Unfortunately, injuries are part of running and endurance sport. We can do our best to avoid overuse injuries, but sometimes they happen anyway. For example, if we perform trail runs, running on technical trail we should be careful as often we can fall and get injuries or some skin and muscle damage.
If we find ourself in an injured phase, there are some things to think about in terms of nutrition to help with recovery and make sure we are in the best condition to get back into training when we’re ready and really missing it.
The first thing to consider is probably the most obvious, and that is enough or not too much caloric intake. If we go from very active to a lot less active, our energy expenditure goes down so our intake should also be mildly reduced. Keeping a food log for a few days can help, as we also don’t want to cut back and not eat enough, that could hinder the recovery process because our body isn’t getting enough energy. We have to focus on how our body feels, especially hunger.
If we had a high training load, we might swap out some grain carbohydrate sources and replace them with a variety of fruits and vegetables. We still eat a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, but we may not need as many carbohydrates as when we are running long-distance and performing workouts, if our training load has decreased.
The next important thing to make sure we are doing is eating quality food. Our body is working to repair itself, so we should make sure it has all the good nutrients it needs. Depending on the injury we might need additional protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
Here Are Some Nutrients To Support Injuries:
Protein (amino acids) is important to build and repair tissues, it helps maintain water balance, form enzymes involved in cellular processes, transport substance, maintain optimal blood pH and protein is synthesized into important hormones we need.
Vitamin C plays a role in collagen syntheses, and we need collagen as it is used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, muscles, ligaments and blood vessels. It also helps in the absorption of iron, and plays a role in red blood cell synthesis.
Vitamin A helps keep bones healthy, and it is also needed to maintain immune system health.
Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which is helpful if we are dealing with a bone injury. Vitamin D also helps with immune function and has anti-inflammatory properties.
To eat a variety of fruits and veggies with a normal healthy diet, and monitor our caloric intake if our activity level has decreased or is super intense.
All injuries are different, and depending on what our current diet consists of, we may or may not need to modify it. To contact a Sports Nutritionist to learn if there are any dietary modifications that might be beneficial for our type of injury will be very efficient and helpful.
Also, prevention is always the best medicine. If we aren’t injured, we should focus to eat and support our activity and training levels, maintain healthy bones and muscles, and support a healthy immune system.
Goals of Nutrition For Sport Injuries
There are several goals to focus on when it comes to nutrition for sport injuries:
Support muscle growth
Preserve muscle mass
Prevent body fat gain
Maintain energy levels
Reduce inflammation
Eat Healthy Foods Full Of Nutrients, Heal Injuries Or Prevent Injuries with A Proper Diet According To Your Running And Training Sessions, Enjoy Some Great Runs!