Nutrition and your Immune System
You are an athlete. You frequently train at a high volume and high intensity day in and day out. Did you know that intense training puts you are risk to have a lowered immune function? Constant activity coupled with sub-optimal nutritional intake will cause your immune system to weaken. If your immune system is not optimized, you will become sick more often and the illnesses you contract, will last longer.
The topic of immunity is not talked about enough in the world of sports. Low immune function is a negative side effect of poor nutrition that many athletes don't recognize. It is yet another argument for ensuring that you learn how to eat well and fuel your body appropriately. You lead a busy lifestyle as an athlete and may not have learned about the impact of nutrition on performance AND on overall health. It's not your fault. No one taught you how to eat in school. You learned as you went and probably did what you saw happening around you. If you cut corners on fueling and tend to get sick often, it's time to learn how to eat right. Athletes suffer because of this lack of knowledge. I don't want you to miss days of training or miss games or meets or tournaments. I don't want your to miss an opportunity to get better. Athletes who frequently get sick can ultimately see less success than athletes who know how to fuel their bodies, activity level, and overall health.
With more recent fad diets we have seen athletes diets "train low" or train in a "fasted state". This leads to higher levels of circulating cortisol (your stress hormone) and therefore a weaker immune system. Creating more stress hormone release, above and beyond the high intensity of activity that we do day in and day out is a recipe for getting sick and an inability to recover quickly from illnesses.
To ensure an optimal immune function as an athlete, a well-balanced varied diet that meets your individual needs is necessary. You have individual energy requirements based on your current activity level. It changes based on your training volume, intensity of each day and the season of your sport.
In the world of nutritional science, we have known that a diet deficient in protein and certain nutrients diminish our body's immune system to work effectively and protect you from becoming sick. We also know that consuming a diet with an excessive amount of fat can diminish our body's ability to fight viruses. Adequate amounts of iron, zinc and vitamins A, E, B6 and B12 are in particular the micronutrients that help to maintain a strong immune system. Food sources of these nutrients are the best way for our bodies to utilize nutrients and ensure their role in immune response.
What kind of athlete are you? Do you prioritize healthy eating day in and day out? Do you consume enough calories and balance your nutrients appropriately? Or do you wing it? hoping that you can power through on chips, pre-workout and soda? Do you know how to eat? Do you know what your body needs to optimize your performance?
"Your Ultimate Sports Nutrition Game Plan" is a program that has helped countless athletes figure it all out the right way. Take a look at my new program video if you're interested in learning more about how to eat in order to be the best athlete you can be. My mission is to ensure all athletes know how to fuel themselves well, in every situation and be able to the strongest, fastest and healthiest athlete possible. After you watch the video there is the option to fill out the program application if you're interested in working together.
