158 | The Nutrition Mistake Every Injured Athlete Makes

Injured Athletes Still Need Fuel.

When an athlete gets injured, the instinct is often to eat less. But according to sports dietitian Emily Barnhart, recovery still requires fuel.

In this episode, we talk about how nutrition needs change after injury, surgery, ACL repair, stress fractures, and periods of immobilization. Emily explains why under-fueling can delay healing, how to think about protein during rehab, and what clinicians should know before recommending supplements for injury recovery.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why injured athletes still need enough calories, even when activity drops
• How surgery and injury can increase energy needs during recovery
• Why protein timing matters for muscle protein synthesis
• How much protein may be appropriate during injury rehab
• The role of omega-3s, creatine, leucine, whey protein, and BCAAs
• Why collagen gummies and peptides deserve more skepticism
• Red flags that an athlete may be under-fueling
• Better questions to ask instead of “How’s your nutrition?”
• How to support athletes who are worried about weight gain, muscle loss, or body changes

Connect with Emily

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Disclaimer: This podcast is a collection of ideas, strategies, and opinions of the author(s). Its goal is to provide useful information on each of the topics shared within. It is not intended to provide medical, health, or professional consultation or to diagnosis-specific weight or feeding challenges. The author(s) advises the reader to always consult with appropriate health, medical, and professional consultants for support for individual children and family situations. The author(s) do not take responsibility for the personal or other risks, loss, or liability incurred as a direct or indirect consequence of the application or use of information provided. All opinions stated in this podcast are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.