While injured athletes do require fewer calories if they are exercising less than usual, they still need to eat an appropriate amount of fuel. Injuries heal best with proper nourishment. For example, if you have had surgery (such as to repair a torn ligament), your metabolic rate might increase up to 20 percent. Using crutches increases energy expenditure by 5 to 8 percent. If a wound happens to get infected, metabolic rate can increase by 50 percent.
When injured, you want to eat mindfully, so that you eat enough calories—but not too many calories. Before you put food into your mouth, ask yourself: "Does my body need this fuel? Will this food provide nutrients to help my injury heal?" Your mind may want excessive treats to comfort your sorrow, but the nutrient-poor cookies that help you feel happy for a moment can contribute to undesired fat gain that will increase your misery for the long run.
If you have ever had a broken bone, you have seen first-hand the muscle wasting that occurs when, let's say, a leg has been in a cast for six to eight weeks. The good news is, according to Dr. Stuart Phillips of McMaster University, muscle strength and power returns quicker than muscle size. You can minimize excessive muscle loss by eating adequate protein. The typical (and adequate) protein intake is 0.5 g protein per pound of body weight per day ((1.1g/kg/day). During recovery, a better target is about 0.7 g pro/lb (1.6 g/kg). For a 150-pound athlete, that's 75 to 105 g protein for the day, an amount easily obtained through your diet. Simply choose a protein-rich food at each meal and snack throughout the day to help maximize healing and minimize muscle loss.
Creatine and Health
Creatine has been shown to enhance performance in sports that require short bursts of energy (including ice hockey, sprinting, soccer, weight lifting). The question arises: Is creatine harmful? According to Eric Rawson, PhD of Bloomsburg University in PA, creatine is safe. Although critics have tried to implicate creatine in athletic events that resulted in death, other factors were involved, such as excessive exercise in extreme heat (2, 3, 4).The NCAA and other sports organizations discourage the use of creatine in teenage athletes. Teens who take creatine while their bodies are growing will never know how well they could have performed with simply a good sports diet and hard work. The question arises: Will athletes who take creatine be enticed to try other ergogenic aids, such as harmful and illegal steroids? The answer is unknown.
On a daily basis, the brain uses creatine to help us think and process. (Thinking requires quick energy, and creatine enhances that metabolic pathway.) Taking creatine supplements can increase brain creatine by 4 to 9 percent.
When the brain is tired, as happens with sleep-deprivation, creatine may be able to enhance brain function. For example, sleep deprived rugby players who took creatine improved their accuracy when throwing a ball (compared to those who did not take creatine). The effect was similar to if they had taken caffeine, another alertness-heightener (5).
Creatine might be helpful for athletes who suffer a concussion. Research with animals suggests taking creatine pre-concussion enhances recovery (6). Granted, few athletes know when they will get a concussion, but anecdotes tell us that hockey players who routinely take creatine (and have higher brain creatine status than athletes who do not take creatine) report enhanced recovery. In certain medical situations (such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease), creatine can also have a health-protective role.
Eat right and perform better. Find a nutrition plan for you.