Protein for Endurance athletes

Protein for Endurance athletes

As we start to look at athletes nutrition in more depth, lets start with Protein, and how why its so important to have in your daily nutrition as an athlete

Why is protein so important for athletes, endurance athletes in particular

• Endurance sports are very demanding on the body, so recovery/repair is vital for us to adapt. We are constantly loading ands breaking down muscle tissue/ligaments and tendons. Protein in the macronutrient responsible for repair so without it or enough our bodies struggle to repair and adapt from the training
• It plays a very important part in lowering stress levels or stress hormones in our body
• It helps with long term energy
• It helps balance out PH levels in the body
• It helps with hormone and organ function
• It helps store nutrients

Key times for protein in take

• Each meal of the day
• within 30 mins of finishing your exercise

Foods that provide protein

• Meat
• Fish
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Beans/lentils
• veg
• nuts/seeds
• Humous
• cheese
• quinoa

How much should you eat as an endurance athlete?

Aiming for 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per KG of bodyweight