Many people spend a lot of time focusing on what to eat before or during exercise but less time focused on what they are eating the rest of the time. As it turns out what we eat the rest of the time may be just as or more important than what we eat directly before or during exercise. The main problem with eating healthy is that many people don’t know what to eat. We are constantly bombarded with information about this diet or that diet, or this vitamin, or that mineral, or the benefits of some other nutritional supplement. Some people change their diet briefly, don’t see any benefits and give up. Changes in nutrition and healthy eating take time- they don’t happen overnight, and many of the benefits don’t happen overnight either.
The requirements for vitamins, minerals, protein and other nutrients are generally increased by exercise but they can be met by a varied diet and the natural inclination to eat more. Because real vitamin and mineral deficiencies are rare, problems usually only occur if your diet is not varied and your food choices are poor. There has been little evidence that vitamins increase athletic performance unless there is already a preexisting deficiency. However the requirements for some minerals – especially sodium is increased by hard exercise – mostly because of sweat loss. In general if a problem relating to deficiencies occurs you should investigate your diet as the source of the problem.
Alright so here are my ideas for healthier eating, feel free to add your own.
1. Find healthy foods that you actually like – if you don’t like it don’t eat it no matter how healthy it is. You need to create a diet and eating habits that you can live with and enjoy. And don’t say you don’t like healthy food- almost anything can be made into a healthy alternative – I even figured out how to make “heathy” risotto. lol.
2. Cook your own food- it is important to know what’s in it- restaurants tend to put a lot of oil/salt in food, so even if it appears healthy it may not be. Skip the fast food. It may be difficult at first but after a while you won’t even miss it. Ask me why I know. I’m not saying never to eat out- just try to eat at home a majority of the time. Not only will you be healthier but you’ll save money.
3. Eat a variety of food. Find ways to add vegetables to things. For instance add broccoli, or carrots, or squash etc to spaghetti sauce. There are hundreds of recipes online- trying new things can be time consuming at first but once you find things you like they become fast and easy to prepare. Try to keep a number of ingredients on hand.
4. Eat snacks that add nutritional value instead of candy.
5. Switch to whole grains whenever possible – for instance whole grain pasta, bread etc. Read the ingredients on everything. A lot of times whole wheat bread is white bread with food coloring!
6. Don’t fret over eating unhealthy once and a while- just don’t do it everyday.
7. If you screw up don’t worry about it. You are building good eating habits over time- not over night.
References:
Jack H. Wilmore, David L. Costill, W. Larry Kenney, Physiology of Sport and Exercise, 2008
Ronald J. Maughan, Robert Murray, Sports Drinks: Basic Science and Practical Aspects, CRC Press, 2001
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