All of us want to look our best but whenever we need to look our best in order to perform properly on the field, it becomes something entirely different.  In order for us to do so, we may need to look at some of the meal plans for athletes that are available and decide which one we are going to use for ourselves.  Since there are a number of different reasons why you would want to choose from these meal plans, it helps to look at a few of them to give you the options.

Meal Plans for Athletes – Going the Distance

If you need to have endurance as an athlete, the meal plan that you’re going to choose is going to be much different than somebody who only needs to have strength for the short term.  A good example of somebody that needs one of these types of meal plans is an individual that is a long distance runner, or perhaps somebody that bikes over long distances.  Triathletes also would fall under this category.

Most individuals that do long distances with their activity need to concentrate a lot on the carbohydrates that they are eating.  Carbohydrates give your body energy and if there is one thing that is certain, it’s the fact that you are going to be using a lot of energy in these activities.  As a matter of fact, many marathon runners will load up on carbohydrates by eating a lot of pasta the night before the big race.  These carbs stay in their system for a long time, since their low glycemic, and give them the energy that they need.

That brings up an interesting subject, the fact that the carbohydrates that you choose can vary differently from one source to another.  The way that you should judge the type of carbohydrate that you are eating is by looking at the glycemic index.  This is a way of telling how quickly the sugar that is in the carbohydrates is going to be entering into your bloodstream.  If you choose carbohydrates that are high on the glycemic index, you’re going to get a quick burst of energy but that energy is going to go away quickly.  If you choose low on the glycemic index, your sugar will be stable and you will be able to maintain your strength for longer periods of time.

Of course, it is also important that you incorporate plenty of protein and healthy fats into your diet as well.  The protein is going to help you to maintain your muscle mass and the fats are going to give you what you need in order to keep your joints lubricated, as well as fortifying you in a number of different ways.  Although this is not generally the focus of many of these meal plans, it is important for you to keep it in mind.

Meal Plans for Athletes – Getting Stronger

If your activity requires that you get stronger on a regular basis, you are going to need to focus more on the protein that you are eating instead of worrying about fats and carbohydrates.  Of course, you’re going to want to include the fats and carbohydrates in your diet as these are a source of nutrition that cannot be overlooked.  Keep in mind, it is better for you to be balanced than for you to eat so much protein that you miss out on the other important types of foods that you should be eating.

Something that many people don’t know is the fact that, even though eating a lot of protein can help you to get stronger it is not necessarily going to be the best choice for you.  As the protein enters into you, it cannot be assimilated by the human body until it is broken down into enzymes and other chemicals.  That is why it is a good idea for you to get these sources of enzymes directly by eating raw, green vegetables.  Yes, believe it or not, you can grow quite large by eating a vegetarian diet.

Of course,, not all of us are going to be interested in doing so. If you are going to eat meat in order to get the protein, however, make sure that it is organic in order to avoid having any of the dangerous chemicals enter into your body.  You should also focus more on lean proteins, such as poultry or tuna and avoid some of the high fat proteins whenever possible.

Effective Meal Plans for Athletes – The Missing Link

If there is one thing that works for absolutely every athlete, it’s the fact that you must make sure that your body is properly hydrated.  This is where many athletes tend to fall short, even though they may drink water regularly.  The amount of water that you need, for a typical person, is half of their body weight every day in ounces of water.  For an athlete who is exercising regularly, the amount of fluid that you need can be much higher.

Along with the fluid that you are drinking, you should make sure that you are taking in plenty of salt in order to balance things out.  If you only drink water without the salt, it is going to flush many of the electrolytes and other important chemicals out of your body quickly.  Maintain a balance, and you will see a difference in the way that you perform on the field.

Meal Plans for Athletes – Putting It Together

Regardless of whether you are a long distance runner or if you’re a lineman on the football field, you’re going to need to make sure that you eat properly.  Make sure that you avoid as many of the prepackaged meals and protein shakes as you possibly can, eating things that are healthy for you whenever possible.

Because athletes are going to be eating more food than the average person, they are also going to be getting more of the chemicals into their body than the average person as well.  Since you are concerned about being healthy on the outside, make sure that your healthy on the inside as well.

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Tags: athlete, effective meal plans, glycemic index, low glycemic, meal plan, meal plans for athletes

This entry was posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 8:48 pm and is filed under nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.