Diet for bodybuilding for women
Women make up a significant percentage of athletes, but few articles have been written to inform and increase knowledge about women’s sports needs. Among these articles, women’s sports nutrition is less than others. This lack of awareness has led to frauds and abnormal profit-seeking behavior towards female athletes. In this article, we will try to improve your overall view of the nutritional needs of female athletes and explain the general principles of the nutrition program for female athletes.
Supplying energy and nutritional needs of female athletes
The first step to prepare a suitable diet plan for female athletes is to correctly calculate the energy required by athletes. In the past, when there was a machine-like view of humans in nutrition, the most important principle for diet therapists was to find energy balance, that is, the point where the amount of energy consumed by the body and the energy received through the diet are the same. However, energy balance is not always our only top priority, and this perspective does not always reflect optimal nutritional status. For example, in order to be at a caloric balance point, feeding an athlete a low-calorie diet will decrease the amount of energy that the body will consume, whereas if you increase the energy intake of the athlete, the body’s efficiency may increase. increase and consume more energy.
Instead, calculating available energy (EA) is a better way to calculate energy needs for female athletes. This factor, in addition to calculating calories and energy input, also considers the energy required to maintain basic physiological processes. EA consists of: energy input from eating (EI), energy expended in exercise (EEE), body weight without fat mass (kg FFM), and residual energy. Female athletes should consume at least 45 calories per kilogram of FFM per day. This amount should never be less than 30 calories per kilogram of FFM because it can affect the performance of female athletes.
EA = EI – EEE means that the energy available to each person is equal to the difference between the energy obtained from eating and the energy spent on exercise. In simpler words, EA means the remaining energy for the normal activities of the body. Such as breathing, heartbeat, maintaining body temperature by muscles and… We said that the appropriate EA for women is at least 45 calories per kilogram of body weight (without fat mass), which should be received through the diet.
In the diet of female athletes and all athletes in general, the total percentage of calories received from coarse nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat should be controlled so that the principle of sufficiency and diversity in the athlete’s diet is respected and the high consumption of a nutrient leads to a decrease Do not use other substances.
Although most women think they consume too many carbohydrates, the total energy consumption in female athletes is usually low and this deficiency can be related to carbohydrate deficiency. In fact, when it comes to the nutritional needs of female athletes, the lack of carbohydrates in a person’s diet and as a result, energy loss is one of the most common problems.
The daily requirement of female athletes for carbohydrates in moderate intensity training is about 5 to 6 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day and during intense training it is about 7 to 12 grams per kilogram of body weight. This carbohydrate should come from various sources rich in other nutrients such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and dairy products.
Carbohydrate needs may change based on different phases of the menstrual cycle in female athletes. For example, recent studies have shown that in the luteal phase, which begins after ovulation (14th day), resting carbohydrate oxidation and energy consumption in general decrease. Therefore, during this period, the need to consume carbohydrates on rest days and training days may be reduced.
In addition, protein needs are also related to energy availability in female athletes. For example, when the energy consumption is high in the basic energy state, the need for protein also increases. Protein is physiologically important for the body. Proteins have both structural and functional functions, and proteins are also used in regulatory functions. In times of severe energy shortage, protein is used to produce energy, and the produced nitrogen is excreted in the form of urea from the urinary tract. What is the TLC diet and who is it suitable for?
Maintaining a balance of protein, carbohydrate and energy intake is especially important for female athletes because female reproductive hormones are related to the metabolic pathway. In cases of lack of energy and nutrients, the function of the hormonal-reproductive system decreases. This generally has a domino-like effect and leads to a decrease in thyroid function, problems in the metabolism of bone minerals, weakening of immune function, dysfunction of the digestive system, and a decrease in the strength of the body’s organs, and finally, the athlete’s physical ability decreases. find
Protein in the diet of female athletes should come from natural sources with high nutritional value. Sources such as meat and seafood, eggs, dairy, plant proteins, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
It is usually difficult to maintain a high protein diet that meets the needs of an athlete’s body. In the diet of female athletes, the amount of protein intake is about 10% more than normal, which is adjusted depending on the type and field of sports.
The diet of female athletes has more fat than the diet of male athletes. Women’s bodies need fat to support growth, recovery, and joint mobility, as well as immune system function, reproduction, steroid hormone production, and nervous system function. Fats should include 25-35% of their total daily energy intake and women’s diet should contain healthy fats such as unsaturated fats.
The fats found in nuts and seeds, avocado, olive and other vegetable oils are more suitable than hydrogenated and trans industrial oils.
Regarding vitamins and minerals, decades of research have shown that women, especially female athletes, are at risk of iron deficiency. Also, they are often deficient in calcium and vitamin D. All these factors affect their performance and ability to operate.
The best food sources of iron are meats, liver and dark green vegetables, while calcium can be found in dairy products. Green vegetables are also excellent sources of certain vitamins and calcium. To supply vitamin D, face, hands and feet can be exposed to direct sunlight for 15 days.
Also, consumption of dairy products enriched with vitamin D and some supplements can help in providing vitamin D needed by the body. In professional sports, supplements are usually suggested by coaches or teammates, and excessive and unknowing use of sports supplements can be harmful. For more information, you can read the articles about the types of supplements and the need to use them in various sports fields. The use of food supplements and sports supplements without consulting a doctor or nutritionist can have its own side effects for an athlete.
A suitable diet for women who do sports should be based on plants and vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts. Each meal should contain a significant amount of vegetables, an adequate amount of high-quality fat, and protein.
In addition, dairy products can be used for snacks. For example, mix 4 tablespoons of masab with rosehip powder, mint, oregano, etc. and eat. Dairy products are a good option to hydrate the body and increase the quality of recovery.
To maintain the optimal level and provide nutrients and energy, you must eat snacks. A good snack is a good balanced source of carbohydrates, protein and fat. As we have stated in other articles, snacks and pre-workout meals should be very low in fat, low in fiber, and moderate in protein, and instead should be a good source of complex carbohydrates to store the energy needed in the muscles. Also, the stomach should be emptied quickly and digestive complications will be minimized.
Exercise with a full stomach Immediately after eating
In order to exhibit the best nutritional performance, it is necessary to provide energy and follow a diet rich in carbohydrates. Sports nutrition experts recommend consuming carbohydrates before, during and after activity, but the type of carbohydrates consumed, its state (solid or soluble) and the time of its consumption are very important. Studies show that in addition to the higher prevalence of gastrointestinal complications in women; In sports that have a higher intensity of activity, such as football, volleyball, bodybuilding, gymnastics, etc., we see more digestive complications.
The amount of carbohydrates recommended to provide energy for female athletes in sports training is 1.2 grams per hour per kilogram of body weight. Of course, this amount is ideal in theoretical calculations, and in practice, sometimes people do not feel enough by consuming this amount. Of course, depending on the field you work in, the type and amount of carbohydrates can be slightly different. In addition to the mentioned cases, carefulness in food taste can prevent possible digestive complications.
Despite the possible digestive problems in women athletes, training and racing while fasting is not recommended at all; Even if the race time is early in the morning.
Physical fitness in female athletes
In addition to improving the performance of female athletes, women are looking for ways to change their body size to meet certain standards that exist in society. This environment is usually created under the influence of competitors, coaches and media and may not be fair or correct. In the last hundred years, the western view of women has changed and the hot market that has started in the fashion industry has changed the mental space of women in the society and a kind of competition for beauty and fitness has arisen between them, which makes the owners of this business It makes him richer day by day. Of course, the importance of fitness and proper weight in the performance of athletes cannot be ignored, and fitness and proper weight have always been one of the biggest concerns of athletes. As nutrition experts, it is very important for us to try to understand the concerns of athletes and increase the level of sports performance.
At the Iranian nutrition portal site, we are trying to provide you with the most suitable diet according to your age, height, weight and the professional sports you do. By getting the right diet, you can inform your sports coach about your diet and benefit from our full support until the end of your diet plan.
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Some female athletes may turn to restrictive diets such as the keto diet without consulting nutritionists to achieve their beauty goals; This can be very harmful to people’s health. Carbohydrate reduction in the diet of athletes can reduce body fat reserves too much and in more severe conditions cause muscle wasting and jeopardize the body’s protein reserves. It increases the number of female athletes.
Water supply for female athletes
Usually, the intensity of exercise in women is lower than in men, because women usually lose less fluid in hot and humid environments for physiological reasons, and are less at risk of dehydration. The reason for this weakness can be seen as lower muscle mass and lower metabolism.
Recent research points to an increased risk of hyponatremia in women, a condition in which sodium levels in the blood are too low. This difference in athletes can have several reasons, including changes in the amount of sweating.
To prevent hyponatremia during exercise, female athletes should drink 0.4 to 0.8 liters of fluids every hour, although each person’s need for fluids varies depending on various factors. And in professional sports, the amount of water needed is adjusted according to the person’s sweating and the amount and color of urine, which we talked about in previous articles.
Nutrition experts do not recommend consuming sports drinks in short-term sports that are of low intensity. But in endurance sports, they recommend that you bring home-made sports drinks to meet your fluid, carbohydrate, and electrolyte needs during exercise.