Diet will greatly affect your athletic performance, whether you're a teenager on a school sports team, a professional athlete or anyone else engaging in regular exercise. If you do not eat a well-balanced diet, your body will not perform properly during exertion and your health can be compromised. The proper nutrition can naturally enhance your athletic performance and health in general.
General
You should follow some general diet principles to benefit athletic ability. A basic principle is to consume enough calories to meet your body's energy needs. If you severely restrict your calories, your energy levels will drop and your performance can suffer. You also need to make sure you are well hydrated, because dehydration will negatively impact your athletic ability and performance, eventually leading to exhaustion, dizziness and other serious consequences.
Carbohydrates
You should include carbohydrates in your diet. They provide the energy you need to carry out exercise and athletic performance. Focus on healthier, complex carbohydrates, like those in fruits, vegetables and products made with whole grains. These sources provide complex carbs in the form of starch and fiber, in addition to providing essential vitamins and minerals. These foods are low in fat, but provide long-lasting energy.
Proteins and Fats
According to the National Institutes of Health, protein is particularly important for athletes, because the body needs it to repair and build muscle. Focus on eating lean proteins, like lean red meat, poultry, fish, legumes and low-fat dairy products. You also need some fat in your diet, because athletic activity can easily burn through the stores of energy that come from carbs -- you will then need fat to burn for long-term energy. Use healthier fats like the unsaturated fat in vegetable oils.
Nutrients
Your body needs vitamins and minerals to carry out many of the functions necessary for optimum athletic performance. For example, your muscles need magnesium to contract properly, and too little of it will cause your muscles to cramp. You also need vitamin B-12 and iron to help form red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs to your muscles. You can get many of these vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables, but you may also want to add a multivitamin supplement.
Member Comments