Healthy Diets for Athletic People
- Protein is vital for athletes because this nutrient builds and maintains muscle tissues. Athletes with good muscle tone are able to be more accomplish success much easier. Foods that contain protein are chicken, fish, turkey, beef and other meats. However, some athletes need protein but they are unable to eat meat for religious or other reasons. These athletes need to consume vegetable sources of protein such as beans, legumes, or spirulina. Spirulina is a blue-green sea algae that contains vitamins, minerals and highly digestible protein. You can make a green smoothie with spirulina powder for optimal nutrition.
Raw foods are also top foods for athletes.This diet helps to build healthy tissue and muscles, in addition to increasing energy and cleansing the body of toxins. Consume five to eight servings of vegetables each day. Good choices include peas, carrots, cucumber, squash, dark leafy lettuce, broccoli, spinach, and other greens. Eat your food raw or steam it to maintain nutrient quality. Cooking food destroys vital enzymes and vitamins. Some vitamins are lost through steaming food, but not as much as are lost frying or baking. - Athletes also need to consume generous portions of healthy fats and oils daily. Healthy fats are omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are found in fish, including salmon, tuna and cod. You can also find omega-3 fats in sunflower seeds, peanuts, eggs and oils such as olive oil, cod liver oil, flax seed oil and grape seed oil. Eat salads topped with sunflower seeds and olive oil. Take one tablespoon of cod liver oil daily or supplement your diet with salmon oil capsules. Healthy fats reduce inflammation in the body, which is beneficial for athletic performance. Good fats and oils also lubricate the joints, improving mobility and stamina.
Heart-healthy fats can also be found in avocados, beans, walnuts, ground flax seed and tofu. - Drink plenty of water each day. Hydration is a key component to a healthy diet for athletes. During physical activity the body sweats and water is lost. To maintain performance and energy levels water needs to be continually replaced throughout the day. Athletes should consume half their body weight in fluid ounces of water each day. For instance, if a person weighs 160 pounds he should consume at least 80 ounces of water per day. There are about 16 ounces of water per glass depending on the size of your glass, so 80 ounces of water per day would be about five full glasses. Physical activity may require that a person drink even more water, so listening to body signals for thirst is vital. During a sporting event, athletes should constantly recharge their batteries with water. Water also helps with digestion and improves vitamin absorption in the body. Water delivers nutrients to the cells where they are needed most while taking out waste. Another way to indicate if you have taken in enough water is to look at your urine. Your urine will be bright yellow in the morning and gradually become more clear as the day goes on. By the time you are ready for bed your urine should be nearly clear. This is an indication that you have flushed out all the toxins for the day, in addition to providing your body with plenty of hydration.
