Make Simple Changes on Your Eating Habits
- Pre-workout Nutrients
- Post-workout Nutrients
Pre-workout
Pre-workout Nutrients
The idea here is to find meals that don’t cause stomach distress, meals that make the athlete feel energetic and help maintain blood sugar… So I suggest these 5 different meals: - Apple or Banana & peanuts butter or jelly sandwich - Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fruit fresh in-season - Natural yoghurt with some raisin or berries - Dried fruit with mixed nuts - Tuna, brown rice, and roasted veggies
* Each of these suggestions includes both of Protein (to rebuild and repair) & Carbohydrate (as a fuel).
Post-workout
Post-workout Nutrients
- Low-fat chocolate milk - Low-fat yoghurt with raisin or berries - 2 Sweet flavored crackers with a tablespoon of peanuts butter - 1 Slice of whole-wheat toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and ½ sliced banana - A veggie omelette with peanuts butter and ½ cup of roasted sweet potatoes.
Generally, I prefer to drink (like those 2 law-fat liquid options discussed above) to be ingested at a 2 carbohydrate: 1 protein ratio also helps to keep me hydrated, providing adequate nutrients and removes waste efficiently so I can perform better.
| Carb Dense Food : | Protein Rich Food : | Nutrient-Rich vegetable : | Nutrient-Rich Fruit : |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yam Potato Brown rice Quinoa Whole grain bread Whole grain pasta Oats |
Eggs Beans Peas Fish Meat Tofu Tempeh |
Broccoli Lettuce Spinach Kale Cauliflower Brussels sprouts Peppers Asparagus Green beans |
Berries Apple Melon Dates Raisin |
* The Rest of the Day
Here are some general rules to live by with respect to eating for optimal health and performance.
1 - Eat every 2-4 hours.
Eating more often will help you eat smaller meals, stabilize your blood sugar, ensure adequate recovery and help you maintain better body composition.
2 - Eat carbs only when you deserve to.
Eat carbohydrate foods such as pasta after your workout. That’s when your body needs them the most. And that’s when you are the least likely to gain body fat from an overreliance on dietary carbs.
3 - Combine with both carbohydrate and protein.
Protein and carbohydrates make an awesome recovery combination and repair any damage caused by your workout.
4 - Eat vegetables.
It is recommended that you get a variety of vegetables per day.
5 - Learn to Love Healthy Fats.
There are three types of fat, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds can dramatically improve your health and turn your body to a fat burning.
6 - Drink mostly zero-calorie drinks.
The best choices are water and green tea. Obviously, this rule can be broken in moderation but the more beverages you have with calories the harder it is going to be to get fit.
7 - Focus on whole foods.
it's better to eat whole foods than taking a supplement. Try to eat a whole healthy food by choosing protein sources that are nutrient-rich and lower in saturated fat and calories and if you want to maximize your muscle gains; then supplement with protein powders, superfoods and fish oil will be good for you.
8 - Balance daily food choices with a healthy variety.
Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring. Change your veggies or your protein sources or your fruit, you can also use and change your favourite herbs and spice. Variety is going to make this strategy of eating much more pleasant.
In the end, the workout nutrition strategies above can really make a difference if you start by improving overall diet quality and incorporating basic Precision Nutrition style habits.
