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QUESTION: Can you clarify the nutritional myths surrounding tennis? I hear other tennis parent’s talking about special supplements or high protein diets for their athletes. I’m confused?”
Frank: As a tennis coach, I hear a lot of so called magic formulas or competitive advantage must haves… unfortunately, nothing replaces sound nutrition. Below are a few of the nutritional myths that I continue to hear weekly.
1) Athletes Need Full Sugar Sports Drinks
Consuming one or more full sugar sports drinks during a short training session or during an easy match is not usually necessary and may be dangerous. Full sugar beverages can cause severe cramping and lethargy. Professional athletes usually dilute sweetened sports beverages and use as needed.
NOTE: Many of my students, especially teen age girls trying to lean out or lose weight make the mistake of drinking full sweetened sports drinks during and after workouts- thinking the sports drink are healthy. Unfortunately, most full sweetened sports drinks are too high in calories and actually may contribute to weight gain. Again, it is usually better to drink water or electrolyte waters or diluted sports drinks as needed.
2) Carbohydrate Loading
For years and years, many athletes speak about “carb loading” before a big event. Research has found it is not necessary if a balanced diet is followed- including healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins and good fats. A well-balanced diet is optimal for a high performance athlete 24/7- that means eating healthy carbohydrates, lean protein and good fats every day. Again, it is best to experiment on the practice court with pre-workout meals.
3) Athletes Can Eat Whatever They Want
Many amateur athletes assume they can “get away with” eating more junk because they work out so much. Sports nutrition experts argue that sugars, bad fat and excessive calories have the same destructive effects on the body whether you exercise or not. Note: Many junior athletes think peanut butter full fat and sugar smoothies, blended coffee drinks and frozen yogurt loaded with candy toppings are healthy. Unfortunately, these foods are usually full of excessive sugar, bad fats and calories.
4) High Performance Athletes Need a High Protein Low Carb Diets
This is one of my favorites- just before the 3rd set, the athlete frantically woofs down a high protein low carb bar. Of course, they believe that it will give them the added energy boost they need. High protein fuel (food or drink) takes the body too long to digest. The role of protein is to build and repair –not to provide energy. If an athlete’s carbohydrate storage has been depleted, consuming a 20 gram protein bar with little or no carbohydrates is not going to provide them the energy they need in the third set. (Carbohydrates provide quick energy.) Note: A snack high in protein is perfect after a workout- to re-build and repair.
5) Dehydration is the Sole Cause of On-Court Cramping
Although muscle cramping is a sign of dehydration, exercise related muscle cramping is often a result of stress and anxiety. Researchers have found muscle cramps to be a result of neuromuscular fatigue and occur more frequently in athletes who over stress and worry throughout their competition.
6) Supplements are Necessary for Peak Performance
Nutritional supplements are often marketed to athletes with claims of enhancing performance, but no nutritional supplement (food or pill) has ever been proven to enhance performance significantly without being refuted by other studies showing no benefit. If you want to maximize performance, you are better off with a solid training program and healthy diet. Besides, supplements are not regulated by the FDA and as such, you really do not know what exactly is in your supplements- they could contain very harmful ingredients!