As a sports nutritionist who works with professional and competitive athletes, including tennis players, I’m always on the lookout for tips and tricks that give my clients an edge. An in my 10-plus years of practice, not a week goes by that we don’t learn more about how particular foods and nutrients help the body operate like a well-oiled machine. Each one of your body’s 100 trillion cells relies solely on what you eat and drink to fuel your performance and help you recover. And while sports nutrition isn’t an exact science, there are plenty of tried and true techniques every tennis player should know.
The 20 Things You Need to Know About Nutrition
7. Milk Does More Than Double Duty
Milk has been touted as a simple way to burn more body fat. A study published in the <em>American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</em> confirms that, but also finds that milk-drinkers gain more muscle mass. Researchers took three groups of young men 18-to-30 years of age and gave them a five-days-per-week strength-training program over 12 weeks. After each session, the volunteers drank either two cups of skim milk, a soy alternative with an equivalent amount of protein and calories, or a carbohydrate beverage with an equal amount of calories. Milk drinkers lost nearly twice as much fat—two pounds—and gained 63 percent or 3.3 pounds more muscle mass than the carbohydrate drinkers. Keep in mind, organic milk packs 75 percent more beta-carotene, as much as a serving of Brussels sprouts, and 50 percent more vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant.
More:
**1. Your Diet Impacts Your Brain Function
2. The Right Breakfast Fights Hunger All Day
3. Food Can Fight Pain
4. Don't Run on Empty
5. Sleep Matters ... A Lot
6. Omega-3s Are Beyond Essential
7. Milk Does More Than Double Duty
8. Don't Get Fooled by the Afterburn Myth
9. Organic Food is Worth the Extra Money
10. Alcohol May Weaken Muscle
11. Relying on the Sun for Vitamin D May Be a Mistake
12. Spices are a Secret Weapon
13. Chocolate is a Key Superfood
14. Buyer Beware When it Comes to Supplements
15. A Little Vitamin C Makes a Big Difference
16. Variety Trumps Quantity for Fruits & Veggies
17. Drinking Water May Help You Lose Weight
18. Bacteria Are Critical to Your Health
19. Calcium Isn't Just for Strong Bones
20. Let an Expert Personalize Your Plan<strong>**</strong>
Originally published in the January/February 2012 issue of TENNIS.