Proper nutrition is vitally important for any athlete. Sports training puts very heavy demands on all systems of the body, especially the heart, lungs, and the muscles of the arms and legs.

During a high intensity game such as hockey, a player will be skating very hard which means that a lot of energy is going to be produced and burned in the muscle cells at this time. The body will be consuming enormous amounts of oxygen.

Athletes Need Good Nutrition

No athlete can perform well without taking nutrition seriously. Good nutrition for athletes means that junk food should be completely eliminated from the diet. The dietary focus should be on eating high quality complex carbohydrates and complete proteins.

Why Hockey Players Need Vitamins

A hockey player who takes the sport seriously will be spending quite a few hours each week working out to build muscles and improving core strength in addition to attending the scheduled hockey practices. These workouts will cause the body to use up a lot of its reserve supply of vitamins and minerals.

If the diet is not supplying enough of vitamins and minerals to replace those that are consumed by the intense workouts, then supplemental sources of nutrients should be supplied.

Modern Diet Is Lacking In Nutrition

The typical modern diet is lacking in the optimal levels of vitamins and minerals required by those who are serious athletes such as hockey players. In addition to having a good intake of vitamins, a hockey player should also maintain a good intake of minerals, essential fatty acids, and protein supplements.

Role of Vitamins

Vitamins play many roles in the body including helping in the production of energy. If a person is lacking in a crucial vitamin, it will not be possible to perform as an athlete at an elite level. One good way to get the vitamins required is to take a very high quality multi-vitamin pill each day.

Here is a summary of role of the most important vitamins required by hockey players:

• Vitamin A — helps maintain good vision.
• Vitamin B1- is needed to produce energy from carbohydrates.
• Vitamin B2 — is needed for healthy eyes and helps the body create energy from food.
• Vitamin B3 — needed for a healthy nervous system and for carbohydrate metabolism.
• Vitamin B6 — is needed for the formation of healthy red blood cells and for metabolism.
• Vitamin B12 — is needed for healthy red blood cells.
• Folic Acid — helps metabolize proteins and create red blood cells.
• Vitamin C – is an important antioxidant that helps maintain healthy gums and teeth and plays a  role in keeping body cells healthy. It is needed to maintain adrenal health.
• Vitamin D — is needed to create and maintain strong bones.
• Vitamin K — is needed for the blood to clot

Recommendations for Hockey Players 

In addition to taking a supplement of high quality vitamins, a hockey player should also enroll in an effective hockey training program, preferably one that offers custom workouts and progress tracking.