The one thing most moms cannot be sure
of is best diet for their children, especially if the kids are into athletics.
There is coach’s advice, then there are articles, blogs, social media posts,
and so much more to influence a mother on what would be the best diet. Every
now and then an advanced research, a new discovery or a recently developed
miracle-diet changes the whole combination. But there are some constants that
will never change, things you must know before you come up with a plan for a
budding athlete.
·
An athlete needs
carbohydrates for energy. A young athlete needs carbohydrates for both growth
and energy. Irrespective of what you might have read or heard, carbohydrates
are not the bad boys of healthy diet. Quite on the contrary, carbs are like the
fuel that power our body, hence essential part of a healthy diet. Beans, green
leafy veggies, fruits, cereals, nuts, all are the good forms of carbs that
provide fiber and energy for a healthy diet.
The kind of carbs one should refrain from are refined and processed
carbs which are mostly found in sugary bakes, processed food and sugar-based
drinks.
·
As a part of
healthy diet, your child needs protein-rich and low-fat food. But again,
choices of food matter. There is good-fat, aka saturated fats like cheese,
tropical oils, dark chicken meat, etc. actually constitute an essential element
of healthy food. Some vitamins also require fat to get dissolved in the blood
stream. The bad fat comes from unsaturated or trans-fat, which may be
responsible for cholesterol and certain health conditions.
·
You may read or
hear about foods that harm and foods that heal. While most of this information
may also come from authentic research studies, but it is always good to run
your diet plan by a certified dietician or a health professional. Every body
works in its own way. The combination of threshold, metabolism, nutritional
level, energy level, personal health, lifestyle and mindfulness can make one
person different from the other, hence changing the diet requirements too.
Especially in case of athletes, wherein diet becomes a very critical to
performance, the diet plan should be tailored to the athlete’s specific
requirement.
·
A good diet would
consist of balance of nutrients, that would take care of the ongoing muscle
development, growth, and repair and recovery of muscles that takes place
frequently for sports people. No one element can define what your child needs.
It will have to be a fine balance of all the nutrients food offers.
·
It’s not just the
kind of food you eat that matters, the timing matters too. Keeping regular intervals,
and planning your food intake to match the time and requirement of the body is
also very essential. Eating the right food at the wrong time can prove fatal to
performance. For instance, working out on an empty stomach can make you feel
exhausted even before you start. At the same time having fiber or fat rich food
just before workout can make you feel bloated, since fat and fiber take time to
digest. Again, it is essential to refuel after a workout since body needs to
make up for the wear and tear of tissues and muscles. Skipping meals is a
strict no-no.
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