat copious amounts of carbs because I need them for energy’. If you optimize your training and your food together, you will have much more energy than you thought you ever would; you will have less of a dependency on supplemental carbohydrates; and you will see your body composition changing for the better by the week. We cannot stress it enough: follow a plan made for you and you will thrive.
Is it me, or does it seem like there is more than one person posting on this blog?
By golly, you would be correct in that obversation! We are a team of sports nutritionists, fitness enthusiasts and science geeks. We’re here to educate you as well as entertain you and if you hire us, we’ll provide you with a hot body that performs like a pro. Each day is a different blogger and we are as follows:
Monday, Heather
Tuesday, Amy
Wednesday, Seanna
Thursday, Jodi
Friday, Joanna
Feel free to stop in and say hi to all of us. We love to hear from you.
