Athletes look for a varied and nutritionally dense diet

It is common knowledge that physical exercise leads to a loss of water, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals. Most of the time, a varied diet with a high level of nutritionally dense* foods, is generally sufficient to meet the specific requirements of athletes. They increase their energy intake based on how much sport they have done. In short, what an athlete eats stays the same, but the portion size increases.

*Nutrient density is the quantity of nutrients with little or no energy value (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.) per 100 kcal of food. The more essential nutrients a food has, the higher the nutrient score. Most often, nutrient-dense foods are unprocessed foods or foods that have undergone only a small amount of processing. These include fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, and cereals, for example.

When doing sport destabilizes muscle balance

Any regular, physical exercise increases a person's nutritional requirements, particularly in terms of protein.

Muscle mass is always the result of a balance between proteins that are built and proteins that break down throughout the day, in particular during exercise.

During physical exercise, all of the processes that break down muscle proteins are accelerated, while at the same time, the amount of muscle protein synthesis decreases. But as soon as you stop exercising, the reverse happens: fewer proteins are broken down and there is a significant increase in muscle protein synthesis. During this crucial period, commonly known as recovery, the intake of high-quality proteins is a fundamental factor in muscle protein synthesis. This is where dairy products can come into play.

Dairy products - complementing your diet with a range of benefits

Because of the nutritional benefits they offer, athletes should prioritize including milk and dairy products in their day-to-day diet. Their composition alone can be a source of strength. Milk and dairy products mostly consist of:

• Water
• High-quality, digestible proteins that contain a sufficient level of essential amino acids* 
  to support the multiple roles of proteins in the body: e.g., muscle, bone, hair, skin, organ, hormone, enzyme, and antibody production
• Carbohydrates — the basis of our diet and our main source of energy, playing a vital role in fueling the brain, muscles, or the intestine.
• Calcium that can be absorbed by the body, and other micronutrients.

*Essential amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. They can only be obtained from our diet, as the body does not know how to make them or cannot synthesize enough of them to supply our demand.

What snack should you choose in the recovery phase?

While in the recovery phase, studies show that the simultaneous consumption of proteins and carbohydrates results in better muscle protein synthesis than just consuming carbohydrates alone.[1].

The combination of water and dairy products with fruit or cereals is therefore a good alternative to certain high-sugar snacks. Have this type of snack within 30 minutes after you finish exercising.

For those who cannot have cow milk dairy products or do not want to, goat milk and sheep milk make just as good nutritional companions.

In conclusion

An athlete's daily diet must be sufficient in terms of quantity and satisfying from a qualitative perspective.

Protein and water intake are key factors in sports recovery.

Pairing goat milk cheese and fromage blanc or yogurts with fruit or cereals creates a suitable snack for athletes in the recovery phase.