Proper nutrition is an absolute requirement for everyone, but especially for athletes. Unless you feed your body correctly before a workout, you’ll never gain full results from that workout. There are a few key nutritional guidelines that all athletes should follow. In this article we will discuss a few tips that can help to make following those guidelines easier on you.
Cook your own meals. By preparing your own meals at home instead of eating out, you can more easily control the calories contained in your meal. You are able to make healthy ingredient swaps and keep tabs on how much fat and salt are added to the dishes.
To keep your diet healthy, you should try to consume many fruits and vegetables each day. The USDA recommended daily allowance of fruits and veggies combined is 9-13 servings a day. That sounds like a lot, but it’s really not difficult to fit them in. Have a glass of real orange juice with your breakfast or put tomato pasta sauce on your spaghetti.
Copper is an important mineral which should be a part of a healthy diet. It allows the iron to function in your body, thus preventing anemia. Copper acts as an antioxidant by protecting against free radicals. It also helps keep your bones, blood vessels and lungs healthy. You can get copper in legumes, cereal, whole grains, fish and liver.
When considering nutrition for your child, be sure to not deprive them of sweets or other dessert type foods. It is important that this be included as part of the meal, so that dessert is seen as a normal food, not something that should be desired more than the meal itself. Be sure to work in as many healthy desserts as possible.
You may be thinking that substituting sugar for some other kind of sugary substance may be a good thing. While these don’t have any direct affects to your weight, they are proven to have other damaging consequences including cancer and could possibly increase your level of hungry by not having your daily need of sugar.
Leeks, garlic and onions are sometimes frowned upon due to their odor. But if you have avoided them, you should reconsider. They provide B and C vitamins and help liver function. Many studies have indicated their properties in deterring cancer. Cooking them in complex dishes, reduces their strong odor.
Most of us have a “sweet tooth” that needs to be satisfied. How we satisfy it, has great importance for our health. Refined sugars, which is found in many processed foods, ,are detrimental to our health. Vegetables such as carrots, beets and winter squash are naturally high in sugar and are healthy. For the intense sweet taste that we sometimes crave, honey and maple syrup are recommended.
In this article we have discussed some tips that can make it easier for athletes to maintain a nutritionally sound diet. Proper nutrition is an essential part of any fitness program and without it, you will never see the results you’re hoping for. Keep these tips in mind, and follow them daily for optimal results from your fitness routine.