If you do sports regularly, surely you already know the importance of diet in your physical performance. Eating everything, in a balanced way and in the right proportions is vital for your health and to be able to give the best of yourself in each new test, so, it is worth noting, look at some tips to improve your sports diet.
Why should you monitor your nutrition to exercise?
Eat well to maintain a healthy weight and also have the extra energy that any intense physical activity requires. That is the objective that a diet for athletes must meet that provides all the nutrients that the body needs. Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fiber, “good” fats … Its balanced presence in the different menus depends largely on the fact of feeling good and having strength, vitality and resistance capacity when it comes to putting ourselves to the test. Do exercise.
The relationship between diet and sport is clear. The calories that an athlete ingests must cover the energy needs that their activity demands and the different foods must provide them with all the macro and micronutrients that contribute to their optimal physical preparation. We all know the theory, but in practice, how can an athlete’s diet be improved?
Effective tips to improve the diet of athletes
For the diet to work, it must always take into account individual needs and the type of physical activity that is carried out. Whether you want to combine diet and exercise to lose weight or if you want to tone up, you should know that there are a series of premises that should prevail in your eating plan, with the aim that your diet is your best ally when training. Follow these tips to have the perfect diet for athletes.
• Don’t exclude food
Unless your personal trainer or nutritionist tells you otherwise, you should eat everything, because a rich and varied diet is essential for sports practice. Everything your body needs is in food. Fruits, vegetables, cereals, lean meats, fish … They contain the different groups of nutrients that you need. A restrictive diet in excess and for a long time will end in nutritional deficiencies that can take a toll on your health and also when it comes to doing sports in a satisfactory way.
• Eat five meals
The correct distribution of the different foods is key if you want to improve your sports diet. Do not skip meals thinking that you will train better on an empty stomach and take special care in what you eat before and after training. A light snack, which gives you energy before exercise and another afterwards, which contributes to recovery, is always advisable.
• Super foods
Include super foods on a regular basis in your menus. Red fruits, broccoli, avocado, walnuts, oily fish, chia, quinoa … They are just some of those considered super foods for their properties and their extraordinary nutritional contribution. Keep them in mind!
• Supplements and complements
Energy bars, protein shakes … They are an option to consider when improving your diet for sports. They do not work “miracles”, but they can be an excellent aid to obtain extra energy at a certain moment or to promote the recovery of muscle fibers after an intense strength training. Well used and better with prior advice, they can be extremely useful.
• Hydration
Juices, herbal teas, chocolate milk and, of course, water. A good intake of fluids in your diet is essential to maintain proper hydration, essential in sport.
• Don’t eliminate fat
Your body also needs them, but always in a moderate way and opting for healthy fats such as those provided by olive oil or fish (omega 3).
• Calorie control
If you regularly exercise, a proper diet will always maintain the ideal weight. It’s about doing numbers: calories ingested – calories expended. Calculate your calories, keep your balance and your diet for athletes will be perfect.
