Macro partitioning
Team sport athletes typically consume carbohydrate intakes (4.0–5.6 g/kg/day) that are below expert recommendations (6–10 g/kg/day), necessitating strategic increases on match days and during pre-season to maintain glycogen.
Most team sport athletes do not eat enough carbohydrates on their own. To perform well, you must actively plan to eat 5–7 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight daily, especially during the season. On game days or heavy training weeks, prioritize carbs and reduce fats/proteins slightly to fit the calories. Use sports drinks or gels during the game to get carbs without feeling too full.
Relative to body mass, male team sport athletes reported eating an average of 5.6 + 1.3 g · kg−1 · day−1 carbohydrates, and females 4.0 + 0.7 g · kg−1 · day−1... which is below the expert committee recommendations of 6–10 g · kg−1 · day−1.
Why this rating
Based on aggregated observational data from multiple studies (Tables I and II) rather than a single controlled trial.
Source
Sport-specific nutrition: Practical strategies for team sports
Francis E. Holway et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2011
DOI 10.1080/02640414.2011.605459
More from this paper
- Post-exercise co-ingestion of protein with carbohydrates (1.2 g/kg/day carbohydrate) accelerates protein synthesis and recovery more effectively than carbohydrates alone.Good
- Hydration status in team sport athletes should be monitored using urine specific gravity (USG) and body mass changes, as many athletes compete in a hypohydrated state.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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