The Official Nutrition Provider of Match Tennis
Immunity & Inflammation
How What You Eat Powers Your Immune System
Approximately 75–80% of the human immune system lives in the gut. Therefore, everything we eat has a direct impact on the way we feel and perform each day. Great nutrition equals an improved immune response and minimal inflammation.
Nutrition, Immunity & Inflammation
Understanding the connection between what you eat and how your body defends itself
75–80% Starts in the Gut
Approximately 75–80% of the human immune system lives in the gut. Everything we eat has a direct impact on the way we feel and perform each day. The equation is quite simple: great nutrition equals an improved immune response and minimal inflammation.
You Can Silence Bad Genes
Sure, genes play a role in our health and performance but eating well can actually silence “bad” genes and eating poorly can activate genes that otherwise may have never been activated. Your diet has the power to shape your genetic expression.
How Inflammation Affects On-Court Performance
If an athlete eats in a way that promotes chronic inflammation — highly processed foods, tons of added sugar, fast food, soda, etc. — the body is bombarded and is unable to perform the way we would like it to.
Over time, this can greatly impede an athlete’s ability to reach their fullest potential when it comes to speed, agility, strength, and recovery — especially in tennis, where repeated deceleration/acceleration and high-volume hitting can add up fast.
Antioxidants & Inflammation
We have a saying at Carbon Athletics: “Eat to Compete.” We may need to change it to “Eat to Recover.” If you compete at a high level, then you’ve likely had to deal with an injury. One of the main contributors is incomplete recovery from consecutive bouts of high-intensity training. Proper nutrition is key to helping aid and quicken recovery.
A second main contributor is free radicals and inflammation. Free radicals are highly reactive oxidized molecules that cause damage to cells. When you exercise, one of the major byproducts of muscle contraction is free radicals. The more training, the more free radicals are generated.
Antioxidants help repair the cellular damage and neutralize damaging effects. Antioxidants take the form of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin A, selenium, and zinc.
Antioxidant-Rich Foods for Athletes
Build your daily diet around these three categories to fight inflammation
Fruits & Vegetables
Blueberries, apples, citrus fruits, broccoli, pineapples, and garlic should be daily staples. These foods are packed with vitamins C and A, beta-carotene, and powerful flavonoids.
Whole Grains & Lean Proteins
Whole grains, legumes, lean meats, poultry, and fatty fish provide selenium, zinc, and vitamin E — essential minerals and antioxidants that support cellular repair and immune function.
Flavonoid-Rich Foods
Cocoa, green tea, turmeric, nuts, seeds, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables are high in flavonoids — compounds that combat oxidative stress and reduce chronic inflammation.
Using Sports Nutrition to Impact Immunity & Inflammation
By teaching the young athlete to eat foods that improve immune function by decreasing overall inflammation, we can not only improve performance, but help the athlete avoid health complications that may come with the aging process.
Diet should incorporate fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, poultry, fatty fish, nuts and seeds on a daily basis. Green tea, blueberries, apples, citrus fruits, broccoli, pineapples, garlic, and turmeric should become everyday choices for every competitive athlete.
Eat to Compete. Eat to Recover.
Carbon Athletics Fuel PACs are built with whole-food, anti-inflammatory ingredients that support your immune system and keep you performing at your peak.
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