Nutrition Tips For The Sports Minded
When it comes to sports nutrition, more goes into staying healthy than just making sure you are follow the recommendations of the FDA’s My Plate. You sometimes need extra protein and other nutrients, and maybe even more calories than normal, depending on what type of sports fitness and diet routine you are one.
Weightlifters need to bulk up, and football players may want some extra pounds and muscle too, which means more calories and more protein. Basketball players may want to stay trim and streamlined, which means muscles and muscle tone with less bulk. So, how can you eat healthy and be nutrition minded as a sport enthusiast. Here are some tips.
Getting A Boost
You may want a pre-workout boost, and you can get that with supplements that give you a bigger dose of protein and maybe even calories. You don’t want to eat a big steak before a workout though, which might just make you barf. Instead a protein supplement drink or shake is a better way to get that energy boost you need, without weighing you down.
Be careful when it comes to energy drinks to give you extra energy when it comes to working out. Some of them contain ingredients that can raise your heartrate and blood pressure, and could cause cardiac arrest during your workout.
Foods That Help After
There are foods you can eat after a workout to make sure you keep your muscles and bones well oiled, and keep yourself hydrated. You obviously still don’t want to eat a huge meal immediately after a workout. Consider foods that offer hydration.
Things like lettuce, melon, and celery all offer a good amount of hydration. Consider a healthy fatty snack, like avocado, to grease those muscles and help with heart health.
Inflammation Fighting Foods
You also want to eat some anti inflammation foods, which will help keep you from having any post workout or play pains. These foods can also help you avoid sprains and strains on the field or court if they are a regular part of your diet.
Berries are an excellent choice since they contain antioxidants that help clean inflammation causing toxins from your body and your blood stream.Pretty much any fruits and vegetables will have some sort of nutrients that will help. You may also want to consider healthy oils, like olive oil.
Your diet, when it comes to the energy you expend when you are working out or playing your sport of choice, needs to be great enough to keep your body moving and give you the energy you need to sprint for that goal or jump for that hoop shot. You want to eat healthy, but you also want to get the protein your body needs for all that energy.
