Sports Nutrition At Home

Tasks of sports nutrition

Without drawing up a nutrition program for an athlete, it is difficult to achieve tangible and stable results. During training, a large amount of energy is expended, which must be replenished. Proper, home-cooked sports nutrition from nutritionally dense foods helps to recover faster after physical exertion.

Any sports nutrition involves compiling a menu that solves three main tasks:

• sufficient intake of essential vitamins and minerals in the body,
• supporting the processes of digestion and metabolism,
• achieving normal body weight and maintaining this level.

What vitamins and minerals should an athlete drink? How to build an individual schedule for taking supplements, taking into account the type of training? We share the lesson "Nutraceutical Support in Fitness and Sports".

There are many types of dishes that allow a person involved in sports to make a complete sports diet for a week. A good sports nutrition program is compiled individually, depending on age, gender, physical fitness and goals.

Make a menu, focusing not only on the number of calories, but also on the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. When gaining muscle mass, you need to consume large portions of carbohydrates, when losing weight, the emphasis is on proteins and fats, while it is important that all meals are nutritious.

• proteins - 17-20%
• fats - 26-30%
• carbohydrates - 50-57%

• proteins - 40-50%
• fats - 30-35%
• carbohydrates - 25-30%

Basic principles of nutrition in sports

• pre-workout meals should be predominantly carbohydrate - these are whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruits;
• consume 300–500 g of vegetables, berries and fruits every day;
• exclude glycation products (food cooked with a crust, for example, when roasting);
• exclude refined products (containing hydrogenated, refined vegetable oils, white sugar, white flour);
• limit salt intake (daily requirement - about 3 g);
• in the first half of the day, it is necessary to focus on the consumption of complex carbohydrates and saturated fat foods;
• Meals should be no later than 2 hours before training. At the same time, starving is not recommended - the body must have a supply of energy to perform physical activity;
• after a fat-burning workout, it is important to pause for 2 hours (especially if the main task is weight loss. During this time, metabolic processes are more active and energy is generated from fats - adipose tissue);
• after training to gain muscle mass, the meal should be protein, 30–40 minutes after training;
• last meal - no later than 3 hours before bedtime;
• The next meal is 12 hours later.

The basis of the athlete's diet

When gaining muscle mass, the nutrition program should include the following products:

• cereals from whole grains;
• eggs;
• white dietary meat;
• vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries;
• cottage cheese (subject to lactose tolerance).

Pre-Workout Meal Options:

• cottage cheese and apple;
• egg, quinoa, berries;
• banana, rye bread.

Options for meals after anaerobic (aimed at muscle growth) training:

• boiled chicken breast, durum wheat pasta, vegetable salad;
• baked fish, brown rice, seaweed;
• beef, broccoli, buckwheat porridge.

When losing weight / drying, the basis of the menu should be:

• sea ​​fish and seafood;
• white meat;
• cottage cheese (for lactose intolerance);
• Brown rice;
• unsweetened fruits (grapefruit);
• cereals;
• cruciferous;
• boiled eggs.

Pre-Workout Meal Options:

• plant-based milk smoothies with oatmeal and an apple or banana;
• a handful of berries and natural yogurt.

Options for meals after aerobic (fat burning) training:

• seafood, brown rice, broccoli;
• pasta with vegetables;
• buckwheat, boiled eggs, sauerkraut.

Food ingredients in an athlete's diet

It is very important to monitor the consumption of a sufficient amount of liquid (warm water or herbal tea): keep the drinking regime during the day - 30-35 ml per 1 kg of normal weight + 0.5 l of water before and after training (during sports it is right to do several small sips of water every 15-20 minutes).

If it is difficult to drink this amount of pure water, you can drink water with the addition of lemon and / or ginger.

If it is necessary to reduce weight, the correct menu should not contain a high amount of proteins (no more than 1.5 g per 1 kg of weight). If the main goal is to gain muscle mass, then protein should prevail in the diet (up to 2.5 g per 1 kg of weight). BUT! To reduce the load on the liver and kidneys, it is important to minimize the amount of protein for dinner, giving preference to plant-based proteins:

• when protein is overloaded, a large amount of metabolic products (urea, ammonia) is formed - this is an additional burden on the liver and kidneys, a violation of detoxification processes;
• protein retention in the intestine provokes the processes of decay and imbalance of the intestinal microflora.

Sports nutrition should include complete fats of vegetable and animal origin. Their body uses them as energy sources during long-term low-intensity cardio workouts.

A sufficient amount of fat is essential for maintaining health. Including fats are important for the balance of the hormonal system - sex hormones are synthesized from cholesterol (animal fats). So, estrogen is responsible for muscle recovery, and testosterone is responsible for their growth.

The recommended daily fat intake is 1–1.5 g per 1 kg of body weight. That is, with a weight of 70 kg, you need to consume about 85 g of fat. On the day, this is about 2 tablespoons of unrefined vegetable oil (olive, pumpkin, sesame, avocado, etc.) + 30 g of walnuts + 30 g of green olives + 10 g of melted butter or ghee + 100 g of sea oily baked fish.

Important! Nuts and seeds must be soaked for 10–12 hours and dried in an oven at 100 degrees for 30–40 minutes.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy replenishment. It is important to give preference to slow carbohydrates. If the goal is weight loss, the amount of carbohydrates must be controlled.

The daily requirement for carbohydrates in sports nutrition is 5–10 g per 1 kg of body weight. On average, for 70 kg of weight - 500 g. Per day, this is about 100 g of buckwheat (in dry form) + 100 g of oatmeal (in dry form) + 100 g of brown rice (in dry form) + 100 g of dates + 100 g red beans (dry) + 200 g bananas (2 pcs.), 200 g boiled potatoes + 200 g apples (1 pc.), 150 g durum pasta.

As a snack, the nutrition program may include a homemade protein bar with a complete composition.

Protein Bar Recipes

Ingredients:

• low-fat cottage cheese - 200 g,
• protein without sugar and substitutes - 50 g,
• pine nuts - 30 g.

Cooking method:

• Pine nuts pre-soak and dry, then chop.
• Combine all ingredients into a homogeneous mass.
• Form into bars and place in the refrigerator to harden.
• Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Ingredients:

• dried figs - 100 g,
• dark chocolate without sugar - 10 g,
• water - 50 g,
• cocoa powder - 40 g,
• oatmeal - 50 g,
• protein powder without sugar and substitutes - 30 g,
• crushed hemp seeds - 10 g.

Cooking method:

• Dried figs (it is better to take non-industrial production) pour boiling water and leave for 1-2 hours, drain the water.
• Rinse the oatmeal and pour boiling water for 15 minutes, drain the water.
• Combine figs, cereals, cocoa powder and protein powder, if necessary, you can add a little water.
• Grate chocolate.
• Add chocolate and hemp seeds to the resulting mass.
• Shape into bars and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Life hack: to increase energy levels and activate the fat burning process, drink one cup of Japanese matcha green tea (source of catechins) 30 minutes before training. It helps to reduce body weight: increases energy consumption, reduces appetite, slows down the formation of fats and their absorption from food, supports the conversion of white fat into brown (fat burning).

Protein shakes

In the diet of most athletes (especially if you need to gain muscle mass) there are protein shakes. Many people buy ready-made mixtures in sports nutrition stores. Undoubtedly, homemade cocktails will be preferable to industrial products (they often contain flavorings, flavor enhancers, preservatives and other dubious ingredients).

Main functions:

• support the growth of muscle mass,
• help to recover after intense physical activity,
• accelerate the process of metabolism and fat burning,
• reduce appetite.

Basic rules for cooking at home:

• Do not prepare cocktails in advance or for future use. It is advisable to use them immediately after preparation.
• Choose cocktails with a minimum amount of additives and flavors, based on peas, hemp, casein (if they are tolerated).
• Follow the dosage indicated on the package. High protein intake can lead to disruption of the body.
• If you plan on adding a protein powder, choose it based on one or more of your goals - for muscle growth, for quick recovery, for weight loss, etc.
• The optimal temperature of the drink is 36-37 degrees.
• It is advisable to drink a cocktail one hour before active activities or one hour after them.

Drink base:

• proteins - milk of animal or vegetable origin, cottage cheese, dairy products;
• fiber - fruits, berries;
• carbohydrates - honey, bananas, oatmeal;
• fats - vegetable oil (sesame, coconut, avocado, hemp, pumpkin), seeds, nuts.

Protein Shake for Muscle Growth

Provides enough protein to build muscle mass. It is recommended to use in the afternoon.

Ingredients:

• milk - 100 g,
• sour cream - 15 g,
• oatmeal - 1 tbsp. l.,
• coconut oil - 1 tbsp. l.,
• frozen raspberries - 30 g.

Cooking method:

• Defrost the berries a little.
• Combine all components in a blender.
• If necessary, it can be diluted with water.
• Recovery Protein Shake

Supports muscle recovery processes after exercise, reduces muscle spasm and discomfort. It is recommended to use after training.

Ingredients:

• natural yogurt - 100 g,
• cottage cheese - 100 g,
• water - 50 g,
• avocado - 0.5 pcs.,
• cocoa powder - 1 tsp,
• almonds - 50 g,
• honey - 1 tsp

Cooking method:

• Almonds pre-soak and peel.
• Cut avocado into pieces.
• Combine cottage cheese, honey, cocoa, avocado, yogurt, water and beat with a blender until smooth.

Accelerates fat burning processes, supports detoxification processes. With weight loss, a cocktail can replace one of the meals.

Ingredients:

• low-fat cottage cheese - 50 g,
• psyllium - 1 tbsp. l.,
• mixed frozen berries - 2 tbsp. l.,
• honey - to taste
• cinnamon - to taste
• almond milk (can be replaced with milk of animal origin with normal tolerance) - 100 g.

Cooking method:

• Defrost berries.
• Dilute psyllium in milk until smooth (to prevent lumps).
• Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.