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Posts Tagged ‘sports nutrition’

The role of food in total health care is something we should realize. More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, considered as the father of medicine, said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” It is this principle that eventually led to the explosion of the nutraceutical industry.

The nutraceutical is, “ food or part of a food that offers medical and/or health benefits including prevention or treatment of disease.”

The benefits area  such as anti arthritic , pain killers , cold and cough, digestion, sleeping disorders, blood pressure, cholesterol, prevention of certain cancers, osteoporosis, depression and diabetes are covered by nutraceuticals.

Products range from herbal dietary supplements, actual food components in dosage form such as capsules or tablets to beverages fortified with vitamins and genetically engineered designer foods, functional foods, processed foods such as cereal, soup and beverages.

Nutraceuticals is widely popular in the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe and has garnered $80 billion dollars in revenues. The demand for nutraceuticals has been growing worldwide due to consumer awareness of the links of diet and disease, aging population, rising health care cost and innovations in food technology and nutrition.

Sports and Food

In the last decade, sports and fitness nutrition has emerged as one large distinct category in the nutraceutical industry. Three main products contributed to the market’s growth in year 2004:

•             low carbohydrate products – which grew by as much as 154%

•             sports energy beverages – which grew by 18%;

•             sports supplements – which grew by 6%.

Now, billions dollar-worth sports nutrition industry has shifted from the plain-tasting protein powders into a bigger pool of choices for customers. Available in almost any drug stores or supermarkets are energy bars, meal replacement products, protein powders, individual items (e.g., creatine, L-carnitine), amino acids, herbs, prohormones (hormone precursors); vitamins; minerals; and combination products. Because of this the sports nutrition nutraceutical industry is considered a ‘niche’ market and an offshoot of the mainstream food industry.

Competition factors for the Sports Nutrition Market

1. Product/brand differentiation

Because of greater saturation and competition in the marketplace sports nutrition products look alike and sound the same. Building a brand images that stands apart from the other  is difficult but a thing to strive for.

2. Core products and strategies

A good strategy now is to focus development of core products or integrating with large food and pharmaceutical concerns (e.g., Powerbar, BalanceBar).

3. Research-substantiated claims.

Consumers’ ability to make intelligent choices should never be underestimated. People place more faith endorsements by university professors and doctors and claims backed by independent research than by endorsements by celebrities.

4. E-commerce

e-commerce is an increasingly attractive option For companies will not rely on strong distribution relationships.

5. Something New

Retailers and consumers clamor for “new,” whether it means new forms of delivery (gels, effervescent tablets, functional beverages), new applications of or combinations with existing products, or all-natural sports nutrition products that are free of artificial ingredients and solvents.

6. Great taste

Taste is a major feature that can either make or break a product. The hunt is on for manufacturers to come up with better and new flavors.

7. High quality and safe products

The responsibility of product manufacturers to undertake sound research and prove the efficacy and safety of their nutraceutical products. Products that are based on false or misleading marketing should be and are banned and condemned.

Through product sales and advances in research and development, the Sports Nutrition Nutraceutical Industry is now validating what was proven, early on, by the fitness and nutrition pioneers . sports nutrition products provide easier access to a healthier way of performing and living.

What keeps a triathlon athlete going in spite of the heat and long hours of vigorous physical activity is a properly hydrated and fueled body. In endurance sports, nutrition is equivalent to keeping oneself hydrated at all times, especially during the game. If you don’t give yourself the proper nutrition it needs, your game performance will suffer.

Sports that require special attention to endurance nutrition (and thus help you level up your performance) are: running, swimming, triathlon, cycling, rowing, mountain biking, adventure racing, cross-country skiing, mountaineering and trekking.

Let us say that you have prepared yourself for an endurance sport. Your nutrition focuses on giving you enough fuel to last you a day of vigorous physical activity. You eat foods rich in protein to keep your muscles fit for the game and carbohydrates to give you enough energy and fuel your muscles to run fast, steady, and consistently. What else can you do to perform much better in endurance sports?

Here are some endurance sports nutrition suggested by athletes and trainers:

Endurance Sports Nutrition Tip – Hydrate Yourself

1. Start the day with a full tank of water.

Athletes don’t eat during a game. But they do drink water. Studies show, of which common people now know, that humans can last a month without eating but will die immediately without water for 3 days to one week. That is how important water is to our body.

Hydration is the key to winning endurance sports competition. And drinking water before the game starts puts you in a great headstart.

2. Hydrate yourself regularly during the game.

Drink often during the game. Most endurance sports nutrition guide books will tell you the same thing. Athletes in endurance sports sweat off two quarts of water per hour especially in hot and humid weather. So, you must drink at least four up to eight ounces of water every fifteen to twenty minutes. Sports drink may also replace water.

Here’s some tip that endurance sports nutrition guide books may not have told you: to know when it is time to gulp on your water or sports drink bottle, set your timer to alarm every 15 or 20 minutes within 24 hours.

3. Pack up extra bottles.

Carry more drinking bottles if you can. Don’t be afraid to look like a camel with extra hump at your back. You need all those liquids in your endurance sport. It will keep you going and in shape.

Besides, you will drain these drinking bottles one at a time every 15 or 20 minutes. At that rate, you may not even know that your endurance sports drinks have been drained down your esophageal pipes.

Endurance sport nutrition question: Water or sports drink?

In endurance sports nutrition, it has debated whether water or sports drink should be consumed by an athlete competing in endurance sports.

The reason for this is that sports drink contains electrolytes (sodium, potassium and magnesium) which help retain fluid in the body and balance the presence of these minerals that are vital in normal bodily function.

We lose electrolytes when we sweat. Dizziness, muscle cramps, extreme exhaustion, and irregular heartbeat are the symptoms of electrolytes loss in the body.

According to endurance nutrition experts, many athletes lose endurance due to low level of electrolytes. In fact, according to endurance sports nutrition magazines, some athletes even die due to electrolytes loss.

The Americans usually dominate sporting events. They say that the secret is through their hard work and training. But their real secret is their diet that gives them that strong physique.

Do you want to enhance your performance and increase lean muscle? Try the creatine that is commonly found in American sports nutrition.

creatine will give you more energy to work out longer and harder that will help you get maximum results. it can also help you recover quickly. This supplement will work for any athlete who does weight lifting and any other quick burst of activity like sprinting.

Your body converts this unique powder into adenosine triphosphate, which is the energy of our cells, and stores it into the mitichondria of each muscle cell giving it reserved energy. Every muscle contraction is fueled by atp, so we can do more because of the stored atp. This can enhance your performance and lean muscle gain.

Whether your goal is for maximum athletic performance, increased lean muscle or prolonged endurance, creatine is the answer for you. It also has cardio protective qualities. Creatine from American sports nutrition is the best way to supplement a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

Another one would be the American sports nutrition whey protein. It is a high quality, lactose free and predigested protein. This nutritional supplement is a great natural source of high potency essential amino acids.

If you want an increase in muscle strength, do it with American whey. The ion-exchanged whey protein in this supplement is the most preferred and bio-available for your body. This means your body can utilize the supplementation of American whey better than other types of protein.

American whey protein is also low on calories, tastes great, and mixes easily with rice, milk and water. It also comes in a variety of delicious flavors.

You may have noticed in the American sports nutrition’s that the main nutrient they are focused on are proteins.

So what is in proteins that make it so vital in the nutrition of Americans? Proteins are the main body builder nutrient. Protein focuses on the production of muscle cells. Protein also participates in muscle contraction or the movement of muscles.

If you want to be as tall as the Americans, you have to have a lot of protein in your diet or at least use the supplements that American sports nutrition offer.

American sports nutrition targets these optimal times in order for our body to get the most out of it and help us be healthy and build up our muscles.