The Best Foods for Athletes
It’s a constant in the world of sports, having a multitude of special diets for the great variety of disciplines. These diets help to give energy, strengthen the musculature and favor the performance according to the discipline. Therefore, it’s obvious that there is a group of highly recommended foods for athletes that are essential in the daily diet.
The best thing is that almost all disciplines encourage the intake of this type of food in greater, or lesser, measure. Those who are dedicated to fitness or any other sport should also incorporate them into their diet.
The egg: an athlete’s best friend
It’s one of the main foods in the fitness world. Only one unit carries a considerable number of really impressive proteins, which are also very easy to digest. Boiled or even in a shake, the egg will give us the necessary energy in the mornings and before training.
But in addition, egg intake is key to muscle development. In fact, this food contains amino acids that contribute to muscle recovery after exercise. Unless we suffer from an egg allergy, we can not miss this pre-workout breakfast.
Brown rice: an easily digestible carbohydrate
Few foods are so complete and light as rice. This grain provides a good base of easily absorbed carbohydrates, which will cover the quota we need before or after training.
But what few people know is that rice is essential to relieve muscle pain after physical exertion. This wonderful property is due to its contribution to selenium, which relieves joint pain. It also contains potassium and magnesium, fundamental in the relaxation of muscles.
Food for athletes: the wonderful avocado
Few fruits have nutritional value as complete as avocado. Vitamins B, C, E, K, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, thiamine, magnesium, to name a few. What more can we ask from food?
An avocado contains two times the amount of potassium than a banana. In addition, it provides natural fatty acids necessary for the accumulation of energy within the body. It’s full of antioxidants and really healthy too.
Almonds: small energy capsules
We even see them in candy stores, but few people know that almonds are one of the best foods for athletes. This nut contains natural fatty acids. A single handful of almonds will give us the energy we need during training.
Swimmers incorporate almonds into their diets because it allows them to have energy reserves before training. Its high content of vitamin E makes it possible to help prevent cancer and heart disease.
Chicken: the meat of the athletes
Red meats are unhealthy for the cardiovascular system and pork also contains a lot of fat. But chicken is lean meat that allows for a high amount of protein to be obtained in a healthy way. Remember, those who exercise need 50 percent more protein than someone who leads a sedentary lifestyle.
Of course, everything depends on the way we prepare the chicken. Baked chicken is ideal, accompanied by brown rice and vegetables. In any case, this is the type of food that should be consumed after training or sports competitions.
The versatility of yogurt
Yogurt is another food that allows us to perform sports without feeling heavy. But that’s just the beginning: this food contains helpful bacteria to regulate metabolism.
And after training, this substance will make its contribution to muscle recovery. Proteins, minerals, and carbohydrates will give us the exact doses of nutrients that will help us maintain our energy load and physical conditioning.
Green leafy vegetables
Vegetables can’t be missing from an athlete’s diet. Not only are they natural proteins: green foods contain large amounts of water necessary for the hydration of the body. This is very useful when competing.
The high content of folic acid in green leafy vegetables also promotes the recovery of muscles.
All of these food products can’t be missing from our diets if we practice sports and the best thing is to combine them. This must be taken into account at the time of making food purchases too.