Sports nutrition
In the flood of supplements and nutritional trends, it's easy to forget what's important. The Sports Nutrition Pyramid shows that performance doesn't start in a can of protein, but in your everyday food. A varied diet and plenty of energy are the foundation, and sports foods and supplements are the next step - a precisely targeted tool, not a shortcut.
These days, almost anything can look scientific—just add a few technical terms and a graph. But how do you know what’s actually backed by data and what’s just well-written marketing? Evidence can be selected to support any claim, so it's good to understand how the hierarchy of scientific evidence works, where to look for reliable sources, and why "evidence-based" doesn't mean blindly following studies, but rather the ability to connect data with an athlete's practice.
Nutritional information on food packaging is based on the general population with an average daily energy intake of around 2000 kcal. However, for athletes, whose needs are double or even higher, these tables often do not give the full picture. They do not take into account differences in energy expenditure, higher protein and carbohydrate needs, or sodium losses through sweat, which are common during intense exercise.
Health begins in the gut — and this is doubly true for athletes. Intense training, travel, stress, and dietary changes can disrupt the balance of gut microflora and thus immunity. Fermented foods help restore this balance and promote faster regeneration, better nutrient absorption, and resistance to disease .
Two plates with the same number of calories can have completely different effects on performance and recovery. The difference is how much nutrient you get from each calorie . Nutrient density determines whether a food will just fill you up, or help you train harder, recover faster, and maintain long-term fitness.
“Processed” doesn’t automatically mean “unhealthy.” In sports nutrition, processing plays a key role — from increasing stability to precise nutrient dosing. There’s a difference between functional nutrition designed for performance and empty products full of additives and sugar . Learn to differentiate between the two and choose the ones that will actually make you stronger.
