Most people have the opinion that Shooting is a sport that doesn’t require any special dietary needs. Most shooters also think this is true and don’t think of it as an essential part of their training. They believe that shooting is all about having laser focus and maintaining the right position and this is why nutrition isn’t given much importance. However, what most shooters forget is that to have a healthy mind you need to have a healthy body and for that you need to understand the nutritional needs of your body.
It is true that nutrition is important for every sport but it is also true that the nutritional need of every athlete’s body defers according to their sport. So, it is evident that the requirements for shooters will also vary but the foundation and basics of nutrition will remain the same for everyone. This article will deal with the basics of Nutrition and its importance in every shooter’s life and training.
Calories, Macronutrients and Micronutrients are what make up the foundation of every dietary plan and form the basis of nutrition. Let’s start with Calories, they are the amount of energy provided by any food consumed by you. The human body needs calories to survive and it gets different amounts of calories from different foods and drinks. So, what exactly is a calorie? Well, a calorie is simply a measuring unit just like a tea spoon or an inch.
The amount of energy released into your body when the food you have had gets digested and absorbed is measured in the form of calories. It is true that the body needs calories to survive but uncontrolled intake of calories is what leads to multiple problems like weight gain. This energy that is absorbed by our body is also spent when we do any form of physical activity and this is called the burning of calories. Did you know you burn calories even while you are sleeping? This conversion chart mentioned below will help you further understand: –
- a) Carbohydrates: 1 Gram = 4 Calories
- b) Protein: 1 Gram = 4 Calories
- c) Fat: 1 Gram = 9 Calories
- d) Minerals, Vitamins and Water have no Calories in them.
How our food is divided?
Now that we have discussed the energy that comes from the food we eat, let us now talk about the different sections this food can be divided into. Our food is majorly divided into two large categories – Macronutrients and Micronutrients.
What are Macronutrients?
They are those foods that are consumed daily for a balanced diet by the average human being. Macronutrients consist of Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats which are consumed in large amounts and are needed daily. They are used to generate energy that is then incorporated into our tissues and used for their maintenance, growth and repair.
Let us now go into detail about the various types of Macronutrients, starting with Proteins. Proteins are considered the building blocks of our body and serve as a major fuel source for our cells and tissues. Proteins are essential in building muscle mass and therefore are a very important part of any athlete’s life. They play a massive role in our bodies ability to recover and regenerate after our training and workout sessions.
They are most commonly found in animal products like different types of meat and eggs but are also found in other food items like nuts and legumes. Did you know that proteins make up about 15% of an average human’s body weight? Proteins are chemically composed of amino acids which explained simply are organic compounds made out of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and/or sulfur. So, if proteins are the building blocks of muscle mass then Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. When a protein is broken down by our body it is used to fuel muscle mass maintenance and this helps metabolism. It is a proven fact that if your metabolism rate is high then your chances of having a good immune system also increases.
Now, “How much protein should one take in a day?” is a question that is asked a lot. If we go online to look for the answer you will get many and all of them are right in their own way. However, so that you do not get confused, we recommend that shooters take about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of their body weight. Since we have now determined that proteins are very important in maintaining the muscles in our body let us now look at how this will help us as shooters.
Muscle memory is very important in our sport as it is an important component for most shooting techniques. However, due to shooting practice sessions and fitness routines our muscles get overused and fatigued. This can be a side effect that we can easily avoid just by consuming the right amount of protein in our diet since it is their job to maintain, repair and recover our muscles. Lastly let us now list out a couple of high protein-based foods that one may consume on a daily basis: skinless chicken breast, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, navy beans, peanut butter, mixed nuts, quinoa and lentils.
Let us now move on to Carbohydrates. The sugars and starch that we may find in grains, vegetables, milk products and fruits are known as carbohydrates. They too provide energy but to cells all over the body. They are the fuel source that refills the glycogen storage in our body and around 60%-70% of calories absorbed by our bodies are from carbohydrates. They prevent proteins from being used and enable fat metabolism. At a chemical level carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. We recommend that the carbohydrates intake of a shooter should be between 45% and 65% of the total amount of calories that they have in a day.
Now it is important to distinguish between good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates and it is important to distinguish between the two because bad carbohydrates rarely have any nutritional value and only increase the number of calories. God carbohydrates are those that are complex in nature, take time to digest and process in your body and are filled with nutrients. Since carbohydrates are present in most of the things we have it is important to know which of these food items contain bad carbohydrates. Here are some examples – pastries, sodas, highly processed foods and an excess intake of white rice and whiter bread.
The next and last macronutrient that we will be talking about is Fat. Fats have a bad reputation but are a very important nutrient that the body needs in order to function. The most basic role of fats is that of an energy reserve and the body starts to store fat only as a result of excess calorie consumption. An interesting fact that all shooters would like to know is that in the first 20 minutes of our workout the body will use energies provided by carbohydrates and then it uses calories from stored fat.
Another very important role of fats is that they help in the absorption of important vitamins like Vitamins A, D, E and K. However, it is important to eat the right amount and more importantly the right form of fat to be able to get its benefits. Some healthy sources of fats are olive oil, avocados, salmon, walnuts, flax seeds and sunflower seeds.
What are Micronutrients? Do they help in Shooting?
The next thing that we will be discussing are Micronutrients. They are required in smaller amounts as compared to Macronutrients, i.e. only a few milligrams at once. Their biochemical and physiological role is very subtle in cellular processes such as vascular functions and nerve contractions. Micro-Nutrients include minerals like fluoride, selenium, sodium, iodine, copper and zinc, and vitamins such as vitamin A, B, C, D, E, and K, and each of which have their own specific function.
It is important to know that even though these nutrients are needed in small amounts they are very important in maintaining a balance within our body and cannot be skipped or ignored. For example, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and iron majorly impact the condition of our muscles, nerves, bones, stamina, energy levels and mood which is obviously important to a shooter. It is highly recommended for shooters to consume food items rich in these vitamins and minerals.
This article is written with the help of Supriya Borchate, she is a certified nutritionist from Pune University, India and also a Shooting Coach working as an assistant coach with Anjali Bhagwat, a Legendary Indian Shooter and an Olympic finalist..
We will be telling you more about how each of these things can benefit you in shooting. Keep coming back to learn more about shooting.