Sports nutrition guides
What athletes actually need — and how to track it without doing the arithmetic.
Training changes what your food has to do. These guides answer the question directly, show you your own number where there is one, and point at the foods that carry it. The per-kilogram figures come from the American College of Sports Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Dietitians of Canada — joint position stand, Nutrition and Athletic Performance (2016), taken at the conservative end of each published range; the micronutrient guides use ordinary reference intakes and say plainly where the evidence is thin.
Endurance — running, cycling, triathlon, swimming
- Carbohydrate for endurance athletes
Endurance athletes need roughly 6 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight a day. Work out your number, see where it comes from, and track it free.
- Iron for endurance athletes
Endurance athletes may need up to 70% more iron than the ordinary RDA. What drives that, the foods highest in iron, and why to test before supplementing.
- Protein for endurance athletes
Endurance athletes need around 1.4 g of protein per kg of body weight a day — less than a lifter, more than a non-athlete. Work out your number.
Team sport — soccer, hockey, basketball, rugby
- Protein for team-sport athletes
Team-sport athletes need roughly 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day. Work out your number, see the foods highest in protein, and track it free.
- Carbohydrate for team-sport athletes
Team-sport athletes need roughly 5 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight a day. Work out your number and see where the figure comes from.
Any sport — endurance and team sports alike
- Vitamin D for athletes
Why athletes training indoors, at northern latitudes or through winter are more likely to run low on vitamin D, the foods highest in it, and why to test rather than guess.
- B12 for vegan and vegetarian athletes
B12 occurs naturally almost only in animal foods, which makes it the one nutrient a plant-based athlete cannot solve by eating better. What to do instead.
- Magnesium for athletes
Magnesium is involved in muscle and energy metabolism and many people fall short of the target — but the evidence it prevents exercise cramp is weak. An honest look.
Or let the app do it
Healthy Squirrel has an endurance and a team-sport training mode. Pick one and it sets these targets from your body weight, then fills them in as you log food — alongside every other vitamin and mineral. Free, no account needed to start.
Open Healthy Squirrel, or read what each nutrient does.
A note on all of these
These are population guidelines for a training load, not plans for a person. Any question about blood status, a medical condition, or a supplement belongs with your doctor or a sports dietitian — Healthy Squirrel gives nutrition estimates, not medical advice.
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