It is always better to stick to a traditional menu than to use a dietary system that raises doubts or mistrust. Especially when you consider the many ignorant myths that are mercilessly copied all over the internet and passed off as the results of serious research by “British scientists.
Questionable tips and diets for losing weight or gaining mass can cause serious harm. Regardless of your training goals, there are basic principles of nutrition in sports that are best not ignored.
Nutrients
First, the body needs all kinds of nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and of course water. Any sports diet or diet for weight loss or gaining weight is based only on balancing these elements, not on excluding any of them.
Meal Mode
Second, eat as you feel comfortable. It makes no difference what time you throw in your plate of spaghetti. The only thing that matters is your overall energy balance. Eating small but frequent portions, as preached by fitness gurus, does not stand up to the criticism of the scientific approach and has no effect on the degree of fat deposition.
Moreover, eating too often, as suggested by leading institutes of physiology and sport, can reduce insulin sensitivity. This can provoke unpleasant health consequences.
But the main thing is not to try to start working out on a full stomach, but only after 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the variety and severity of food.
Water and isotonics
Thirdly, you should know that the percentage of water in the body directly affects all chemical and electrolytic processes, on which the general physical state and even mood depend.
However, you should also remember that the need to drink a certain amount of water per day is also a myth, which does not take into account the circumstances and individual characteristics.
Moreover, too much water can be just as harmful as not drinking enough. The safest option is to drink according to your sense of thirst, not according to an app on your smartphone.
For prolonged and profuse fluid loss it is better to connect to the use of isotonics with electrolytes, but at the initial stage they are not necessary.
Slow and fast carbohydrates
Fourth, do not join the common and erroneous division of carbohydrates into “fast” and “slow. These do not exist. There are only simple and complex ones, and they differ in the structure of their molecules.
The opinion that the length of the molecular chain affects the rate of assimilation, and this can be used in sports nutrition or in weight loss diets, is fundamentally wrong. The difference in assimilation is no more than 5 minutes. That is, all carbohydrates are absorbed at almost the same rate.
We should only be interested in indicators such as the glycemic index of a carbohydrate-containing product, the glycemic load and the amount of carbohydrates themselves, of course.
Chemistry in food
Fifth, try to avoid chemicals in food, artificial flavors, dyes, preservatives, GMOs, etc. Carefully study the composition of the products in the store.
The neutralization and excretion of many such substances requires increased amounts of water, and water balance is vital to us. You can’t increase your water intake and absorption indiscriminately, and the load on your kidneys is already high.
This applies to some sports drinks (it is better to prepare them yourself) and to chemical concentrates, which are commonly called “juices.
Vitamin complexes
Vitamins for the body should be obtained from fresh vegetables, fruits and natural foods. If running training does not exceed the amateur level, then taking vitamin complexes is absolutely unnecessary.
Once you ramp up your workouts, especially in the off-season, it’s important to nourish your body to speed up your results. There are many domestic vitamin kits available, but I suggest looking at foreign sports vitamin complexes.
Sports Vitamins for Men:
- Optimum Nutrition, Opti-Men ($19 for 90 pieces, Made in U.S.A., the most good reviews)
- Universal Nutrition, Animal Pak ($29 for 30 pieces, Made in U.S.A., contains vitamin, amino acid, antioxidant, and enzyme complexes)
Sporting vitamins for women:
- Optimum Nutrition, Opti-Woman ($11 for 60 pieces, for women, considered one of the best)
- FEMME, Vitafemme ($11 for 21 pieces, course 21 days, multivitamins + Omega-3 + Probiotics)
Remember that each athlete is suitable for his multivitamins, so it is better to try vitamins from different manufacturers, buying them in small batches. The effect of multivitamins suitable for you you will feel in the second month of taking them.
The most important thing to remember is that while you are counting calories, others are counting kilometers at this moment. A fanatical attitude toward the composition of food is not always justified, especially since research in this area never ends and often leads to paradoxical results.
The main indicator of proper nutrition should always remain your own body because of its uniqueness.
