Athletic’s Diet

Sports has increasingly become competitive nowadays as we see our commercial market pile up with supplements and diet fads in bottles of all shapes and size. The stress for a more rigid diet is expected from an Athletic, especially because much more is expected from the body than the average John or Jane. More and more stress is placed now on how well athletics must perform in their highest potential. Like refined machines, body systems must be perfectly tuned for well-being and optimum performance. Perhaps there is nothing else better towards this than eating the right foods and staying physically fit to establish optimum nerve-muscle reflexes. Without taking in the right foods, not even the best physical conditioning or expert coaching is enough for good nutrition is the key part of an athletic’s training program.

No "Miracle Food"

Contrary to some biggies in the advertising industry, there is no wonder drug, cure all or "miracle food" or supplement that can replace all of your nutritional needs. The key to the right diet is always in balancing your diet. The art of combining different foods must be practiced so that the nutrient deficiencies in some foods would be made up by nutrient surpluses in others.  Therefore if you want a miracle, then make your own miracle by eating a variety of foods.  And do not only eat a variety, eat also regularly.  Not being hungry does not necessarily mean that your body has enough of its nutritional needs. You can feel full on foods that contain mostly carbohydrates and fats, but still, your body needs the basic regimen for proteins, minerals, and vitamins.

A complete nutrition would revolve around - the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. These are all teammates that work together who carry out different tasks during each nutritional performance that you must carry with excellence. Specific nutrients answer to specific functions in your body so that a lack of just one nutrient will be a disadvantage to the whole of your body. Therefore make it a point to see that the foods you eat every day should supply your body needs in all of the nutrients it craves for all of the time.

Carb Or Protein?

Authorities of diets have a long-standing debate on what is really needed by athletics: more carb or more protein? While there is little or no scientific evidence at all that carbohydrates alone maybe a particularly good energy food, a protein-enriched diet also has its own setbacks.

But there is one truth to all of these, how great the evidences are of carb’s benefits to the body, so is there a great deal also that fats are. But what may not be more immediately obvious is that the correct diet does not stand alone without constant exercise and practice for the maintenance of muscle suppleness, strength and stamina. All in all, it’s a balance of everything.

• Decreased serum glucose levels
• Increased risk of hypoglycemia
• Decreased endurance
• Decreased maximal effort
• Reduced muscle gycogen stores in the muscle and liver

In line with that, a high-protein or high-fat diet can also have a negative impact on health. Too much of protein will lead to dangerous aftereffects like the following:

• Increased calcium excretion and increased risk of osteoporosis
• Reduced intake of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals
• Increased risk of certain cancers

However, Athletes still need protein to build muscles. In fact most strength athletes get far more protein than what’s necessary so as to promote muscle synthesis. The current protein recommendations toward having ideal muscle build in a strength athlete is 1.6 - 1.7 gm protein per kg of their body weight. To guide you in how much protein your getting I your every bite, here is a list of high protein foods and the amount of protein you can get from each:

• Food, Amount, Protein
• Yogurt, 8 oz, 8 grams
• Cheese, 3 oz, 21 grams
• Peanut butter, 2 tbsp, 8 grams
• Eggs, 2 large, 13 grams
• Turkey, 3 oz, 21 grams
• Meat, 3 oz, 21 grams
• Milk, 8 oz, 8 grams
• Fish, 3 oz, 21 grams
• Chicken, 3 oz, 21 grams
• Tofu, 3 oz, 15 grams

As to the question on particularly what should athlete eat, the recommendations of sports nutritionists is to not lack a certain nutrient. Balance continues to show performance enhancing benefits. We have here a general guideline to help you. However, take heed that an athlete's nutrition plan must be individualized and personalized so as to meet the needs of training and the unique competition.

However, it is carbohydrates that are the primary fuel for intense muscular efforts. Together with protein and fats, this should be the cornerstone of an athlete's diet, no matter what the sport they play. Here’s the gist of a good athlete’s diet:

• 55-65% of daily calories from carbohydrate.
• 12-15% of daily calories from protein.
• 25-30% of daily calories from fat.

Age though, is also a factor that might influence your diet. It seems that there is increased energy needs in most teen athletes. This requires them more than the minimum number of the servings listed. However, this increased energy must primarily come from the vegetable group. Foods in this group can contain a lot of starch which is an excellent source of energy.

Here’s a typical daily menu of a good athlete with a good diet:

• 2 to 4 servings daily of fruits and their juices, which are good sources of vitamin C like citrus fruits and their juices, melons, and strawberries.
• 6 to 11 portions daily of whole-grain and enriched breads and cereals, such as cereals, bread, grits, spaghetti, crackers, noodles, macaroni, and rice.
• 3 servings daily of Milk, yogurt, and cheese which provides calcium, protein, vitamin A, and riboflavin.
• 2 to 3 servings daily of Beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dry peas, dry beans, pork, lamb, peanuts, peanut butter for protein, niacin, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), iron, and zinc.
• 3 to 5 servings daily of vegetables including dark green, deep yellow, and starchy vegetables and their juices.