Diet tips for athletes - How to eat when you're an athlete

Those of us who participate in organized sport tend to have a greater understanding of how difficult separating yourself from the pack can be. You’re training hard, and have put in many hours. Does this matter though? Many of your fellow athletes that are playing for the opposite team are putting in just as effort as you are to win the next game. Working hard isn’t the thing that’s going to set you and your team a part. It’s working smart.

You need to choose a course of action that’s going to allow you, and anyone else who is training with you, to build muscle and stamina as quickly as possible. Naturally, eating right is a large portion of the work. When your body is getting all the tools it needs to make muscle, it will produce it faster. This is common sense. Here are a few foods that’ll allow you and your team to make the most of your workouts.

Proteins

When you’re an athlete, the fat content of food doesn’t matter as much as it would to someone who does not live an active lifestyle. This gives you a little wiggle-room when it comes to red meat. Red meat is high in iron, and protein. These are two nutrients that the body needs when building muscle; and supplying blood to it.

If you’d rather skip the fat, then you can always get a powerful punch of protein from tuna. This is an excellent source of protein for those athletes that need to shed a few pounds as well. Tuna is almost carbohydrate free, and fat free. A whole can of tuna can supply your body with 24g of protein.

Carbohydrates

When you’re working out, you need fuel to burn. Without excess calories to fuel your workout, it’s possible that you’ll become fatigued to early. This could delay your muscle building. When fueling up on carbohydrates, it’s still important to remember to keep it healthy. You should choose natural starches that carry nutritional value besides sugars. Potato’s are a good option. Remember, fruit is also an excellent source of carbs.

If you’re someone who just has to have his, or her, spaghetti, you should try whole grain pasta. Even when loading up on carbohydrates, that are beneficial to someone who is an athlete, you should still get other nutritional benefits from the food you’re eating besides starch. Whole grain is a much better option; mainly because it is an excellent source of fiber.

Sodium

This is something runners and other athletes who do cardiovascular workouts often forget about. Remember that when you sweat, you’re not just losing water. Your body is also sweating out salt, and electrolytes. As an athlete, it’s important to remember to replace these vital elements. Sodium is considered bad for you in high amounts, but without any of it, we’d all be dead. Sodium is an element used in every cell of the body.

If you’re doing a cardiovascular workout for a very long amount of time, bring a bottle of Gatorade that’ll have salt and electrolytes in it. For those who aren’t working out for a significantly long amount of it, it’s best to wait until after you’ve finished the workout to recharge on the salt that you’ve lost.

Limit Sugar

Remember that sugar is hidden in many products. Some of us have difficulty limiting the sugar in our diets because it seems to be present everywhere. Those of us who enjoy eating eggs and ketchup, may not think about the sugar that’s contained in the ketchup we are about to enjoy. Sugar can lessen the quality of your workout by causing you to become fatigued to early. The best solution for this problem is to read your food labels.

Remember To Be Patient

No athlete improves overnight. Eating right can help you improve faster, but nothing’s going to do more for your performance then appreciating little victories. Make sure you do all that you can do to keep yourself improving. When you keep up positive health habits, you’ll perform better in all aspects of your life. Keeping your energy high, and making muscles bigger, is easy when you eat right.

For few more diet tips for athletes and recommendations about healthy athlete diet you can also check the video below…

Have a great week!