Proper nutrition is an absolute requirement for everyone, but especially for athletes. Unless you feed your body correctly before a workout, you’ll never gain full results from that workout. There are a few key nutritional guidelines that all athletes should follow. In this article we will discuss a few tips that can help to make following those guidelines easier on you.
Remember that portions are extremely important. To make sure you are eating the correct portion sizes, fill up your plate with the healthiest foods first and then the least healthy. It also helps to eat the foods on your plate in the same order.
A good tip to help you lose weight is to avoid fad diets such as the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet has garnered a lot of popularity over the years but it’s far from healthy and it’s not something you can follow long term. Instead, try following a more moderate diet.
Choose whole grain over white breads. White breads are made from flour that has been highly processed and has lost much of its original nutritional value. Instead, pick whole grain breads. Not only are they better for your health, they taste better and are more filling, meaning that you eat less.
Write down and collect healthy recipes. Cook books are expensive and seldom have much useful information. Make your own instead. Buy a pack of index cards and use them to copy down any healthy recipes you try and enjoy. Replace all those high calorie, unhealthy recipes you had been saving with the new ones.
If your child is a picky eater, a regular daily routine for meals can help. Give him or her snacks and meals at about the same time of day. Be sure that your child drinks plenty of water between meals instead of milk or juice, and don’t offer treats between meals.
Foods marketed as health foods are not always as healthy as you may think they are. Be sure to always check the nutritional information on the packaged or prepared foods that you eat and pay attention to the serving sizes as well. A snack food may have small amount of fat per serving, but if you eat several servings at a time, the small amounts of fat can add up.
Focus on eating the whole fruit instead of drinking the packaged juice. The whole fruit gives you more complete nutrition than just the juice. It includes the fiber, which is healthy for digestion, and the skin, which contains many important nutrients. Packaged juices usually do not include the fiber and skin, and therefore, do not provide all the benefits of the fruit.
Wheat, made into bread, has been called “the staff of life.” Most of us make it a major part of our diet. But in recent years we have learned more of the “down side” of wheat. The high gluten content in wheat can cause indigestion–even celiac disease–in some people. We should note our body’s reaction to wheat carefully.
It is a great idea to teach your child how to be nutritious if they can get their examples straight from you. If you are eating healthy foods, your child will feel much more inclined to be just like you and eat those same foods. If they see you refusing healthy foods, then they will follow suit.
Try to get more calcium and vitamin C into your body. Calcium helps your bones to become stronger and a you get older, bones tend to become more brittle. Calcium will help reverse that. Vitamin C can help fight off infections and colds by helping your white blood cells.
For young kids you want to make eating healthy fun for them. If they don’t like vegetables, try cooking them differently or serving them with a sauce your child likes. You can also try cutting foods into different shapes like stars, dinosaurs, etc. so that the kid can have fun while eating healthy.
Be wary of foods that are labeled as zero trans fat or as fat-free. Foods like this frequently have additives such as sugar. You should always take a close look at the information on the label before buying the item.
Rice is one of the most convenient foods that you can have, as it is very easy to make and goes with a wide variety of foods. Instead of white rice, choose brown rice, as it is healthier for your body and contains a lower level of fat content upon consumption.
Tape your goal to your bath room mirror, to your refrigerator, your computer monitor, and even your television remote. Whenever you look in the mirror, you will be reminded of how you are bettering your life. When you go to open the refrigerator, it will remind you that you need to eat healthy.
Don’t over eat when you’re pregnant. Many mothers think that because they’re pregnant they need to take in significantly more calories when in fact you only need an extra 250-300 calories a day. More important than the amount of food you eat is the quality. Make sure you’re maintaining a balanced diet.
If you are dealing with diabetes, consult with your doctor to see which foods and drinks are not recommended. Most doctors advise against drinking alcohol, for example. You have to be careful about drinking alcohol when you have diabetes because it can lower your blood sugar levels.
If they say low in fat, they may be high in sugar. You need to be careful when you choose your foods. Therefore, if you see a food item that is low-fat, you need to read the food label to see if any of these things have been added to it.
In this article we have discussed some tips that can make it easier for athletes to maintain a nutritionally sound diet. Proper nutrition is an essential part of any fitness program and without it, you will never see the results you’re hoping for. Keep these tips in mind, and follow them daily for optimal results from your fitness routine.
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