A diet for athletes does not need to be restrictive, cutting out foods and being strict about meal times. Ideally, it should be balanced, respecting each individual’s body and even their food preferences. With these characteristics, the chances of meal planning being successful are much greater.
But some doubts may arise with this flexibility. Can all foods be included in an athlete’s diet, or are some prohibited? To answer this question and provide some successful practices, we have gathered the information you need in this content. Check it out.
Does nutrition influence an athlete’s performance?
A balanced diet is essential for any athlete since every sport is different with regards to preparation and calorie expenditure. Professional athletes are about high performance, and, thus, need to be aware of the fact that whatever food they consume could either help them achieve their goals or ruin their chances.
Among the contributions of good nutrition to an athlete’s performance, we can list:
- better preparation of the body for training;
- increased capacity to handle more intense and prolonged exercises;
- acceleration of the body’s recovery after physical exhaustion.
In other words, the athlete’s nutritional plan helps before, during and after physical activities carried out in the sport, whether it is explosive, such as running, or endurance, such as bodybuilding.
What should the diet be like for athletes?
The diet of athletes should be focused on energy sources, strengthening or repairing muscle tissue, and controlling metabolism. But as we already said, each sport and organism has its own specific needs, and therefore, a sports nutritionist is the professional who will know how to create the ideal nutritional plan for any situation.
Among the foods that are worth including in the diet of athletes, we have:
- proteins, which help build muscles and protect bone tissue;
- carbohydrates, which are sources of energy;
- good fats, which help with weight control and hormone production;
- various vitamins and minerals;
- water and other healthy drinks to hydrate the body.
Why is it so important to have professional support?
A nutritionist who specializes in diets for athletes can propose a nutritional plan that will be tailored to each individual and the different demands that sports will bring to their daily lives . This way, they will indicate the most interesting combination of foods, a low-carb or low-fat diet , for example, how often to eat and how much to eat per serving.
A bodybuilder’s diet may consist of high protein-rich food sources such as meat and eggs to facilitate muscle hypertrophy. In contrast, a sprinter will need a carbohydrate-oriented diet plan that will allow him to expend calories for prolonged periods of time.
Dietary supplements
A nutritionist will certainly help to assess if there is a need for the procurement of dietary supplements after considering vitamin needs as well as personal and professional schedules of an individual in this case.
Hence, it would be prudent to consult a professional sports nutritionist who can help develop diet plans depending on the sport and personal preferences of the individual. After all, the other important concern is to ensure that one’s body is healthy in all aspects with appropriate nutrient consumption and, of course, hydration.
What habits should an athlete avoid?
In addition to planning a diet, you need to implement it. And for this to happen with maximum success, a change in behavior may be necessary. So, let’s look at some habits that should be avoided.
Consume processed foods
Processed and ultra-processed foods are among those which are mainly prepared to eat. They are created to look great and taste magnificent but contain little or no natural food, that is, they are poor in nutrients and richly poor.
It can contain large amounts of sugar besides added preservatives and other ingredients that deteriorate the proper body functions. And, in some cases, they are addictive, which makes an individual always want to consume more.
Eat fast food
Fast food snacks tend to be fatty and high in sugar, which can hinder the results of an athlete’s diet. Another negative point worth remembering is that promotions at restaurants that sell this type of food encourage people to eat large portions in one meal, which can ruin all subsequent meals.
Consume processed meats
You should avoid sausages, mortadella, ham, salami, among others, if you ever want to be a good performing athlete. They are processed to last longer and, therefore, rich in saturated fats, preservatives, sodium, and colorings. These also cause allergies and inflammation.
Eat sweets and snacks
Stuffed cookies, chips, and other foods are very dangerous to the body. They are stuffed with sugar, sodium, and monosodium glutamate, which are hazardous to the general health of the body and particularly the brain.
Have the habit of counting calories
Of the habits that should be avoided, one attitude that can hinder the success of the diet is counting the calories of every food. In addition to making the management of the eating plan very bureaucratic, the idea can encourage the exchange of good calories for empty calories .
This is important because a healthy food and a not so healthy food may have the same amount of calories, but their benefits will be very different.
Not hydrating
Choosing the best foods to include in one’s meal plan, drinking water or staying hydrated is also important. But when it comes to an athlete, this aspect should be emphasized further, considering all the exercises that athletes do, they become dehydrated. Actually, the best way to think about it is: hydration has to occur throughout the activity and even outside it.
Skip meals
A nutritional plan can be adapted to the individual’s routine and preferences, but skipping meals can disrupt the effects of the proposed diet. In other words, all the work and effort of eating properly at other times can be lost if you skip a meal.
The balance and regularity that the diet for athletes advocates are related to keeping your body healthy, with the frequent intake of the nutrients it needs to achieve high performance.
Of course, there are moments of relaxation and celebration, which are sometimes accompanied by foods and drinks that are not recommended for an athlete. However, enjoyed in moderation, they can help convey a very important message: food is about pleasure. In other words, enjoy yourself without feeling guilty and then get back to your plan.