For professional athletes, amateurs, and beginners in the sport, no matter what category the practitioner is in, performance is an almost unanimous pursuit. To achieve it, one more factor can be essential in addition to proper training and nutrition: the use of vitamin supplements.
In this line of supplementation, it is possible to find both a supply of vitamins and minerals; still, before using them, knowing when and if your body requires this supplement is necessary. According to Raphaella Cordeiro, a nutritionist specializing in clinical and sports nutrition, it is possible to find practically everything our body needs when we have a balanced diet since the vitamins from this source are also better absorbed and compatible with the body. In addition, there are also supplements with the modified chemical form aiming at the best use of the body.
Therefore, when choosing the ideal form or formula, the indication made by a professional is essential. “The chemical formulation of vitamin supplements can make all the difference in absorption by the body. But it is important to remember that vitamins and minerals that we find through food are easier to be absorbed by the body than those that are manufactured”, warns the nutritionist.
Daily Vitamin Supplements
For Raphaella, theoretically, a healthy person can meet their daily needs only with the correct diet. In practice, some nutrients, from time to time, need to be supplemented. One of them is omega 3, which is very present in some types of fish that are not usually consumed so often. Other supplements are also joint, such as those based on protein, the famous Whey Protein, Q10, a widely indicated vitamin regardless of athleticism level, and Creatine for muscle mass gain, among others.
Another point to be observed is the level of performance of each one. “A diet for an athlete can be all based on food, as well as combined with a supplementary supplement, depending on that athlete. For example, if you are an athlete who makes a living from athletics, he trains hours a day every day, so training demand and energy demand will dictate what the diet should be to give him everything he needs,”
Supplementation Requires Guidance
Resorting nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in addition to food is an excellent method, but it must be done in light of professional prescriptions. According to the nutritionist, this is because the athlete can overload their health with excess substances and invest money for nothing, with no return.
Another point to be noted is the difference in supplementation for amateur or professional athletes since each one has a different demand from the other. “Amateur athletes who have their activities, their workouts, but don’t just live on that, have lower energy expenditure compared to professionals, so the need for supplements and vitamins also differs at this point,” emphasizes the nutritionist who defends the personalized analysis of every need, since there is the possibility that for an amateur athlete, a diet is enough. For a professional, due to the greater demands, it is necessary to combine.
Regarding supplementation, the key is an individualized and personalized plan that must consider the athlete’s routine as a whole, exceptionally high-performance athletes. “For this specific audience, the use of supplementation is quite common and is necessary, but this does not exempt them from having a regulated, adequate, balanced diet, because the supplement does not work alone, it only complements.”, explains the professional, while emphasizing the importance of sports nutrition to improve the athlete’s lifestyle in all senses: physical, aesthetic and performance.
Finally, Raphaella reinforces that using supplements and vitamins should only be performed when necessary and prescribed by qualified professionals. “Look for a nutritionist who can put together an individualized, personalized diet, focused on the training and goal of each one. This professional will know if the use is necessary and will carry out tests that will also indicate this need.”
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