What you eat affects how well you train, how quickly you recover and how you feel both when exercising and in your day-to-day life. You do not need to be training at an elite level to benefit from sports nutrition. Most of what works for high performers also works brilliantly for the rest of us, just on a smaller scale. Whether you are training for a 10K, lifting weights three times a week, playing GAA with the club or simply trying to stay active and feel good, the same foundations apply.
Start with a balanced diet
Whatever your goals, your body needs a range of nutrients to perform at its best. Include foods from all five groups every day.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are your body’s preferred source of energy for your brain, your muscles and everything in between. They fuel your workouts, help you recover afterwards and keep your energy steady through the rest of the day. Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, quinoa and oats are the main carb sources for most active people, but fruit, dairy, beans and lentils all count too. Wholegrain or high-fibre versions are great for most meals. Just ease off on high-fibre carbs before training or a match, as they can sit heavily on the stomach during exercise.
Why carbs matter for performance
When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into glucose and stores most of it as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Glycogen is your body’s fast-access fuel tank for exercise. The higher the intensity of what you are doing, the more glycogen you burn through. Once it runs low, you will feel it: energy levels drop, performance dips and what felt easy at the start of a session starts to feel hard.
This is why active people need carbs at every meal. You are constantly using glycogen and needing to top it back up. Skip carbs for too long and you may hit the wall during your next session.
How much you need depends on what you are doing. Casual exercisers and most recreational gym-goers can stick to a normal balanced plate, with about a third of it made up of carbs. Endurance athletes, GAA players, runners and anyone training hard for several hours a week need more, often closer to half the plate.
Protein
Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, supporting recovery after training and keeping your body strong as you get older. Every time you exercise, your muscles need protein to repair and rebuild, which is what makes you stronger over time. The richest sources are fish, chicken, turkey, lean meat, eggs, dairy, tofu, beans, lentils and chickpeas. Many protein-rich foods are also great sources of other nutrients, such as iron, zinc and vitamin B12. Aim for a good source of protein at each main meal. A glass of milk, a yoghurt or a high-protein yoghurt pouch also makes a great snack between meals.
How much protein do you need?
Protein needs vary depending on how active you are. The recommendation for the general population is 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, but this rises with activity. Most active people need somewhere between 1.2 g and 2 g per kilogram per day.
The table below is a general guide. Find your weight on the left and look across to the column that matches your activity level.
Daily protein guide
Approximate protein needs by body weight and activity level.
| Body weight | Sedentary (0.8 g/kg) | Light activity (1.0 g/kg) | Moderate training (1.2 g/kg) | Heavy training (1.7 g/kg) | Muscle gain (2.0 g/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 44 g | 55 g | 66 g | 93 g | 110 g |
| 60 kg | 48 g | 60 g | 72 g | 102 g | 120 g |
| 65 kg | 52 g | 65 g | 78 g | 110 g | 130 g |
| 70 kg | 56 g | 70 g | 84 g | 119 g | 140 g |
| 75 kg | 60 g | 75 g | 90 g | 127 g | 150 g |
| 80 kg | 64 g | 80 g | 96 g | 136 g | 160 g |
| 85 kg | 68 g | 85 g | 102 g | 144 g | 170 g |
| 90 kg | 72 g | 90 g | 108 g | 153 g | 180 g |
Healthy fats
Fats are just as essential as any other nutrient, despite the reputation they have picked up over the years. They build cell membranes, support hormone production, help you absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, and keep you feeling satisfied between meals. Opt for olive oil and rapeseed oil, and include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout for omega-3 fats that support brain and heart health. Nuts and seeds provide omega-3 fats alongside protein and fibre too, which makes them brilliant snacks for active people.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and veg provide almost everything your body needs to repair, recover and stay well: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and plenty of water content too. Aim to fill about a third to a half of your lunch and dinner plate with vegetables, and add some fruit or veg to breakfast and snacks where you can. Before a game or hard session, scale back the veg to leave more room for carbs to fuel your exercise. Variety matters more than perfection. The more colours and types you include across the week, the better the spread of nutrients.
Fluid and hydration
Hydration affects almost every part of how your body performs. Even mild dehydration can reduce strength, slow reaction times and make exercise feel harder than it is. Aim for around 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day as a baseline, so you are well hydrated before training even starts. Then top up before, during and after exercise. Water is perfect for most sessions, but if you are exercising for more than 60 minutes or in the heat, an isotonic drink with electrolytes can be helpful. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes that need replacing.
Hydration around exercise
Simple fluid guidance before, during and after training.
- Before exercise: 200 to 400 ml of water around 30 minutes before you start.
- During exercise: 100 to 200 ml of water every 15 to 20 minutes.
- If you are exercising for more than 60 minutes, a sports drink with some carbs and electrolytes can be useful.
- After exercise: 400 to 800 ml per hour of exercise, such as water, an isotonic drink, milk or flavoured milk.
Nutrition timing around exercise
Pre-exercise snacks and meals
What you eat in the hours before training affects how you feel during it. Carbs are the main fuel you are looking for, with a small amount of protein for steady energy. Keep fibre, fat and portion sizes lighter to avoid food sitting heavily on your stomach.
Main meal: 2 to 4 hours before
A proper meal at this point gives your body time to digest and gets fuel into your muscles. Aim for slow-release carbs, some protein and a small amount of veg.
- Chicken and rice with peppers
- Pasta with a tomato-based sauce and lean mince or chicken
- A jacket potato with tuna, sweetcorn and a small side salad
- Wholegrain toast with scrambled eggs and a banana
- Porridge with milk, banana and a spoonful of peanut butter for morning sessions
Top-up snack: around 1 hour before
Choose a lighter, carb-led snack that is easy to digest. Keep it small, familiar and low in fat and fibre.
- A banana
- A slice of toast with honey or jam
- A bowl of porridge with a drizzle of honey
- Greek yoghurt with granola and berries
- A small handful of dried fruit
- A cereal bar, ideally one that is lower in fat and quicker to digest
What to avoid before exercise
- Heavy, fatty meals, such as takeaways, fry-ups and creamy sauces
- Large amounts of high-fibre veg
- Unfamiliar foods you have not tried before, particularly before a competitive event
- Anything that has caused stomach issues for you in the past
Post-exercise snacks and meals
What you eat after training affects how quickly you recover and how ready you will feel for your next session. Getting some food and fluid in within an hour or two of finishing is a good rule of thumb, especially if you are training again the next day. The three things to aim for are fluid to rehydrate, carbs to refuel your glycogen stores and protein to repair and rebuild.
Recovery snack: within 1 to 2 hours
A snack that provides both carbs and protein is ideal.
- A glass of milk and a banana, which is one of the simplest and best options
- Greek yoghurt with berries and a drizzle of honey
- A turkey or chicken sandwich
- Overnight oats with milk and a spoonful of honey
- A bowl of breakfast cereal with milk and a piece of fruit
- A homemade smoothie with milk, banana and a scoop of oats
Main meal: within a few hours of finishing
A main meal that brings carbs, protein and vegetables together completes the recovery picture. This is your everyday balanced plate rather than anything special.
- Salmon with sweet potato and roasted vegetables
- Chicken stir-fry with rice and mixed peppers
- Spaghetti bolognese with a side of veg
- A jacket potato with tuna, cottage cheese and salad
- Beef and bean chilli with rice
- Pasta with chicken, pesto and roasted vegetables
Putting it all together
For most people, eating a balanced diet and getting enough protein and carbs will cover what you need for most activities. If you are training competitively, working towards a specific goal or looking to fine-tune your performance, individual advice from a CORU-registered dietitian or sports nutritionist can really help. Find one through the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute at www.indi.ie.