When it comes to performance, recovery and long-term health, nutrition isn’t just important—it’s foundational. Yet many active individuals unknowingly underfuel relative to their training demands.
Eating enough to match your training doesn’t just prevent negative outcomes—it actively supports better performance, recovery and overall health and wellbeing. When your body is properly fueled, you are more likely to experience:
Carbohydrates, in particular, play a central role in supporting performance. As the body’s primary fuel source during moderate to high-intensity exercise, they help sustain energy, delay fatigue, support recovery and replenish glycogen (your body’s stored fuel for exercise) between sessions.
“When there is a mismatch between training and fueling, the body adapts by conserving energy—often at the expense of recovery, hormones, bone health and optimal performance.” - Sara Friedrich, Registered Dietitian
A mismatch between energy intake and training load doesn’t always look obvious. Here are some common signs your body may not be getting what it needs:
These can be indicators of low energy availability, where your body doesn’t have enough fuel to support both training and daily health needs. Over time the body compensates for this limited fuel by dialing down processes like hormone production, bone building, immune function, metabolism and recovery.
| If you are experiencing severe symptoms like bone fractures or amenorrhea (loss of periods), consult a physician for a medical diagnosis alongside your nutrition plan. |
Many of us know that protein is essential for sports performance, but carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for most training sessions. Needs vary depending on intensity and duration—but even moderate training requires more than most people think.
According to the position statement by Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine, for someone training about one hour per day, it’s recommended that you have:
For a 68 kg individual, that equals approximately:
To put this amount into perspective, a breakfast of 1 cup plain greek yogurt, ⅓ cup granola and ½ cup of blueberries provides 40g of carbohydrates. It can be challenging to eat enough without additional support around meal planning.
As training volume increases, so do carbohydrate needs—often reaching 6–10 g/kg/day or higher for more intense or prolonged training. If you’re not eating enough carbs to fuel your activity, your body may start to break down protein that you eat to fuel the activity and bone breakdown may occur.
| Try these delicious strawberry oat muffins for a pre-fuel workout snack. |
A sports dietitian can help bridge the gap between your training and your nutrition - ideally before you experience fatigue, stalled performance or other signs of low energy availability. They provide:
By working with a dietitian proactively, you can optimize performance, reduce injury risk and maintain long-term health—without waiting for warning signs to appear.
This article was written by Sara Friedrich, Registered Dietitian, Sport Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor
*This article is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Consult with your healthcare practitioner or registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have existing health conditions.