Calculation of protein intake in a diet for an athlete

STEPS TO PREPARE A DIET FOR A SPORTS PERSON

1) Interview to the person:

In the example that concerns us, our athlete is called Julian.

Julian is a 24-year-old boy. He weighs 75kg. He is 1.80m tall and he is preparing for firefighter competitive examinations.

2) Knowledge of Julian’s activity:

– Every morning he runs for half an hour,

– He does strength exercises in the gym (agility circuit, weights)

– In the afternoon, he studies for the examinations at a school,

– Besides, as he likes the mountain, at the weekend, he goes to climb with his friends.

Julian comes to us because he wants to increase his physical and mental performance, because he ends up very tired.

3) Stablish his protein needs according to the type of exercise:

For this we will help the special table of nutritional recommendations of proteins for athletes of the section of needs of proteins.

Julian practices resistance, speed and strength exercises, so we will determine his daily protein needs in 2 grams of protein / kg of body weight per day.

According to his type of exercise, Julian should eat 125 grams of protein daily.

4) Estimated calories for Julian:

We must calculate the calories that Julian spends during the day:

– Basal metabolism: These are the calories that the body consumes at rest. To know them we can help us of the calorie calculator of basal metabolism. It indicates to us that its basal metabolism is 1,800 kcal.

– Exercise: How many calories, approximately, he consumes in each activity he does during the day. We can help with the calorie calculator of physical activities:

– In total, Julian should do a diet of 2.460kcal (1.800kcal basal metabolism + 660kcal physical activity).

Although it seems a very caloric diet, in fact it is not if you consider that the exercise performed is intense, and for 5-6 days a week. Of course, if he does sports at the weekend, he can eat lighter, but in general, a diet of 3,000kcal “will not make him fat”.

5) Julian’s diet foods: how to achieve his protein needs intake?

Julian must not fall into the topic of eating large dishes of meat and pasta, as if these were the only foods rich in protein. The protein intake must come from both vegetable and animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat or fish), both of which are equally important, and of a desirable proportion of 40-60% respectively.

Foods from a hyperproteic diet should be the same as in a balanced diet:

– Cereals (bread, rice, rye, quinoa, millet, corn,…) and / or potato every day. Carbohydrates provide slow energy ideal for more endurance and a contribution of vitamins of group B, to concentrate in class.

– Vegetables and fruits: They must be abundant, as they counteract the free radicals of the body (formed during exercise) and help in the recovery of muscles.

– Dairy as a source of calcium and protein at every meal.

– Legumes at least 2-3 times a week, as they are a food especially rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, vegetable protein and essential fatty acids.

– Egg: source of proteins of excellent quality. Yolk is the richest part in protein. We can enrich an omelette with two egg whites and a yolk, for example.

– Fish and meat. Mainly for the supply of proteins, iodine and iron. It is enough with rations of 150g.

Vegetarian people can also follow a hyperproteic diet without these inputs, and ingesting animal protein from dairy sources and egg.

In the case of strict vegan people, they should take care of the protein intake through legumes and nuts daily, at all meals. In both cases a protein supplement such as spirulina or brewer’s yeast (with vitamin B12) is recommended.

6) Elaboration of the diet:

It is recommended to develop a balanced diet, rewriting our usual diet and choosing those foods that are healthier, leaner and rich in protein. We must not forget to eat vegetables!

Once the calculations have been obtained, introduce protein foods or increase the ration of some foods in order to achieve a hyperprotein diet of at least 125g of protein per day and 2,500kcal.

As we will see next, the habitual diets are already quite hyperproteic, although they are exceeded in fat and sugars; And you should increase legumes, cereals, vegetables and fruits from the diet.

Generally no dietary supplements are required (except in vegetarian diets), but as Julian’s activity is very high – physically and mentally – spirulina or brewer’s yeast is recommended.

8) Recommendations for the sportsman

The following table summarizes the recommendations that we can advise to accompany a healthy diet in sport:

Diet comment

Below there is a table with the nutrient count of the diet:

– Every diet is standard and must be tailored to each particular case. We should not fear “getting fat” and eating little (because it often ends up in unbalanced foods, due to excesses or insufficient intakes), but to eat well and gradually to balance diet and exercise.

– This diet is close to the total calories that Julian needs. It is possible to say that a balanced diet is calculated in 2 days, reason why if one day “we eat less vegetable”, we balance it with the following one, for example. In the same way, if one day we do not reach the caloric needs, surely another one will surpass it a little. As long as we do not end up hungry. It is as important the quantity as the way of eating: chewing well and eating quietly.

– The contribution of protein is 60% -40% animal-vegetable respectively, which is due to legumes (lentils, tofu,…) and nuts. The dietary habits of the population tend to disregard this type of protein as minor, while they are vital to our body and to balance the diet. Likewise, in vegan diets it should be supplemented with essential amino acids (“protein supplements”), since they are only present in animal sources and our body can not manufacture them.

– This diet contains 230g of carbohydrates, and 93g of fat (30g from the monounsaturated olive oil). The contribution of carbohydrates (moderate rations of pasta, bread) can be increased by reducing fat (skimmed milk, substituting dried fruits by dried fruit). It an athlete wants to reduce his/her body weight or lower cholesterol levels. L-carnitine supplements can help eliminate more fat and thus mark more muscle, although in thin people it is not recommended.

– The total contribution of fiber is considerable, 50g, due to legumes (lentils, tofu), whole wheat bread and vegetables. Although not harmful to health, but the opposite, if we have discomfort we can choose white bread the days we eat legumes. A yogurt for dessert will help reduce flatulence.

– Although not calculated, this diet and all diets for athletes should have:

* Related information:

An ideal fruit for doing sports

Coconut for athletes

Guayaba for sportsmen

Acai, ideal food for athletes,

Weekly diet for competition and training

More information on natural vegetarian food for sport.

Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

3 March, 2022