Military athletic training requires an optimal diet to maintain the amount of calories and nutrients you burn off with daily exercise. According to the Military Fitness Center, soldiers engaged in athletic training require sufficient amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and fat to upkeep the weight-loss and strength-training routines of basic training. Deciding on the best nutrition for your body requires research as well as trial and error.
Military Nutrition
According to the United States Army website, improper nutrition and inactivity have become more prevalent among new recruits in the past decade. Once soldiers enter basic training, the Fueling the Soldier program begins, offering a standardized 28-day menu of food categorized as green, yellow and red, depending on the nutritional content. Green refers to good foods high in nutritional value while yellow and red refer to average and unhealthy foods respectively. As of 2011, fried food and carbonated beverages are no longer served at basic training mess halls.
Nutrition Nuts and Bolts
Your body requires sufficient levels of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, sodium and dietary fiber to remain healthy. According to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the United States Food and Drug Administration recommends at least 50 g of protein, 300 g of carbohydrates, 25 g of fiber, 2,400 mg of sodium and 65 g of fat, in order to sustain normal health. Because sodium is in abundance, focus on consuming foods that meet your daily protein, carbohydrate and fat levels. How much you should eat depends on your size, weight and physical fitness.
Food Suggestions
Carbohydrates can be incorporated into your diet in the form of multi-grain breads and pastas, cereals, brown rice and vegetables such as kale, broccoli, lettuce and asparagus. Protein sources include lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, milk, whey protein, peanut butter, almonds and other nuts. Eliminate sugar from your diet whenever you can and replace flour-baked products such as white bread, white tortillas and white rice.
When To Eat
According to the Military Fitness Center, eating before or after an exercise can make a difference in your body's ability to store and process nutrients. If you are currently emphasizing weight loss with your training, avoid pre-workout meals in the morning to allow your body to enter a fat-burning mode. Eating during workouts is generally not required unless you are enrolled in Special Operations school that requires extended workouts of eight to 10 hours. Listen to your body and decide the best timing of when to eat before engaging in your daily athletics training.
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