Healthy Diet of Athletes

A diet for those engaged in very active sports activity is one which involves eating for energy and for prevention of injuries which are often due to nutritional deficiencies. Approximately 65% complex carbohydrates, 10 to 15% fat, and 10% protein.

A major cause of fatigue is too much milk and animal protein and fats in the diet. They are difficult to break down and use up a great amount of energy for digestion. People who have been eating a junk food diet or one with poor food choices often have weak enzyme systems, and some proteins and fatty foods may take several days to break down in this case. Too many athletes rely on fast food for the majority of their food intake resulting in 60 to 70% of their calories coming from fats.

Traditional diets for athletes consisted of a high percentage of meat, cheese and milk. Although a steak has a lot of protein it may also contain as much as 80% fat. A fast food hamburger is higher in fat than in protein. High fat items that should not be consumed by athletes are: Red meat, Cheese, Pork Products, Fried foods, Whole milk, and Butter.

These results in: Calories and probable weight gain probable risk factor for injury, arterial disease later in life, and tendonitis. Recovery from energy is achieved much more rapidly on a low protein, high complex carbohydrate diet. The energy need of the injury is usually more important than the protein need, since the protein need is taken care of with relatively small amounts. Excess protein takes away energy in the digestion process that is needed for the putting back together of the parts damaged by injury.

Simple sugars such as white sugar or honey can actually increase the pain of injuries. Cut out the sugar and the pain of injuries that do occur will decrease greatly.

When an injury does occur get a fresh pineapple, cut off the husk, and eat as much of it as you can in one hour. Do this every other day. Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, and this enzyme along with other nutrients in the fruit, actually help the healing process by breaking down the injured tissue.

Excess salt also leads to changes in metabolism that increase the potential for injuries and impair wound healing. The average American is consuming 40 times more salt than needed, most of it in processed foods where it is often used as a flavor enhancer and a preservative.

Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor - a substance that reduces blood supply by narrowing blood vessels. Athletes want the blood vessels wide open to carry all the nutrients to all the muscles, so a reduction of coffee and most soft drinks is helpful.

Fast food diets in addition to the fat, salt, and sugar content are deficient in vitamins and minerals. The mineral deficiency can lead to muscle pulls and cramps.

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids are helpful to the athlete for several reasons:

· It helps keep the immune system strong under stress

· It speeds healing. It can cut recovery time by as much as 75% in a number of wound and surgery situations.

· There is much less soft tissue injury

· There are fewer sprains

· There are fewer muscle problems and tendonitis

A zinc supplement greatly speeds up healing and regeneration of damaged connective tissue. Surgical incisions close up cleaner and faster.

A magnesium supplement aids in healing cartilage injuries of the knee, and in the cartilage strains of the shoulder joints.

A calcium supplement helps prevent muscle cramping.

Vitamin E helps reduce inflammation and increases blood flow to injury sites. It also extends the available usage time for the oxygen necessary for healthy cells and increases the amount of energy available.

Omega 3 fatty acids help prevent build up fat in the circulatory system, thin the blood for better transport of nutrients, and protect against various inflammatory problems, including those resulting from injuries.