Nutrition for athletes: tips and tricks
Anyone who does a lot of sport also needs a good and balanced diet. Healthy foods give you power, strength and endurance. And if you want to build muscles, you need proteins.
So what should athletes pay attention to in their diet? Does it really have to be a very specific diet if you do intensive sports and which rules should be considered?
What should athletes drink?
Let's start with the drink. If you move a lot and sweat a lot, you need a lot of fluids. But drinking isn't just about quantity, it's also about quality. The best drink for athletes is water. Whether you prefer tap water or mineral water is up to you. So-called infused water is also a good choice – for example water that has been enriched with a slice of lemon or a little lemon juice. Unsweetened teas such as herbal or fruit teas are also ideal for quenching thirst and compensating for water loss. You can prepare an additional liter of liquid for your daily requirement per hour of training.
Regular meals!
Eating something here and there, whenever it suits you, is not ideal as a healthy diet for athletes. Rather, you should make sure that you eat regular meals: preferably 3 main meals a day and possibly one or two snacks. This is the only way to ensure that your body is supplied with sufficient nutrients. You can easily do it with the Löwenanteil: organic ready meals with high-performer nutritional values, designed by top chefs.
Small snack before training
Eat something before training? That's perfectly permissible, but: it depends on what. Of course, a heavy meal just before training is not a good idea because it would only make your stomach feel heavy. But what you can eat before training without any problems is, for example, a piece of fruit for quick energy supply, or a handful of nuts. These contain not only carbohydrates, but also high-quality proteins.
And after training?
After training, you need to replenish your storage. You need carbohydrates and calories to help with recovery. A banana or a handful of dried fruit are ideal now. Proteins are also important because they help build muscle. A special sports bar or protein balls are also good choices. Many athletes rely on protein drinks, but there are big differences in terms of quality. If you do sports on a normal scale, you don't need any special protein drinks, but can get enough protein from nuts or legumes and other protein-rich foods. Unfortunately, finished protein drinks often contain artificial ingredients that are not necessarily healthy.
Are athletes allowed to snack?
Does it go together, snacking and sport? It depends! Of course, athletes also have a craving for something sweet from time to time. Only: does it always have to be a bar of chocolate or a piece of cake? Rather not. You could also satisfy your sweet tooth with dried fruit, fruit, smoothies or chia pudding. These are not only sweet, but also provide important vitamins and nutrients that give you real power. In any case, fruit bars or energy balls are better than chocolate and other sweets.
Superfoods for athletes
Superfoods are on everyone's lips in the truest sense of the word, only: do you really need them? Yes! Superfoods provide important micronutrients, trace elements and proteins and are therefore not only important for athletes, but for everyone. Goji berries, chia seeds, hemp, avocado, green leafy vegetables, aronia berries, blueberries - these are just a few examples of super healthy superfoods that are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. You can easily incorporate them into your diet, for example by mixing them into a homemade shake or smoothie.
Fats - yes, but healthy
Are fats healthy or not? The spirits are still divided on this. What is certain, however, is that there are good and bad fats. Inferior fats burden digestion and make you tired and sluggish. Who doesn't know this: After a hearty roast or a cream cake, the first thing you can't think of is sport.
But there are also other fats, such as olive oil, linseed oil, hemp seed or coconut oil, which provide the body with energy and important fatty acids. You shouldn't do without these as an athlete either. However, the same applies here: better in moderation than in bulk.
Bad carbs? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that!
Unfortunately, carbohydrates still get a bad rap. Wrongly, however, because carbohydrates are not just carbohydrates. You should actually avoid the inferior ones, namely those found in light-colored pasta and cakes, refined sugar and the like. They raise the blood sugar level quickly, but then it drops just as quickly and there is a low. Much better - not only for athletes - are high-quality carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grain products, legumes and vegetables. They also fill you up for a longer period of time and provide you with important nutrients. To demonize carbohydrates in general is nonsense, especially since the body gets most of its energy from carbohydrates.
Nutrition for athletes: discover the Löwenanteil!
A healthy, sporty lifestyle and quick, ready meals don't go together? Wrong thought! The Löwen share products offer you exactly that. We follow the mission to make healthy eating as easy as possible. But we don't make any compromises when it comes to quality. Our dishes contain everything your body needs: complex carbohydrates, plenty of protein and fiber and essential fatty acids. All this as a warm meal in just 3 minutes. At Löwenshare, we only use 100% natural organic food and ensure the highest quality. Additional sugar and additives do not get into our products and therefore not into your body!
Balanced nutrition
In general, it is important for athletes to pay attention to a high-quality and balanced diet. Fast food and ready-made products tend to have less space here than fresh food, ideally from organic farming and with careful processing. Be sure to consume lots of vegetables and fruit, plus lots of legumes, nuts, seeds, high-quality carbohydrates and fats. It is best if you often cook fresh and rarely use finished products of inferior quality. Sausage and meat should not be on the menu too often, but rather fish and possibly dairy products. But that doesn't have to be the case, because vegetarians and vegans can also achieve top athletic performance if they do it right. Vegetable proteins are sometimes even easier to digest and of higher quality than animal proteins, which is why a large part of the Löwenanteil of the offer consists of vegan dishes .
What to eat in the evening?
Under no circumstances should you, as an athlete, eat too heavy or greasy food in the evening. Protein-rich foods such as cheese, lean meat, fish or tofu are now well suited. Legumes, quinoa, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice cakes, brown rice or fruit are also good choices after exercise or before going to bed.
FAQ
What should athletes not eat?
Athletes should avoid high-fat foods and so-called “empty” carbohydrates.
What is ideal for sports nutrition?
Low-fat foods are ideal for athletes, as are vegetables, fruit and legumes.
Do athletes need protein drinks?
Protein is needed to build muscle, but it doesn't have to be a protein shake. At least amateur athletes can also absorb sufficient proteins through normal nutrition.