Winter squashes contain an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants – from Vitamin C to A which contributes to improved immune health, night blindness prevention, macular degeneration prevention, and more! Winter squashes offer many nutritional advantages compared to their summertime counterparts.
Sugars provide complex carbs to fuel athletes during and after exercise. Carbohydrates are more effective at providing energy during high intensity training sessions, helping reduce fatigue while increasing performance.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are essential to endurance training. Over an extended activity session, muscle glycogen levels deplete more quickly than it’s replenished, necessitating constant energy intake via carbs as well as fluids and electrolytes to replenish energy reserves and remain healthy.
Diets that include whole plant foods such as squash are an effective way to meet these nutritional requirements and promote optimal health, helping prevent chronic diseases and ensure good overall wellbeing. Squash varieties provide plenty of fiber as well as providing essential vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.
Summer squash (Zucchini in particular) is an ideal food for dieters, providing low calories and plenty of hydrating and gut health benefits. Enjoyed raw or cooked, summer squash can make an excellent base for low-carb noodle dishes (zoodles!), stir fries, salads and pasta dishes alike.
One cup of acorn squash provides 17% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C and 10% of RDA of potassium, in addition to calcium and iron. Plus its versatile flavor works great when paired with cinnamon, maple syrup or smoked paprika!
Winter squashes are generally larger and denser than their summertime counterparts, making them perfect for creating hearty soups, stews, casseroles or other recipes. Packed full of vitamins A & C as well as potassium & folate, winter squash is typically harvested between October & November for use both sweet or savory dishes.
Butternut, acorn and hubbard winter squash varieties are widely found in supermarkets, boasting rich amounts of vitamins A and B6 while providing both soluble and insoluble fiber to lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and triglyceride levels, feed gut bacteria, reduce inflammation, and support bowel function.
Winter squashes boast orange hues because of beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A and supports eye health, immunity and skin renewal. Furthermore, beta-carotene also acts as an antioxidant against chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Protein
Protein is another essential nutrient for endurance exercise, providing amino acids used as fuel by cells and muscles. Furthermore, it helps stabilize blood sugar levels after meals while contributing to an immune-healthy environment.
Squash is an excellent source of protein, providing 8 grams in one cup. Furthermore, squash provides fiber, vitamin C and potassium; its vitamin C content has particular value for athletes as it helps combat oxidative stress while supporting proper immune system functioning.
squash provides essential carotenoids to support skin health, such as beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A in your body and benefits eye and skin renewal. Lutein may even protect against macular degeneration and cataracts! Furthermore, squash contains zinc which plays an integral part in cell development and growth.
Many types of squash contain abundant sources of anti-inflammatory nutrients, including alpha-linolenic acid – an omega-3 fatty acid found in many plant foods – that may help lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and support heart health. Athletes should consume foods rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients as chronic inflammation can lead to serious diseases.
Studies published in Sports Medicine in 2016 examined the nutrition knowledge of elite squash players. Researchers discovered that many had limited awareness of modern carb and protein guidelines, leading to suboptimal dietetic practices. Therefore, more education needs to be provided regarding optimal dietary practices based on training load and individual need.
Squash is an easily prepared food that can easily fit into a variety of meals and recipes, from roasting it to adding it as a soup, stew, salad or pizza topping! Squash makes an easy addition to many healthy diets; use it today as part of your nutrition!
Fat
Winter squash varieties such as butternut, kabocha and delicata provide healthy sources of carbohydrates containing high fiber content that may help support blood sugar regulation. Furthermore, they offer essential nutrition such as Vitamin C, A and other antioxidants as well as minerals.
Squash is an intense sport that demands aerobic strength, muscular strength and agility from players. A match can last from 30 minutes to two hours or longer; players needing to consume lots of energy need to fuel themselves with complex carbohydrates in the lead-up to and during matches (energy chews, bars and gels can help replenish glycogen stores during play) for proper rehydration after their match is essential to recovery and replenishing glycogen stores post match. Refueling afterwards with protein and carbohydrates for muscle recovery and rehydration should also occur after match play!
Proteins are essential building blocks of muscles, essential for their maintenance and growth as well as for cell repair processes, including breaking down old proteins to make space for new ones. Squash athletes should get enough protein from lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds.
Athletes should strive to consume adequate fiber-rich diets in order to promote digestive health and weight loss, control blood sugar levels, prevent insulin resistance, and keep insulin resistance at bay. Squash can be an excellent source of dietary fiber that can easily be added into soups, stews, casseroles and baked goods dishes.
Squash contains antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene that have been proven to fight oxidative stress while supporting eye health. They are also anti-inflammatory and could potentially aid with cancer prevention.
Squash provides an abundant source of magnesium, an essential mineral necessary for normal nerve and muscle function as well as blood clotting. Furthermore, magnesium plays an essential role in supporting bone health and helping build strong bones.
Magnesium and potassium found in squash are vitally important to heart health and maintaining an appropriate electrolyte balance, while iron provides essential protection from anemia, which is common among women, adolescents, and athletes alike.
Minerals
Squash varieties such as kabocha, acorn squash and zucchini provide many essential nutrients, including complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Furthermore, these vegetables contain calcium which is an essential mineral essential for building and maintaining strong bones; and an abundant source of vitamin A (primarily beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin), which supports immune health as well as vision function and skin renewal. Furthermore, squash serves as an excellent protection against UV damage–something many squash players who compete or practice outside would appreciate.
Magnesium, potassium and phosphorous found in squash contribute to healthy bone structure and muscle function, as well as reduce the risk of anemia – anemia can reduce performance impairment and fatigue in athletes and it is vital that athletes consume adequate quantities of iron during intense training and competition when energy expenditure and sweat loss may increase significantly.
Squash is an excellent source of vitamin C. One medium yellow squash provides over half the recommended daily allowance, an essential antioxidant which fights oxidative stress and free radical damage, as well as essential for collagen synthesis which keeps skin flexible and supports joint flexibility.
Calcium is another essential nutrient found in squash that contributes to its healthful qualities, aiding with bone development and maintenance, tooth care, reduced risks of osteoporosis and heart disease as well as offering over 900 mg or roughly 30% of your recommended daily allowance in one cup of cubed butternut squash!
Recent research on elite squash players indicates a mismatch between nutrition knowledge and eating behaviors. Many players tend to choose high-fat, low-fiber foods over more nutritious ones. It is therefore crucial for coaches and nutritionists to tailor their recommendations specifically to each athlete based on factors like appetite and energy needs, food preferences, tolerances, training and competition schedules, cultural influences etc.