Nutrition for Heavy Throws: Balanced Diets for Throwing Athletes

By Throwers Universe

WHY IS NUTRITION IMPORTANT?

Nutrition for throwers is a hugely overlooked factor in the development of athletes. Not only does the appropriate nutrition benefit general physical ability and facilitate physical adaptation, but it also positively impacts mental health in many aspects.

There are a few basic rules that an athlete (throwers specifically) should aim to follow in their nutrition:

MEALS FOR THROWING ATHLETES

HAVE UP TO 5 SMALL MEALS A DAY

This may sound like a lot at first, but having 5 smaller portion-sized meals can help throwers massively. The size of your portions depends on a range of factors, such as...

• Your body weight
• Physical goals
• Intensity
• Aim of your training program

It's worth noting that these are just some of the things that you must factor in when writing up a nutrition plan.

BENEFITS OF 5 SMALL MEALS A DAY

There are a few reasons as to why 5 small meals a day can help in improving your performance as a thrower. These reasons include...

• Being fully fuelled for activities throughout the day.
• You become less hungry and you won't get as many cravings for unhealthy foods as before.
• It promotes preparation and helps to maintain a schedule.

BALANCED DIETS FOR THROWING ATHLETES

A balanced diet is crucial in keeping throwers fuelled appropriately during intense training periods like winter. A good balance includes but is not limited to carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables.

What do each of these components provide for heavy throwers?

CARBOHYDRATES 

This is a source of energy that helps to keep athletes fuelled. You can find these in many common foods, including pasta and bread.

PROTEIN

This maintains and repairs muscle/tissues that have been broken down in training. Protein can be found in various foods, including but not limited to chicken, beef, fish and bananas.

HEALTHY FATS

Another source of energy that helps the body to absorb vitamins. They can be found in avocado, olive oil and dark chocolate.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

A good source of vitamins that can be found in bananas, oranges and berries.

NUTRITION 'LIFE HACK'!

A 'life hack' to nutrition for throwers is eating fruits and vegetables to replace sugary and potentially unhealthy foods. For example, instead of eating sweets, you could each a peach or a bunch of grapes. This is a healthy alternative to put in place, as it will kill any cravings and benefit an athlete's health in both the short and long term.

HYDRATION FOR THROWING ATHLETES

Staying hydrated is something we have all been told to do, but why? Well, to put it simply, when an athlete is constantly hydrated, this facilitates a few processes...

• It allows food to be converted into energy
• It enables delivery of nutrients to working cells
• It also assists in removal of metabolic waste products from cells

WHAT SHOULD A THROWING ATHLETE'S DIET CONSIST OF?

Here is a basic template to what your diet COULD look like in a day!

AM

Breakfast: Eggs w/ slice of toast or avocado on toast.

Snack: This could be a variety of things such as a protein bar, some carbs, some fruit, healthy fats or anything else that is a net positive. The aim is to stay fuelled throughout the day.

PM

Lunch: A portion of carbs with protein and veg, a portion of fruit.

Snack: This could be a variety of things such as a protein bar, some carbs, some fruit, healthy fats or anything else that is a net positive. The aim is to stay fuelled throughout the day.

Dinner: A larger portion of carbohydrates with some more protein and veg.

An issue some athletes have with diet is its repetitiveness, while some aren't too fussed either way. One trick to keep things fresh is to switch what you are eating. Rather than chicken, try fish or beef, for example.

Remember, food is fuel!