You are what you eat, which is a good rule to follow when determining what foods are best for your body when participating in sports. The world's best athletes typically have strength and conditioning coaches that advise them on what foods to eat and when to eat them in order to perform at optimum levels.
Significance
If you were to constantly consume junk food and alcoholic beverages, your body would not perform anywhere near your potential, no matter how much time you spend in the gym. Nutrition is not the only factor in how well you perform on the field of play, but it does play a big part. You should think of your body as a car. You only put the best oil and gasoline into your car in order to make it run smoothly. You should treat your body no differently.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient that should be a large part of your daily diet. An athlete's daily intake of calories should be about 60 percent. Without adequate carbohydrate intake, muscle breakdown can occur faster and therefore cause you to fatigue more quickly. There are several foods that are rich in carbohydrates, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Timing is also important when carbohydrates are involved. Be sure to consume light carbohydrates before working out, such as yogurt and a bagel. If the workout is longer and more strenuous, then keeping a sports drink nearby will also aid your muscles. After the workout is finished, energy bars and yogurt will help replenish your body for your next workout.
Protein
Protein is another essential nutrient that builds and repairs muscle tissue. This is often the key nutrient that athletes are looking at when trying to increase strength and muscle mass. An adult athlete that is trying to build muscle mass needs between 0.6 and 0.9 g of protein per pound of body weight per day. Protein is found in many of the foods we eat every day, including meats, fish, poultry, lentils and dried peas.
Water and Fats
Your body contains nearly 70 percent water, and much of this is lost during exercise due to excess sweating. It is important to always keep hydrated before and after workouts and especially during, as many sports require strenuous play in very hot temperatures. Although many athletes may fear consuming fats, this is actually a very important nutrient to help keep you in top physical shape. During longer workouts that require a lot of endurance, your body will use fats to provide much of the energy that will be needed to push you to the finish line. Of all the calories that an athlete consumes in a day, less than 30 percent should be from fat. For saturated fats, it should be less than 10 percent of your daily caloric intake.
Warning
Although many professional athletes have admitted to steroid use over the past 20 years, they are illegal and under no circumstances should they be used to enhance your performance. They can be extremely harmful to your body long-term and destroy the honesty and integrity of competition.
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