Many athletes especially those who are seeking a competition edge, respond by needlessly eliminating nutritious foods they could be eating. Nutritious food such as eggs, potatoes and beef are items that can make healthy and snacks a quick and painless task.
High-performance eating is not about eatiung right or striving to have a perfect diet, but it is to choose food that supply powerful fuel for nutrition needs, reduce illness and injuiry, and remote recovery,thereby enabling you to train consistently day after day. We listed 7 high-quality foods to let you know.
Lean red meat:
Why not beef? Lean red meat supplies high-quality protein,zinc and readily-absorbable heme iron.
Heme iron in meat is better absorbed than the non-heme iron from plant foods
or iron supplements. Too little iron means your body fails to form enough
hemogloblin and myoglobin, the oxygen-carrying compounds in blood and muscle.
Iron deficiency anemia (and preceding low iron stores or ferritin) will slow
even the most gifted triathlete on race day. With higher iron needs, female
athletes, in particular, can benefit from eating lean red meat three times a
week.
Canned beans:
The
time and planning involved with soaking and rinsing dried beans keeps many
triathletes from capitalizing on the health benefits of these nutritional
powerhouses. One-half cup of beans provides the protein equivalent of one ounce
of meat, as well as complex carbohydrates, fiber, zinc and (non-heme) iron—with
little to no fat. Versatile and a real time-saver, canned beans can be tossed
into soups, stews, pasta sauces and salads. Heat, mash and roll your favorite
canned beans in a tortilla or top a microwaved baked potato with baked beans for
a quick, easy meal. And nutrition wise, a carb- and fiber-rich side of canned
beans beats ordinary rice or pasta every
time.
Frozen vegetables:
In a perfect world, we all would grow organic vegetables in our backyards. In
the real world, however, we need quick and practical ways to consume at least
three cups of veggies daily. Contrary to urban legend, frozen vegetables are
just as nutritious as fresh, and even more so when once-fresh vegetables
languish in the fridge bottom drawer. Freezing vegetables promptly after they’re
picked limits the continuous loss of nutrients that fresh vegetables (and fruit)
undergo once they leave the vine.
Eggs:
One
large egg provides six grams of complete protein,
supplying all the crucial essential amino acids needed to promote muscle repair
and recovery. The yolk is especially nutrient-rich, supplying leutin, needed for
healthy eyes; choline, important for brain function and health; as well as
almost 30 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin K, a nutrient crucial for
healthy bones.
You can choose Scramble,
poach, hard-boil, even fry (use a nonstick skillet to avoid adding extra fat) an
egg or two in just minutes or whip up as an omelet or frittata.
Potatoes:
Ignore
bad press that has labeled the potato as fattening and unhealthy. Consistently
over-indulging in French fries or in mashed potatoes swimming in butter can
indeed lead to unwanted pounds, but so can overeating any food, including energy
bars and high-protein health shakes
.
Frozen entrees:
Today
you can choose tasty frozen entrées that are organic, vegetarian, of ethnic
cuisine, or that fulfill a dietary need, such as heart-healthy. The real plus
for time-crunched athletes and for those in one- or two-person households is
convenience.
Higher sodium foods:
Physically active people require more dietary sodium than non-exercisers to
replace greater amounts of sodium lost through sweating. Training daily in a hot
and humid environment, as well as undertaking prolonged physical efforts,
increases your risk for hyponatremia, a serious medical condition marked by a
low blood sodium level. It can result from losing large amounts of sodium, for
example, through prolonged sweating. The more likely cause, however, is drinking
too much fluid beyond what you need, either before, during or in the hours after
prolonged exercise – especially if it’s sodium-free fluid, like plain water.
Health conscious triathletes who avoid salt, particularly females with their
comparatively smaller starting blood volume, have an increased risk of
developing hyponatremia.
