1. The Power of Carbohydrates
Caloric energy comes in three forms: as carbohydrates, protein and fat. As an athlete, you should be getting about 55 to 60 percent of your calories from carbohydrates (then 10 to 15 percent from protein and the rest from fat). There's more to carbs than bread, pasta and bagels--fruits are carbohydrates, too. Contrary to what some popular diets will have you believe, carbohydrates are not fattening, nor will eating too many carbs cause diabetes. In fact, a healthy diet is built on a foundations of carbohydrates. The carbohydrates in grains, vegetables and fruits are converted into glucose in the body, which provides energy to your muscles. For optimum health, eat 4 servings--a total of 2 cups--of fruit every day. Top your breakfast cereal with a sliced banana or a handful of fresh blueberries, make a fruit smoothie with frozen strawberries, mangoes or cherries, drink a glass of your favorite juice, or snack on dried apples, cranberries or raisins.
2. Before, During and After
Most athletes don't need to worry about "carb loading"--the practice of eating a diet heavy in carbohydrates several days before a game, race or competition. It's better to concentrate on eating a healthy diet every day. For a special boost of energy, however, you may want to eat a high carb meal a few hours before you exercise or compete. Some fruits high in carbs are apples, bananas, mangoes, pears, pineapple, grapes and cherries. While exercising, drink plenty of cool water or diluted fruit juice. Afterward, if you exercised very strenuously or for long periods of time, you may need to replenish your glucose supply, which could mean another high carb meal or could just be eating a banana or apple.
3. The Best of the Best
All fruit is healthy and full of vital nutrients, but some fruit is better than others. Eat a wide variety of fruits every day, especially ripe, fresh, whole fruit, and try to eat a rainbow of colors--different colors often indicate different vitamins and minerals. Choose fruits with higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients. Blackberries are high in folate, vitamin E and calcium, and also contain protein and iron. Kiwis are super high vitamin C, and are also a good source of copper, zinc and potassium. Avocados are high in vitamin A and several B vitamins, and are also a good source of protein and iron. Some fruits are so nutritionally dense that they are referred to as "superfruits." These are fruits with extremely high concentrations of vitamins, mineral, antioxidants and other vital nutrients such as amino acids or essential fatty acids. Popular superfruits include blueberries, pomegranates, goji berries, noni, cranberries and black cherries. It can be tough to find some of these superfruits fresh--look for them in specialty juices in health food stores.
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