Food Can Fuel Performance

Nutritional value, quality, and quantity of food is an essential part of athletic performance. The best athletes in the world are fueled by quick, good tasting, easy, and nutritious meals that make the difference between them being mediocre versus elite. Cooking for Clay I have come up with some basic needs that food needs to fulfill in order to be sufficiently fueling his performance.

In my experience the diet of a athlete should meet these basic requirements:​
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-Provide enough energy to sustain the athlete during training/exercise
-Support the athletes body during the recovery process
-Enable the athlete to gain muscle during weight training sessions
-Provide a variety of diverse nutrients
-Reduce, minimize, and limit the inflammation in the athletes body
-Ensure adequate fluid intake and electrolyte balances
-Prepare the athlete for a major exertion of force, effort, and momentum

When I sit down and plan meals for the week I ask myself if the meals that I am preparing help me meet these criteria. There have been times when we have traveled or not properly prepped for the week and we have felt the negative repercussions associated with not meeting those needs.
An example that I have given to people is when you go on vacation and you have eaten out so many times, that when you get home you just want to have a nice home cooked meal. Something that is fresh and simple, for us usually a protein bowl or salads.
Taking the time to make sure that your week is planned out can help you make sure that you are meeting all of the requirements for a nourishing diet for athletes. Then you don't have to feel the repercussions of improper nutrition, fatigue, being unprepared, and setbacks in performance execution that would inevitably follow.