Every person who exercises regularly should take care of proper nutrition. The most important nutrients in the diet of an athlete are protein and carbohydrates. What should an ideal menu look like in this case?
What should the ideal diet for an athlete look like? The most important thing is that it should contain large amounts of carbohydrates and protein. The first of them are burned during training, and after exercise – used to regenerate muscle fibers. Carbohydrates should make up about 55-60% of your daily energy requirements. Therefore, the diet of a physically active person should include products such as oatmeal, wholemeal bread, brown rice and various groats.
When it comes to eating times, meals should never be eaten right before training. A balanced sportsman’s diet should also provide vitamins and minerals. The best sources of these are vegetables and fruits. Individual meals should be easily digestible so that they do not remain in the stomach for a long time. Flatulent products such as peas, beans, cabbage or lentils should be kept to a minimum.
No diet of a physically active person can do without protein. It is a substance from which all organs and tissues of our body are built. After a meal, the proteins it contains are digested in the digestive system to amino acids, and then absorbed into the blood. As a result of intensive physical effort, there is an increase in the demand for protein. Despite this, the largest quantities should be consumed before training. An athlete’s diet should contain around 250-300 grams of protein per day. Its quantity may be increased in the case of people practicing sports such as bodybuilding, ball throw or discus throw.
What kind of products containing large amounts of protein should be in the diet of physically active people? This category includes meat and meat products. It is recommended to eat at least 3 meals a day containing lean beef, poultry and veal (preferably roasted or boiled). As for cold meats, they should contain at least 70% meat. A very good alternative to animal meat is fish. In addition, they are rich in Omega-3 acids, which are essential for proper cell structure. An athlete’s diet should also include milk and its products. It is a very good source of easily absorbable calcium, which plays a key role in the process of bone building. Eggs are also an important component of the diet of people training regularly. They are rich in protein, lecithin and vitamin D, which is responsible for the proper metabolism of calcium in the body and lecithin.
The diet of an athlete should contain not only proteins and carbohydrates. There should also be fats. Ideally, they should constitute about 25-30% of the total energy requirements. Instead of frying foods, it is best to boil them (whether traditionally or steamed) or stew. Fried dishes are hard to digest and linger in the stomach for a long time. Vegetable oils work best here in their raw form as an addition to salads.
To improve the effectiveness of a workout, a large number of people decide to take various dietary supplements dedicated to athletes. They accelerate the rate of muscle tissue growth, which translates into an increase in strength and resistance to fatigue. However, these are not all the advantages of nutrients for athletes. They also include the fact that they improve the recovery process of the body after an intense effort.
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