Food for athletes
An athlete's diet should be based mostly on carbohydrates, around 55-60% of your total caloric intake (4.5 gr. HC/Kg). For those who do exercise of moderate intensity should increase to 6-7 gr. HC/Kg.
Predominantly carbohydrate intake is essential for athletes who are required to have a good performance, avoid fatigue and promote recovery after exercise.
The best sources of carbohydrates could be the form of whole spelt, rye and seed bread, boiled potato with skin, sweet potato, pasta, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, vegetables, legumes, and whole fruit.
Another good part of calories should go to proteins that exercise produces a greater oxidation of essential amino acids. The protein is needed to have a good mental health and body strength capacity, an adequate activity of enzymes and resistance to infections. Depending on the level of activity the consumption of protein per body weight should be:
Endurance sport: 1, 2-1, 5 g.
Sport of endurance and speed: 1, 5-1, 7 g.
Force sport: 1, 5-2 gr.
Some sources of protein may be legumes, seeds, nuts, fish, green peas, eggs, meat, chicken, turkey.
Lastly, fats should not exceed 20-35% of your daily intake. They act as long-term fuel, they provide energy as carbohydrates but in the longer term. Energy from the fat begins to be used once depleted glycogen reserves, if your consumption of fats is high and your training do not get to spend glycogen stores your body will not need to use fat reserves and this will be accumulated.
What you should eat before and after exercise?
Before training the best it is to eat protein and slow absorption carbohydrates that will provide you energy during exercise (brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, vegetables, eggs).
After training also should eat proteins and carbohydrates but must be quickly absorbed carbs since the glycogen resynthesis after exercise is faster and the permeability of the plasma membrane of the muscle fiber is of higher intake just after finishing exercise to take advantage of these benefits is important. The intake of high glycemic index carbohydrates is therefore important in those moments because these together with the action of the transport proteins of glucose increase its availability in the tissues during the recovery.
A.P.M