Which Diet Is Recommended For Athletes?

There is no special form of nutrition that is equally useful for all athletes. Which diet is appropriate for an athlete depends on the type of sport practiced and the intensity of the training. For active recreational athletes, it is usually sufficient to ensure a balanced diet with the right ratio of proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. The mix plate, for example, provides orientation. In addition, an adequate supply of liquid to the body is of great importance.

For recreational athletes, protein shakes, raw eggs and the strict diets that are often used in weight training are neither necessary nor useful. A balanced, carbohydrate-rich diet with a high intake of nutrients from vegetables and fruit is much more important. Ideally, athletes cover 55 to 60 percent of their energy requirements with carbohydrates, a maximum of 30 percent with fat, and 10 to 15 percent with proteins. In order to provide the body with the necessary vitamins, minerals, roughage, and plant secondary substances, it is advisable to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and to ensure variety in the menu.

Carbohydrate requirements can be covered with grain products such as bread, rice, or pasta. Whole grain products should be preferred due to their higher density of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Athletes can also cover their daily protein requirements to a large extent with milk and milk products as well as legumes or soy products – it is sufficient if meat, fish, and eggs are only on tables two or three times a week.

Since the body loses a lot of water when sweating, an adequate supply of liquid is essential for athletes. In order to replace the fluid lost through sweat and the minerals it contains, you should fill up the fluid stores with half a liter of juice, unsweetened fruit, and herbal tea or mineral water one or two hours before training. Apple juice spritzer made from apple juice and mineral water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 is particularly suitable. If you want to know exactly how much fluid has been lost during a sweaty workout, you can weigh yourself directly before and after exercise. Weight loss indicates a fluid loss. Stand on the scales without clothes, otherwise, you will weigh the lost fluid with the sweaty training clothes after the sport.

In addition, the diet should be adapted to the type of sport and the respective training plan. Not only strength athletes rely on protein to build muscle. Long-distance runners also benefit from a good supply of protein. With longer endurance loads, more protein is used to generate energy, which then has to be replaced. But here, too, the need can be easily covered with a balanced meal composition, as suggested by the mix plate. Because the protein requirement increases approximately in proportion to the increased energy requirement.

It is important for athletes not to eat large portions or very nutritious foods directly before training: To avoid sluggishness from a full stomach, you should only eat small snacks before a training session or in between, for example, a banana or an unsweetened one Granola bar.