Many elite female athletes do not eat enough carbs, which can affect their performance and health.

Just as a Formula 1 team won’t use waste fuel in their cars, elite athletes shouldn’t eat too much while trying to get the most out of themselves.

Nutrition is essential for fueling athletes for training, performance and recovery.

The two most important macronutrients for athletes are carbohydrates and protein.

Carbohydrates provide energy – they fuel the body for exercise and help maintain performance, then help recovery after exercise. Protein is important to repair and build muscle after exercise.

Athletes’ nutrient needs for carbohydrates and protein will depend on the type, intensity, and duration of exercise they complete and their body weight.

How much do athletes need?

To show their importance for performance, there are specific guidelines for carbohydrates and protein for athletes.

There are also guidelines for recommending high carbohydrate intake for training and competition.

Individual needs vary: athletes will need more carbohydrates throughout the day if they are doing vigorous exercise for long periods of time. Also, the heavier an athlete is, the more carbohydrates and proteins they will need.

Although research in this area has increased and there is more academic opinion, it seems that many elite athletes still find it difficult to burn their bodies.

What did we look at?

AFLW is an emerging sport, and we were interested to see how these elite female footballers met the recommendations for daily protein and carbohydrate intake as well as during competition.

We asked AFLW players from one club to tell us what they eat throughout the season by filling out electronic food diaries.

We were also interested in what they eat on game days.

In addition to filling in the activity book at home, we watched a video and watched directly what they eat when they are on the football field.

What did we find?

We found that more than 80% of these athletes did not consume enough carbohydrates throughout the pre-competition and during the season.

On game days, only 18% met their daily carbohydrate requirements.

We also found that they did not eat carbohydrates at the right time to boost their performance – that is before (before the game) and during the game. Interestingly, when games were scheduled later in the day, athletes were more likely to encounter pre-game suggestions.

All athletes consumed adequate carbohydrates after the game.

When it comes to protein, all the athletes in our study met their needs throughout the season, including on sports days.

This is not new

Unfortunately, these findings are not common in female athletes.

In a systematic review that included 20 studies of female athletes in various sports, most athletes had low energy and carbohydrate intake. This was also found in female soccer and volleyball players, and individual sports athletes such as gymnasts.

On average across these studies, less than 50% of female athletes met the daily limit of carbohydrates.

Why is this a problem?

Although consuming less energy and carbohydrates can negatively affect an athlete’s performance, it also affects their overall health.

Athletes who consistently fail to consume enough energy and carbohydrates for a long period of time may be at risk of having low energy levels. This can result in physical and mental health problems, a disease known as energy deficiency in sports REDs.

In addition to the negative effects of sports performance, REDs can cause emotional disturbance, reduce the quality of sleep, impaired growth and development, reduce heart function and osteoporosis.

Reduced performance during exercise can include reduced muscle strength, endurance, power, recovery ability and reduced motivation.

Why do female athletes avoid carbohydrates?

It’s hard to know exactly why an athlete would eat so few carbs but one reason could be because of social media messages promoting low carb and keto diets.

It may also be due to the increased time demands for semi-professional athletes: many AFLW athletes are working while training.

Athletes often report stomach discomfort and suppressed appetite, which may affect their food choices before training and competition.

How to increase your carb intake

Sports nutritionists recommend a diet-first approach, which focuses on using daily foods to meet the athletes’ daily needs and nutrients before considering sports nutrition.

Sports food is a suitable alternative to daily food for fat burning (such as energy gels or protein bars). However, there are some potential problems with their use.

Although our research focused on elite female athletes, it is relevant to all women involved in sport.

Regardless of your level of competition, or even if you’re a weekend warrior, it’s important to reach your energy goals by consuming enough carbohydrates for your performance.

Here are some examples of foods and drinks you can eat to help increase your carbohydrate (and energy) intake for better performance: