Women in Sport
by Niamh Lonergan | 3rd Feb 2022
This week was National Women in Sports Day, and to celebrate this we’re dedicating this week’s blog to recognising women in sport and discussing the specific nutritional needs of female athletes.
Over the last number of decades, there has been a steep rise in the number of women participating in sport and exercise. For example, at the elite level, the number of women participating in the Olympic Games has increased from 10.5% of competitors 5 in Helsinki in 1952 to a predicted high of 48.8% of competitors in Tokyo in 2021.
With more women participating in sport and exercise we need to know more about female physiology and nutritional needs and how this might impact on the likes of our performance and training. Studies have found that female athletes often fail to meet their energy requirements and consequentially their diets are often low in carbs, protein, fats and important micronutrients like calcium, iron and vitamin B, vitamin D and magnesium.
Without the right calorie intake, energy, and nutrients in your body, it is impossible to exercise effectively and achieve the goal that you desire- whether that’s winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games or beating our 5-k time at our local Park run!
Nutritional Needs of Female Athletes
Energy: It is important to understand the imbalance when it comes to energy available versus energy outgoing; research has found that female athletes often struggle to adjust energy intake to changes in exercise volume/intensity. Understanding your energy requirements will help with performance and keep important bodily processes such as menstrual cycle and metabolism stable. Our Diet Tool is there to help you understand your energy requirements!
Fat: There has been many misconceptions around dietary fat over the years among women, with many female athletes restricting their intake in order to lose body fat or body mass. However, healthy fats are important and should make up 20-35% of macronutrient intake in female athletes.
Protein: Protein intake is important for preserving muscle mass, as well as for growth, maintenance, immunity, and reproduction. The amount of protein needed varies depending on a person’s weight, gender, and activity level. The normal recommended amount of protein is 0.8g per kilogram of bodyweight per day. However, endurance athletes can take about 1.2g to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight to reduce injury risk and maximise results.
Carbohydrates: Generally, female athletes consume less CHO than male athletes, often consuming levels too low to replete our glycogen stores. Low carbohydrate intakes may lead to reduced training capacity, mental and physical fatigue, increased risk of injury and muscle protein breakdown. So eat those carbs! Female athletes generally need between 3-7g CHO/kg/day, depending on the intensity of exercise.
Micronutrients of particular concern in female athletes are calcium, iron, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins.
The Female Athlete Triad
The most import nutritional issue for female athletes is the Female Athlete Triad, an made of up energy availability, menstrual function, and bone mineral density. If you are training intensely on a restrictive diet, you are at risk of low energy and nutrient intakes which can in turn lead to compromised reproductive function and low bone mineral density.
Summary
Female athletes have unique nutritional requirements and it's important that we nurture and support these requirements for both health and performance. Here at Gourmet Fuel, we can help support your nutritional needs by providing delicious macro and calorie counted meals – ideal for pre and post training! Healthy eating made easy! Get your meals to keep your body fuelled!