Thinking diet

When thinking about how diet effects lifestyles, all too often the spot light is on over consumption.

Diets and calorie control, and limiting what is taken in including liquids by using old school tactics can have detrimental impacts.

However this then leads onto the condition and consideration of the effects of nutrient deficiency?

A lack or reduction in appropriate hydration and nutrition can be overlooked as sufficient requirements to meet pre, during and post activity needs. And if they're are not balanced, then onerous things happen to our biology.

The Potential Cause

Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome (REDS)

REDS can compromise performance and happens when an inadequate balance of nutrients or input ratio to output occurs. The risk in the events of REDS is that performance is inhibited by a deficit to what is effectively fuel for the body.

Trying to train and exercise without adequate nutrition and hydration is like starting the car without enough fuel and oil.

Nutrition Fundamentals

Nutrient intake, isn't just limited to macronutrients of protein carbohydrates and fats but also micro nutrition. Whilst meeting macronutrient baselines is integral to performance, health and wellbeing, so is micronutrition.

Micronutrition

During exercise, levels of micronutrients are also utilised and levels get depleted. Micronutrients are critical for adaptation, immune health and metabolism and include Iron, calcium and vitamin D.

As a critical set of nutrition components, stores need to maintained and replenished to avoid undesirable physical and cognitive symptoms. of those effects include fatigue, poor recovery and cognitive issues.

To Conclude

Adequate levels of input, being micro and macro nutrition, with hydration levels are crucial to in maintaining exercise performance baselines such as power, speed, endurance and cognitive capability. Therefore the intake of nutrition or input needs to meet fuel requirements of the output in preparation, active and recovery states.