Restrictive Eating in Athletes

Athletes often experience eating disorders or disordered eating habits, particularly those in a weight-based sport where their body size relates to performance (like climbing, horseback riding, and running). In today’s blog post, let’s consider why restrictive eating is a harmful approach and look at a sample recommended food pattern for competitive athletes.

The idea that “the lighter you are, the better you’ll be” is simply not true, but it impacts the eating habits of many athletes. “You can achieve the same performance results and be an excellent athlete in a weight-based sport when you have a good power to weight ratio,” explains nutritionist Elaina Efird, RDN, CD, CEDRD, CSSD in a YouTube video. The power to weight ratio refers to a high muscle mass with as low of a fat mass as is healthy for your body. This body make-up gives you a high power for your overall weight.

It’s important to note, though, that restrictive eating is not a way to achieve a good power to weight ratio.

When you’re training hard for a particular goal or competition, you can’t be your best if you’re also limiting your caloric intake. In fact, heavy training plus restrictive eating leads to an increased risk of injury, energy depletion, and a poorer overall performance. 

So what should you do to maintain your best abilities as an athlete? Well, you’ve got to eat enough! “While this amount is different for everybody, in an ideal world, you would eat the same amount of calories every single day — and yes, that includes your off days,” Elaina says. “However, on days that are a little heavier in training, you need to add an additional snack or two.”

Every meal should include a good mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You want to avoid days where you’re missing meals or those where you binge all day. In other words, try to keep things consistent. As Elaina shares, “Your body is going to use that fuel not only to fuel you for future workouts but also to help you recover from past workouts.”

Elaina also encourages athletes to seek professional help from a sports dietician. Many universities even offer this service to their student athletes. The power to weight ratio varies from person to person and sport to sport, so it’s helpful to have a customized plan that focuses on your specific needs. Regardless of your level as an athlete, the more you know about how your nutrition impacts your performance, the better!

Now, let’s dig a little deeper and look at a general food pattern for competitive athletes.

Let’s say you have a 6 a.m. strength training session followed by a 4 p.m. practice each day. To start, you want to grab a simple carbohydrate, like a banana or apple, before your morning lift. Since your body fasted throughout the night, this snack will help ensure that you have the glucose needed to fuel your muscles without depleting your energy sources. 

Immediately after your session, you want to eat something that is high in protein and high in calories. If it’s not your full breakfast, you can try a protein smoothie, protein bar, or a nut-heavy trail mix. Then, eat your breakfast 60 to 90 minutes later. If you can eat breakfast right after your workout, make sure it’s a good balance of carbs, proteins, and fats.

Throughout the day, you want to incorporate two snacks, like an apple with peanut butter, yogurt and granola, or a protein bar. You, of course, want a balanced lunch too. “There really should be a little bit of protein with everything that you eat,” Elaina says.

Before your afternoon practice, you want to eat another snack of simple carbohydrates, like pretzels or a piece of toast. After practice, you need to grab either a protein-heavy snack or a balanced dinner. 

Remember: You’ll get so much more out of your workouts and ultimately become a better athlete by adopting balanced eating habits rather than following an approach of restrictive eating. 

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