Nutrition for Injury and Recovery
Increasing your activity levels or activity intensity may start to take its toll on your energy, recovery and appetite. This post will go over some of the key nutrients you may want to increase in your diet through food or supplementation to support muscle recovery and maintain energy levels and performance.
The process of recovery
Inflammation – 7 – 10 days after injury. More anti-inflammatory foods. Olive oil, fish oil, flax oil, nuts seeds and salmon- Avoid processed foods, trans fats and vegetable oils. Supplements – tumeric/curcumin 400 – 600 micrograms per day. Garlic 2 – 4 garlic cloves per day/ 600 – 1200 micrograms per day. Bromeline – pineapple – 2 cups pineapple per day. 500 – 1000 micrograms per day.
Proliferation – temporary tissue, damaged tissue is removed, increased blood flow to the area
Remodelling – temporary tissue goes away, permanent repair
2 – 4 weeks. Increase energy intake. Protein 1.6/2g /kg body weight per day.
Balance dietary fats.
Include all fruits and veg for vitamins and minerals.
Carbs for muscle function and repair.
Supplement vitamin A 10,000 IU per day, copper 2-4 micrograms per day. Vitamin C 1 -2 g, zinc 15 – 30 micrograms per day. Glutamine, probiotics, gelatine, collagen – tissue repiar, gut functioning and nutrient absorption.
Foods to assist recovery
Supplements to assist recovery
Nutrients that get depleted during workouts
Iron – Iron is used to transport oxygen to the lungs and tissues in the body, so when we’re physical active we need more oxygen around the body and super fast! consequently iron stores get depleted leading to weakness and fatigue.
Increasing iron in the diet – Iron is one mineral that can be toxic in the body if taken in high amounts. Iron also works in tandem with zinc. If too much iron is taken this can deplete zinc levels. If taking an iron supplement, ensure the supplement includes zinc too. It is however easy enough to get enough iron from the diet, particularly from animal-based sources such as red meat, liver, poultry and fish.
Plant-based sources of iron contain none-heme iron which is less readily absorbed by the body. If though you are vegetarian or vegan, increasing vitamin C can help with the absorption of plant-based iron.
Vitamin C – Exhaustive exercise can increase free radical production in the body due to damage to muscle cells. This can cause oxidative stress, inflammation and muscle fatigue. Vitamin C and E are anti-oxidants that can neutralise circulating free radicals.