When you want to maximize stamina, endurance, and output, not only what you eat, how much of it you consume, and how often you take in calories, is critical in enhancing athletic performance. For the endurance athlete, meals and hydration before, during and after a workout can be underestimated. Depending on the type of exercise performed, along with intensity, and duration, it is necessary to replace lost nutrients back into the body within minutes post workout to promote optimal recovery, as well as to restore muscle glycogen storage. This creates a better scenario for the next workout in that torn muscle tissue is repaired, and the maximum amount of energy is available to the muscle for the next session.   What percentage of each nutrient and the number of grams needed to make this happen depend on many factors: weight, gender, sport-specific training, % lean body mass, among other variables.

If an athlete is trying to increase muscle mass, it is crucial to take in enough calories including adequate carbohydrates to prevent the body from using protein/muscle as an energy source, but rather for muscle synthesis. This often gets overlooked in that carbs have gotten a bad rap for years...remember not all carbs are created equal!  Quinoa, bulgur, barley, beans, lentils, legumes, and non-GMO soy are great ways to increase carb ratio in the diet, without adding the unnecessary processed foods and chemicals.  Add them to soups, salads, and spreads as a great source of energy!