fat and injury

karennb

ok so here is my dilemma,
I am a college student and play basketball and track. During winter break I realized that track season is coming up soon and I had put on some pounds from cafeteria food and late night pizza during my first semester, so I tried using this website to watch what I ate and realize when I am going overboard. Then about 2-3 weeks ago I hurt my leg, just a slight muscle stretch/strain that usually goes away in a few days so I didn't really think twice about it and kept playing bball as usual, but the injury has not gone away, it has gotten worse. I was on WebMD this morning and found an article talking about how not enough fat intake can increase injury risks and slower recovery. I think that might be my problem? Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for me?

karennb

ok so here is my dilemma,
I am a college student and play basketball and track. During winter break I realized that track season is coming up soon and I had put on some pounds from cafeteria food and late night pizza during my first semester, so I tried using this website to watch what I ate and realize when I am going overboard. Then about 2-3 weeks ago I hurt my leg, just a slight muscle stretch/strain that usually goes away in a few days so I didn't really think twice about it and kept playing bball as usual, but the injury has not gone away, it has gotten worse. I was on WebMD this morning and found an article talking about how not enough fat intake can increase injury risks and slower recovery. I think that might be my problem? Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for me?

karennb

ok now i just read another article that said a low fat diet can speed up injury recovery, and now im just confused :frown:

DianneLynn

I'm sorry to hear that you have hurt yourself Karen. If you have sustained such an injury and its not going away, I think the first thing to do is get it checked out by your doctor to make sure there is not more happening there than you may realize.

Protein and amino acids are the building blocks of lean muscle...if the injury is muscular I would think a low fat, good protein diet would be in order...I am not saying high protein...just incorporate some quality protein (vs. carbs) in each meal and perhaps your snacks.

As far as "working it out" I would consult a physiotherapist or a physical trainer (kinesiologist) on what would be appropriate to minimimize your down time.

Wish you the best of luck with this.

songbyrdsweet

Fat is used in immune response, so that's true, but as long as you're eating between 20-30% of your calories from fat, you're fine. Problems arise when you drop down to the 10% mark. Dianne is right that protein will help a lot, and since you're an athlete, you need more protein than the average person anyway. You should have an athletic trainer available, so it'd be a good idea to go visit.