Dairy is vital to performance nutrition
Olympians Goldie Sayers and Philip Hindes joined nutrition experts at the Olympic velodrome track in the UK to discuss the role of dairy in performance nutrition. The Dairy Council seminar, ‘Recovering from Rio: an insight into performance nutrition’ discussed new research on milk and its role in muscle recovery after sport.
Emma Cockburn, senior lecturer in sport and exercise at Middlesex University, says, “Milk is a beneficial recovery intervention from strenuous exercise particularly that involves an eccentric component in both males and females.”
Kevin Currell, head of performance nutrition at the English Institute of Sport (EIS), comments, “Food should be thought of as fuel for top-performance athletes – it can be really powerful to prepare your body to excel in sport, beat records and win medals. Dairy is such a crucial part of an Olympian’s diet because they need a lot of calcium for bone strength to prevent injury. Also, the protein found in milk and yogurt helps to promote muscle strength.”
Erica Hocking, senior nutrition scientists from The Dairy Council, adds, “We’ve had an exciting summer of sport and yesterday’s event highlighted some of the most cutting edge research being carried out in dairy nutrition and sports recovery. Dairy foods have an important role to play in sports nutrition thanks to their wide range of essential nutrients, plus it tastes good.”
Double Olympic gold medalist Philip Hindes explains, “Preparing for an event such as the Olympics requires careful planning, resting well and training hard, but eating the right foods is a key part of my regime. A glass of milk helps to replete my energy levels after a race and ensure that my muscles recover quickly.”
