Hello again and welcome to Adoración Linares' blog. This time, I'm going to share some nutritional tips to improve your athletic performance. Specifically, I'll point out some of the best foods and drinks you can consume when you exercise.
As you can imagine, the nutritional possibilities for an athlete are very broad, so in this article I try to show the food groups and some examples.
Nutritional tips to improve your athletic performance
My goal is to guide you on the foods that provide the greatest benefits before, during, and after exercise. Therefore, we'll look at the types of foods needed to achieve proper nutritional balance.
If at any time you need more specific advice, please contact me and we can establish personalized guidelines based on your personal characteristics and the type of sport and intensity with which you practice.
Without further ado, let's move on to nutritional advice to improve your athletic performance.
Legumes
They are a perfect food for both training days and rest days. Legumes contain a natural combination of protein and carbohydrates. Athletes who practice endurance sports need carbohydrates to fuel their muscles and protein to repair them.
In addition, they are a good source of plant-based protein and, although they do not contain all the essential amino acids obtained from consuming animal protein, these can be obtained by combining them with other sources of plant-based protein.
To obtain complete protein from legumes, we must combine them with grains or nuts. When done correctly, this ensures the consumption of all nine essential amino acids. These essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
For example, combine chickpeas, beans, lentils or peas with corn, oats, sesame spelt, whole wheat pasta or brown rice.
Chickpeas have a low glycemic index. This means they are digested slowly and provide sustained energy. Low-GI foods are good choices before endurance races.
Beans are rich in vitamins and minerals. These include folate, manganese, potassium, iron, copper, and magnesium, which help your body function properly. Beans are good for heart health. The soluble fiber in beans helps protect against heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol. Furthermore, beans are naturally low in fat and dietary cholesterol, so replacing meat with beans is a heart-healthy change.
Legumes, in general, are rich in fiber. They contain between 7 and 8 grams of fiber per half cup. This contrasts with chicken or meat, which have no fiber.
For example, a snack of hummus with carrots provides 8 to 10 grams of fiber, while the recommended daily intake is 25 to 35 grams.
Foods that provide complete plant proteins
Some plant-based foods such as quinoa, buckwheat, spirulina, or chia seeds help us obtain complete plant-based proteins.
As mentioned earlier, a complete protein is one that provides all 9 essential amino acids.
For example, quinoa contains no cholesterol. 100 grams provide 368 calories and 6.07 grams of fat. It also contains 64.2 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, and 14.2 grams of protein.
Some of the vitamins we can obtain from quinoa are Vitamin A, Vitamin B9, and Vitamin E.
Chia seeds provide 490 calories and 30 grams of fat per 100 grams. They also contain 43.85 grams of carbohydrates, 15.62 grams of protein, and 37.7 grams of fiber. Chia seeds are a good source of vitamins A, B, and C.
Whole grains
When analyzing cereals for athletes, there are some factors we must take into account:
- It must be made with whole grains (it must be the first ingredient and contain >3g of fiber)
- It is low in refined sugars (<10g)
- Contains protein (>5g)
- It contains healthy fats
Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. Their consumption is important because they help us meet the increased energy demands of exercise. Carbohydrates help us optimize glycogen stores for:
- To allow muscle recovery after playing sports.
- Ensure a source of energy during training and competition
- To obtain a source of energy between meals.
Fruits and Vegetables
They should always be present in the daily diet of an athlete or any person.
Fruits and vegetables help optimize athletic performance and play a role in recovery after exercise. Athletes of all ages need the vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables to maintain a strong and healthy body.
When athletes don't get enough of these nutrients, it can lead to fatigue, muscle damage, and impaired immune function. Another great benefit of fruits and vegetables is their high water content, which helps with hydration.
Some fruits that are recommended for sports practice are:
Red berries
Foods rich in antioxidants help reduce inflammation and decrease muscle soreness. Several studies have demonstrated the positive effects of berries on exercise recovery, due to their high antioxidant properties.
Oranges
Oranges are one of the best sources of vitamin C, which can reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress and support a healthy immune system. Vitamin C also helps athletes absorb iron from plant-based foods. This is especially important for female athletes, who are more prone to iron deficiency.
Bananas
Bananas provide easily digestible, low-glycemic carbohydrates, which provide fuel before training or competition. They are also a great source of potassium, an electrolyte that can be lost during strenuous exercise.
Beet
According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Consuming whole beetroot, which is rich in nitrates, improves running performance due to its ability to increase the dilation of blood vessels, allowing for greater blood flow and improving the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.
Spinach
Dark green vegetables, such as spinach, are packed with nutrients, including high levels of calcium, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and iron—all important for athletic performance. Spinach is also a source of vitamin K, which helps athletes maintain healthy bones.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese (for energy production), fiber (for healthy digestion), vitamin B6 (for nerve function and muscle contraction), and potassium. Nutritionally, they are exceptionally rich.
Meat, fish and eggs
Athletes need a very high protein intake every day. This can be between 70 and 90 grams of protein daily.
These foods provide us with sources of animal protein. They also contain fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce and which play a crucial role in endurance sports.
Regarding meats, it is important to select those that have a high level of protein and are low in fat, such as rabbit, chicken or turkey.
Among the most recommended fish are salmon, which in addition to being an important source of protein provides vitamins B6 and B12, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus and omega 3 fatty acids.
Sardines are rich in vitamins A and B3, iron, and phosphorus. They are low in calories, containing only 103 calories per 100 grams.
Tuna provides a great source of vitamins such as vitamin A, B3 or B6, protein, minerals, phosphorus and Omega 3.
We hope you found these nutritional tips for improving athletic performance helpful. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again soon on my blog. See you soon!
