Sports Nutrition

Introduction

Hy-Vee Cooking Guide
Sports Nutrition

Perform your best with dietitian tips and recipes.

Get Inspired

We reached out to our Hy-Vee registered dietitians who specialize in sports nutrition to bring you their expert tips, recipe ideas, and advice for performing your best.

Hyvee Dietitian Expert Tip
Low fuel stores can weaken the immune system, increase stress, hinder recovery, and increase cortisol levels. For athletes, I emphasize fueling well before training and after training, as well as pre-hydrating and staying hydrated.
Julie Gallagher, MS, RD, LDHy-Vee Registered Dietitian

Reasons to Love Carbs

As if you needed reasons from an expert to love carbs ... here's a few to justify your love.

Reasons & Recipes
Hyvee Dietitian Expert Tip
For maximizing workouts, 100 to 300mg of caffeine from coffee or green tea can help boost energy and endurance. Beta-alanine can also help with endurance. We recommend starting with 1gm per day, working up to as much as 3gm per day if needed. Creatine can also provide a strength boost for explosive activities like bench press or short distance sprints—about 3 to 5gm a day should do.
Hy-Vee Dietitians

Protein Tips from the Pros

Get advice and recipes on how to perform your best.

Hyvee Dietitian Expert Tip
We recommend 20 to 30 grams of high-quality protein within 60 minutes of training. High-quality protein comes from things like eggs, chicken, beef, seafood, and dairy.
Hy-Vee Dietitians

Should You Be Adding Creatine to That?

Find out what the sports dietitians say about creatine supplements.

Learn About Creatine
Hyvee Dietitian Expert Tip
Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements have been shown to build muscle, decrease muscle fatigue, and alleviate muscle soreness. However, most people get plenty of BCAAs through diet by eating eggs, meat, and dairy.
Julie Gallagher, MS, RD, LDHy-Vee Registered Dietitian
Container of BCAA supplement
BCAAs—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—may help stimulate protein synthesis.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids

  • Leucine

    Leucine helps with protein synthesis and metabolic functions.

  • Isoleucine

    Isoleucine may help provide energy during exercise.

  • Valine

    Valine helps provide your muscles with energy.

Read About BCAAs

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