By Oliva Busby, Lead Performance Nutritionist at Sport Wales
As a Performance Nutritionist I am often asked by people with an interest in sport and exercise if they need to take supplements. With the growing supplement industry and mass marketing of sports nutrition products it is not surprising that there is a lot of confusion around this topic. To start with it is important to understand that real food is essential for life and has the power to affect health, energy levels and sports performance. This is why we promote a 'food first' approach to sport and exercise nutrition, encouraging a healthy, balanced and varied diet to allow your body to receive an array of nutrients.
As Sport Wales Performance Nutritionists we often refer to 'unleashing the power of food' so that athletes have more time to train, experience more effective training and better competition performance. These same principles apply to individuals that take part in sport and exercise as a solid foundation of good nutrition practices that should be established first before considering the use of supplements. Unleashing the power of food to its full potential would likely negate the need to use dietary supplements. However there are occasions where supplements can play a convenient role supporting an already established healthy, well balanced diet.
A common question asked is around the use of protein shakes - are they needed after gym training to build muscles? It is clear that consuming protein soon after resistance exercise leads to greater increases in muscle mass. The type of protein is also important for stimulating this process with rapidly digested protein sources that contain an adequate amount of essential amino acids being the most effective. There is no evidence that protein supplements are needed to achieve these goals. In fact high quality food protein sources such as milk, which naturally contains all nine of the essential amino acids, may actually be more effective. An average pint of milk contains 20 grams of protein and can also help rehydrate you after training. However there are certainly times when milk and other food sources of protein may not be practical or convenient and this is when protein shakes may become useful. Protein shakes may support some individuals with consuming the right amount of protein immediately after exercise, which in turn will help them achieve their training goals.
Try our protein pancakes for the perfect recovery breakfast
For more healthy meal inspiration follow 'swpnutrition' on Instagram
Similarly the use of sports drinks has become increasingly popular among general exercisers and sports people alike but do we actually need them? Put simply sports drinks contain a combination of sugars and electrolytes (salt) along with flavourings and water. When we exercise we sweat and lose salt, therefore sports drinks are designed to replace the salts lost during sweating. Sugar is a form of carbohydrate which when consumed during exercise can provide fuel to the working muscles and brain and potentially delay feelings of fatigue. However this does not mean that we should be guzzling sports drinks during every exercise session! Added sugars in sports drinks can be damaging to our teeth and also lead to excess energy intake, which in turn may diminish the achievement of goals set from completing exercise in the first place. There is a time and a place for the use of sports drinks, such as during prolonged training sessions and endurance events. Sugar free sports drinks may also be useful for replenishing fluids and salts lost through heavy sweating.
That said, supplements are a controversial area and bring additional risks to those competing in sport. See the UKAD website for more information on supplements and the risks. For individuals that take part in sport it is important to assess the need, assess the risk and assess the consequence before taking any supplements.
So once you have assessed the potential need for a supplement, how do you know which product to use? Informed-Sport is a quality assurance program for sports nutrition products, which certifies that all nutrition supplements that bear the Informed-Sport logo have been tested for banned substances. Athletes choosing to use supplements must check that the product has been through this rigorous certification process first by using the Informed-Sport website.
Sport Wales align with a number of food and supplement partners that have been selected due to their safety measures and standards. Recently Sport Wales have re-launched their partnership with Welsh sports nutrition company Pro Athlete Supplementation PAS. PAS offer a wide variety of sports nutrition products the majority of which are registered with Informed-Sport. Check out the protein pancake recipe using PAS whey protein prepared by Sport Wales Institute Performance Nutritionists on the ‘SWPNutrition’ Instagram account www.instagram.com/swpnutrition/
Remember, overall a ‘food first’ approach should be prioritised to support health and performance goals. In some cases there may be a time and a place for carefully selected sports nutrition products to support this.
Use 'SWI50' at the checkout and receive 50% off Pro Athlete Supplementation products for the next week.
For more information or advice on sports nutrition and supplements consult a Registered Sport and Exercise Nutritionist or Registered Dietitian through the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register SENr.
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