However, you do have control over the food you put into your body, and nutrition plays a crucial role in injury recovery and prevention. Your instincts are likely telling you to drop calories to compensate for the potential decrease in movement that comes with more severe injuries.

However, dropping calories too drastically can negatively impact recovery speed and effectiveness [1]. An experienced coach can help you navigate calorie and macronutrient needs during an injury based on your new training frequency, body composition, and goals.

Protein intake plays a significant role in sustaining muscle mass as it drives muscle protein synthesis [1]. A calorie decrease can often result in reduced protein intake, adversely affecting injury recovery.

In fact, studies have shown that increasing protein intake when injured may be advantageous to recovery efforts and preventing muscle loss [2].

Eating high-protein foods also supports the repair and rebuilding of bodily tissue along with collagen synthesis. Protein foods like fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy contain necessary amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline that nurture collagen production [3].

Collagen plays an integral role in connective tissue, skin, muscle, and bone health. Carbohydrates are usually the macronutrient with the most room for potential adjustment when injured.

Suppose your injury necessitated a decrease in movement. In that case, it is essential to prioritize high-volume, high-fiber carb sources like vegetables over quick-digesting carb sources like fruit, starchy vegetables, and grains.

These carbohydrate sources will help with energy maintenance, hunger regulation, and blood sugar maintenance when recovering from an injury. There is a direct correlation between chronic inflammation and increased injury susceptibility. Dietary fat helps reduce inflammation and support cell membrane integrity—both of which are important for injury prevention and recovery [1].

Omega-3 fats, in particular, are especially helpful for injury prevention and recovery as they have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects [4,5].

Omega-3s can be found in salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, pasture-raised eggs, walnuts, chia, and flax seeds. If and when carbohydrate intake decreases during injury, you may find it helpful to increase fat intake slightly to help with satiation and expedited recovery.

Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that help healthy bodily functioning. There are a few in particular that play a role in injury prevention and recovery.

Vitamin C aids in collagen formation and immune function [3]. You can find vitamin C in foods like bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi, strawberries, and circus fruits.

Zinc supports wound healing, tissue repair, oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune defense [6]. Oysters, legumes, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks, whole grains, beef, and dark chocolate are good sources of zinc.

Calcium and vitamin D are two nutrients that support bone health. Studies have shown that bone health directly impacts the occurrence of injury and recovery from injury [7]. Calcium can be found in dairy products, leafy greens, almonds, and tofu. You can find vitamin D in egg yolks, mushrooms, and salmon, but sunlight is the most abundant and effective source!

Their level of fat intake turned out to be the single best dietary predictor of injury status, with the women who ate the least fat being the most likely to have an existing injury.

Make sure that no more than 10 percent of your total daily calories come from saturated fat, and try to consume twice as much unsaturated fat as saturated fat. Also, do your best to hit a daily target of 3, mg of omega-3 essential fats.

Keep the calcium coming. Bone strains and stress fractures are uncommon in swimming and cycling, but quite common in running—especially for those with low bone density. The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1, to 1, mg. But the average adult consumes only to mg daily. You can avoid a calcium deficiency and the resulting increased risk of bone injuries by consuming three servings of low-fat or non-fat dairy foods per day.

Research suggests that calcium supplements are even more effective than dairy foods in maintaining bone density. Train, shower, eat. When you eat is every bit as important as what you eat when it comes to preventing injuries.

Muscle and joint tissue damage that occurs during a workout is repaired most quickly in the two hours immediately after the workout—provided you eat during that time. The most important nutrient to consume for post-exercise tissue repair is protein, but research has shown that consuming protein with carbohydrate is even better, because carbs stimulate muscle protein synthesis as well as restock depleted muscle glycogen stores.

In a study involving Marine recruits, those who used a carbohydrate-protein supplement daily after physical training through 54 days of boot camp had 33 percent fewer total medical visits, 37 percent fewer muscle and tendon injuries, and less muscle soreness than recruits who used a carbohydrate-only control or a placebo.