The Importance of Protein in the Student-Athlete Diet

By Aaron McCarley, ATC, Cert-DN 

Nutrition is a very important part of every student-athlete’s life; however, most student-athletes are unaware of the effects it can have on their recovery and performance. One of the most important factors for an athlete’s recovery and performance is proper protein intake. Here, MUSC Health Athletic Trainer Aaron McCarley, ATC, Cert-DN discusses the importance of protein intake and offers tips on how student-athletes can stay on track when it comes to nutrition. 

Every cell is made up of protein, and the body uses proteins to rebuild structures that are damaged inside the body. If an athlete is not getting the proper amounts of protein in their diet, it can lead to a decline in their recovery after exercise as well as an increase in their healing time while trying to come back from an injury. If your student-athletes want to be able to perform at their peak, then they need to monitor their protein intake to make sure they are getting in appropriate amounts. 

Protein Intake Rules

There are some general rules to go by when trying to determine the amount of protein that an athlete may need, and there are a couple of ways to make the process of tracking this information easier. The general rule for the amount of protein a person needs is 0.6-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body mass. This means that if you have an athlete who is 185 lbs. then they would need around 111-185g of protein per day.

Most athletes who do not meet this daily amount are not going to be able to increase their skeletal muscle, which is important in the development of their performance as well as helping to prevent injuries due to stronger skeletal muscle providing more joint stability. Building more muscle tissue as well as strengthening the existing tissue that your athletes already have is imperative to a safe and successful future. 

Protein Intake Helps Prevent Soreness & Injury

Every time your athlete steps onto the field or into the weight room, they are going to perform activities that tear down their muscle tissue with microtrauma done to the muscle fibers. This is one of the reasons why athletes tend to be sore following lifting sessions or practice. The body is then going to need extra protein to build these structures back up, and if it does not have enough, then it can lead to prolonged soreness and possible injury due to the body not being able to recover from this microtrauma compounding upon itself. This can lead to the athlete becoming frustrated with a lack of progress, increased injury rate and prolonged soreness following activity.

Tips to Track Protein Intake

A big factor that tends to keep people from properly tracking protein is that they feel it needs to be simpler to keep track of while cooking throughout the week. However, there are some ways to make this process easier, and it is definitely worth the extra effort.

One of the ways I have found to be the easiest for most people is using nutrition-tracking apps on their phones to track their food intake. One of the more popular apps that I recommend to most athletes or parents is My Fitness Pal. This app is simple to use, and it is free to download. You can use it to keep track of your calories as well as macronutrients such as protein.

I know most athletes as well as parents are busy, but tracking protein intake as well as other nutritional intake is one of the most beneficial habits one can develop.

The Benefits of a Nutritionist

Another option is to seek out a professional such as a licensed nutritionist to help with a structured diet plan specifically made for your athlete. This can also be very beneficial because they can assist in monitoring all aspects of an athlete’s diet.

A good amount of high school athletes could benefit from keeping track of their daily nutritional intake as well as increasing their protein intake. If you have an athlete who seems to be struggling when it comes to building muscle, then they may need to start monitoring their diet to make sure they are taking in the appropriate amounts of protein.

If you need more help with the dietary needs of your athlete, seeking out the help of a licensed professional could be beneficial.

Learn about how MUSC Sports Medicine can help all athletes.