What is the primary goal of performance nutrition?

The primary goal of performance nutrition is to support training and recovery through dietary practices. This approach emphasizes the importance of nutrition in optimizing an athlete's performance and ensuring they recover effectively from training sessions. By focusing on nutrient timing, adequate calorie intake, and appropriate macronutrient distribution, performance nutrition serves to enhance the body's ability to handle training loads, improve performance during physical activity, and facilitate recovery afterward.

While maintaining a balanced diet for overall health is important, it is a broader concept that does not specifically address the unique needs of athletes. The goals of promoting weight loss or enhancing muscle gain through protein intake target specific outcomes rather than encompassing the holistic approach needed for supporting all aspects of performance and recovery. Therefore, the holistic perspective of performance nutrition aligns directly with the demands placed on the body during training and competition.