The Missing Link in Older-Athlete Nutrition Isn't Protein — It's Vegetables

The most practical and difficult nutrition goal for many mature athletes may be hitting the ideal energy (kcals) range for performance, while at the same time getting adequate protein (PRO) and still maintaining a lean and strong body composition. Each metric on its own isn't generally hard to manage. But putting them all together effectively in a sustainable way is the real trick.

Protein confuses many, and there are conflicting recommendations. But the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 20 - 40g per meal of high-quality (essential amino acid-rich) PRO, spread evenly through the day, averaging 0.8 – 1.0 g/pound of target bodyweight. Because of age-related anabolic resistance, closer to 40g per meal, on average, is probably wise. Recent research questions the primacy of clustering PRO closely to the workout (WO), pre- or post-WO, if levels are maintained consistently.

More challenging for many, though, is getting enough energy (kcals) and carbohydrates (CHO) to optimally fuel training and competition, while simultaneously chasing an unrealistic (or at least suboptimal for athletic performance and recovery) body-composition “ideal”. Add a daily PRO requirement for a floor, and the problem seems nearly unsolvable.

So, let’s break down the components into manageable segments:

·       You can plan your diet around accumulating enough PRO grams. That’s where many who prioritize strength and muscle size gains put the bulk of their attention and planning.

·       You can make sure your training and events are adequately fueled so you get the full benefit of the work you invested.

·       You can chase an aesthetic that often claims the first two as casualties

But wait! Is there a path that allows you to do all three with relative success?

Well, my friend, I’m glad you asked!

The strategy must be based on ensuring energy adequacy with a PRO-rich, but also micronutrient-rich framework that makes veggies almost as much (or maybe even more) of a priority than PRO.

Why? Because the unique and vital functions of a broad array of vitamins and minerals (if PRO is your building materials, micronutrients are the architecture, the building plan, the skilled labor, and the craftsmanship) make up, by far, in my observation, the weakest link of the ideal older-athlete actual practice eating approach. In this scenario, both training and recovery (including skeletal muscle turnover) are hindered.

And, circling back to our seemingly conflicting objectives mentioned earlier, it’s also the key to achieving and managing an ideal body comp that supports training and recovery efficacy.

The reason for that is that no other food group remotely provides the nutrient density, volume, and satiety - also evening out the severity of blood sugar spikes and hunger impulses that encourage pleasure-only eating, rushed ingestion, and overeating - at such a low kcal count as veggies. So, if you eat a veggie/lean PRO dominant diet, you may find yourself actually needing to push your kcals higher in the evening if you get hungry (some nice toasted/unsalted mixed nuts, perhaps?) Now, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?

The quarterly bonus material in the subscription program expands on and provides a detailed pathway to practice and fine-tune this approach effectively as you go. If you haven’t yet reached the 90-day milestone, be sure to ask me more about how this fits into a sample day’s eating in the private Facebook group and check out all the meal and snack ideas I provide there.