Food and sport: what to eat before, during and after training

When choosing what you are going to eat, and especially in what quantity, it is important to consider if you are going to move a lot or not that day. A good diet can also help you take better advantage of your training sessions.

" Athletes do not deserve better than a simple chicken breast accompanied by pasta? Coralie Ferreira and Axel Heulin ask in the introduction of their book "The athlete's diet" (RBA). For the authors of this practical manual, prepared jointly by a cook and a dietitian-nutritionist specialized in sports nutrition, a diet focused on achieving maximum physical performance does not have to be synonymous with boring and tasteless dishes. A good example of this are the 60 healthy and appetizing recipes that they include in their work. Among others, you will find how to make an appetizing chia pudding, some sweet potato pancakes , a risotto with seaweed or a white fish tartar. As you can see, they are simple proposals that you may not cook because when it comes to shopping, you simply do not think about purchasing certain ingredients.

But recipes are not the only strong point in this manual. It also provides diet guidelines designed specifically for the athlete , both before and during and after training.Thanks to them, you will achieve the perfect balance between what you eat and what you burn. Among them we highlight the following.WHAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSING IN YOUR PANTRYBasic products such as rice, olive oil and nuts. But neither do others that, if you have them at hand, will make your menus more varied: bulgur, amaranth, coconut oil, vegetable drinks, agave syrup, goji berries ...ANIMAL PROTEINS: HOW MANY SHOULD YOU TAKE?For a person who is not a sports professional and who trains 3 times a week, Ferreira and Heulin recommend taking a serving (between 50 and 200 grams, depending on body weight) of meat, fish or eggs a day.On the other hand, for professional athletes they recommend 2 daily servings.DAIRY, SOURCE OF CALCIUMThe ideal is to take 3 dairy products a day, preferably semi-skimmed and as natural as possible (without sweeteners, thickeners, sugars, additives ...).