Food is the fuel for our life. The way we set up menus for athletes or normal people is what will define how our bodies will function during our day-to-day activities.
In our case, we know that athletes need to be even more focused on food, right?
Athletes use the body as an object to perform activities, they must have extra attention, since most of the time they need more energy than those who do not practice physical activity.
In this article we have separated everything you need balanced nutrition for athletes.
Myths about the absence of carbohydrates
It is very common to set up a menu for athletes who have a large intake and protein intake.
This is not always correct, as more than half of the energy must come from foods that are rich in carbohydrates.
In other words: it is foods like rice, bread, pasta, cereals, potatoes and fruits that will later turn into glucose, and soon thereafter, into energy.
Nutritional needs of the menu for athletes
Food before physical activity
Necessary to guarantee the necessary energy inputs.
Food during physical activity
It is not always necessary, but some types of long-term sports do.
Eating after physical activity
It will be she who makes the contributions for energy recovery after practice.
An athlete’s ideal weight
For athletes it is essential to control their weight.
It is important to remember that it is impossible to define an ideal weight, since each type of sport will need a body type. For this, it is important to have the support of professionals.
The athletes that have professional monitoring certainly managed to maintain their ideal weight from a balanced athlete’s menu.
The needs of each type of people are different. The nutrition of the menu for athletes must be thought taking into account the age, height, weight and the type of sport that each one practices.
In general, it is necessary to replace the number of calories that the athlete spends daily.
Building a menu for athletes: what foods to eat?
Vegetables
They contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, fibers and water.
Most vegetables are low-calorie foods, that is, they offer satiety with few calories, so they efficiently help to lose weight and detoxify our bodies.
Fruits
Like vegetables, fruits are low-calorie foods with lots of antioxidant vitamins and minerals that help keep the body in order.
Whole Grains
These can be the main sources of energy for an athlete’s food.
The fibers in large quantities that you choose are nutrients that will help to detoxify and regulate the body, which help to maintain and achieve muscle tone and shape.
This group includes brown breads and brown rice.
Carnes
For good sports nutrition, the most suitable meats are those that contain a low fat content such as white meats such as chicken and fish.
They are considered the best because the type of proteins they offer is of high biological value, which help us in the recovery of muscle mass.
White fish are the ideal types of fish, as they have the same source of protein. Fish is even more suitable as it is easier to digest.
Skimmed milk products
Both skimmed milk and yogurt are in this food group.
White low-fat cheeses too. For lactose intolerants an option may be soy derivatives.
The foods in this group are a source of both high biological value protein and vitamin D and calcium. They are essential for good muscle and bone function.
In addition, they are essential foods for weight loss, since calcium is a great help in decreasing fat accumulation.
See it ?! A balanced diet is essential for your results as an athlete.
It is important to always be up to date and accompanied by a professional who looks directly at your case and your goals.
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