Following a good diet is important to ensure that the body receives all the essential substances it needs to fulfill its functions, especially when practicing sport and the wear and tear on the body is greater.
As pointed out by the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality , there are many ways to eat and it is the responsibility of the athlete to learn to choose correctly the foods that are most convenient for health and that positively influence physical performance .
In fact, the diet has to be adequate in every way: quality and quantity, before, during and after playing sports. All this has repercussions in practice, since if an inadequate diet is followed, a trained athlete may notice a decrease in his performance.
The best regimen
What is considered a good diet? How does the athlete know if it is the right one for him? From Health, they indicate that for a regime to be considered balanced, it must provide enough energy to provide all the nutrients that people need in adequate amounts.
These quantities are measured taking into account some variables: the characteristics and individual needs and the adaptation to the type of sport and training. The reason is that it has to be adjusted depending on the intensity, the schedule or the number of sessions devoted to practicing sport per week.
In general, athletes should:
- Be highly hydrated: it is recommended to drink plenty of water, fruit juices and occasionally other drinks such as tea or coffee.
- Eat daily and in greater quantity products rich in carbohydrates , fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid consuming dairy products such as whole milk , cheese, yogurts or derivatives every day.
- Include fish, eggs and white meats more frequently in the diet compared to red meats.
- Occasionally consume sweets.
Regarding the rhythm of meals, the recommendations of Health are to carry out between 4-5 meals throughout the day to better distribute the energy supply and arrive with less feeling of hunger or anxiety at the main meals. This will prevent meals from being too large. In addition, we must not forget the training schedule: it is convenient that athletes always take something about two hours before it and at the end of it.
