A Good Diet Plan For Athletes

No matter your sport, to stay fit and strong, taking in the proper mix of nutrients in the foods you eat is important for your performance. Athletes burn more calories during the day because of long, frequent workouts, competitions and sporting events. Just as practicing improves your sports performance, healthy foods can help you build muscle and stay energized while working on improving your athletic prowess.

Benefits

When you work out with intensity, you need endurance, strong muscles and a healthy cardiovascular system. Eating carbohydrates, proteins, drinking enough water or sports drinks and consuming mainly healthy fats will enable your body to withstand practice sessions and long athletic events. Limiting your intake of the trans fats and saturated fat found in fatty beef, as well as some fast and processed foods, reduces your risk of heart disease. Although your calorie burn is higher as an athlete, monitoring your calorie intake to stay at an appropriate weight for your sport will make it easier to perform at an advanced level.

Important Nutrients

Although all nutrients are important, eating enough protein is often a concern of athletes. Registered dietitian Karen Berg recommends that you eat between 12 to 15 percent of your overall caloric intake from protein. The energy your body gains from carbohydrates is part of sustaining yourself during athletic practices or competitions. Eat about 60 to 65 percent of your calories from complex carbohydrates, as the starches in complex carbohydrates give you longer lasting energy than simple carbohydrate foods. Fats are also important to your energy level, and your body needs about 20 to 30 percent of its calories from fat to avoid feeling too hungry during workouts.

Considerations

When monitoring your athletic diet for carbohydrates, proteins and fats, choose the healthiest options in each macronutrient group. Complex carbohydrates include brown rice, barley, oat or bran cereals, whole grain breads, polenta and rye breads. Save the simple carbohydrates found in many desserts, such as cakes and cookies, for an occasional treat, or use an energy gel formulation during endurance runs or bike rides for a quick burst of energy. Low-fat protein foods enable you to eat a larger quantity of food to your athletic diet without adding unnecessary calories. Beans in wheat wraps or soups, skinless poultry by itself or in salads and extra-lean ground beef are appropriate protein choices for an athlete. Use nuts and olive oil as sources of healthy fats, and eat fish frequently for both protein and the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Sample Eating Plan

For the best athletic performance, plan your food intake carefully. In the morning, eat a complex carbohydrate cereal, such as oatmeal, accompanied by a piece of rye toast and fruit or all-natural fruit juice. Have a mid-morning snack of nuts, reduced fat cheese and dried fruits, and a filling lunch with a lean-protein sandwich or wrap, a large vegetable salad, yogurt or milk and a granola bar for a sweeter, healthy treat. For dinner, make polenta, whole-grain pasta, couscous or brown rice as your carbohydrate, and top either with grilled chicken, vegetarian tofu or lean beef. When eating bread with your dinner, dip the bread in 1 tsp. of extra-virgin olive oil rather than butter. Steamed vegetables, salad and a bowl of cut-up fresh fruit can complete your meal. Healthier desserts which also help meet your calcium needs include frozen yogurt, or a fruit and skim milk smoothie.