Improving your athletic performance is your prerequisite for any sports; let it be a tennis game or a soccer match. To improve your physical performance, you need to take care of your body and mind. A healthy body and mind are the end results of balanced diet. Here is a quick review of nutrition for improving your athletic performance. Read on.

Balanced diet: Carbohydrates should be included more in your diet which is also balanced with all the other nutrients. Your body needs regular supply of sufficient energy. Therefore, include grains, starchy vegetables and fruits in your diet.

Protein is another important nutrient for a sportsperson. You need to take more protein for the repair of muscles and tissues, as there are susceptible to injuries and sprains.

Multivitamin-mineral supplement is always recommended to the athletes. You must follow a diet that provides you sufficient vitamins and minerals. Vitamin supplements ensure sufficient supply of nutrition. However, you should be very careful while choosing the vitamin-mineral supplements because, some may have side-effects and many of them may not be suited for your physique. Hence, follow vitamin-mineral supplements under the guidance of a medical practitioner or a physical trainer.

Hydration: Hydration is very important for athletes to stay fit. So, make it a habit to drink even when you are not thirsty. You may be recommended energy drinks, but they are avoidable. Aerated drinks and beverages containing caffeine are strict no-no, because they rather increase dehydration.

Cool water is sufficient. Drink at three to eight ounces of water 20 minutes before playing and after every 15 minutes during the game. Drink six to eight ounces of water when the game culminates.

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Badminton is supposed to be the fastest racket sport in the world. The energy sapping, fast paced game full of quick reflexes thus requires proper nutrition to perform well. Here is guidance for badminton players about the nutritional requirements.

The nutrition intake is not the same both on and off a competition day. You may require 2500 calories on an off day while on a competition day the intake may reach up to 5000 calories. Similarly, the intake of carbohydrates, water and other nutrients is distinct for both the days.

Broadly speaking, your diet should be well balanced with carbohydrate, fat, protein, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals and water. A sports diet expert will tell you the quantity and we will tell you where you can find these nutrients.

When it is a non-competition day, eat less carbohydrate and more fat and protein. As the competition day approaches, go for increased carbohydrate.

When you are playing a match, it is ideal to drink beverages containing glucose during rest between plays. Avoid beverages containing fructose. This is because fructose has to be converted into glucose for the body to use it, which takes time, predisposing the individual to low blood sugars and fatigue. Fructose can also cause stomach upset.

Protein: The protein intake should not exceed the limit because it leads to dehydration, decreased desire for food and even loose motions. So, keep the protein intake in moderate.

Vitamins and Minerals: Optimal intake of vitamins and minerals is very essential for badminton players. Include Vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and Minerals including iron in your diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs etc. are good sources of vitamins and minerals.

Water: You should drink adequate amounts of water before, during and after the play. Keep it in moderate. Drinking too much of water and too less of water are both bad for your performance. Water should be drunk as to satisfy your thirst.

Electrolytes: Increase the amount of electrolytes (mainly sodium) during competition days. However, you should not consume salt tablets in excess which can cause a sensation of vomiting, and bloating of stomach. Include bananas in your diet to fulfill the potassium requirements.

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Expert coaching and physical conditioning are not the only requirement to become a good athlete. To become a successful athlete, you need to strictly follow a diet which is planned exclusively for athletes. Here is a list about the must-have nutrients for athletes.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates is the basis of fuel as it supplies energy in the form of glucose. Your diet should consist of at least 60 to 70 % of carbohydrates. The food variants with sumptuous amount of carbohydrates include whole wheat, whole cereals, wheat products, pastas, breads, rice, fruits and vegetables. Minimize the intake of refined flour. Since a lot of power and stamina is required for an athlete, proper amount of carbohydrates should be included in your diet to stay energized and perform well.

Proteins: As you know, proteins are the building blocks of life. They are required by the body to build new tissues and perform various other functions. 12-15% should be the caloric intake of Proteins in your diet. The exact amount of protein required depends on the type of exercise you do during the training sessions, their intensity and duration, level of your fitness, carbohydrate intake and total calories.
Fats: When it comes to fats, quality matters, rather than the quantity. The caloric intake of fats is 20-25% of the total calories. Include polyunsaturated fats and mono-saturated fats in the diet. The quantity of saturated and trans-saturated fats should be should be less.

Vitamins and minerals: Vitamins and minerals also serve as essential part of your diet, for proper growth.

If you are following a well balanced diet, you don’t have to compulsorily include health supplements in your diet.

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Every baseball player wants to be a hard hitter. The strength training programs definitely help to become a hard hitter. However, proper nutrition is as basic requirement as the training sessions are. Here is know- how about the basic nutrition which is required by every baseball player.

Nutrition is undoubtedly the key aspect of athletic performance. The basic requirements of Baseball are strength, power and explosiveness. Nutrition is the one-stop solution to build your muscles.

A sharp mind and a healthy physique are essential to develop high proficiency in the game. For this you need to feed your body with the nutrients necessary for many processes including biosynthesis of hormones, muscle building, bone formation and many other functions.  For this, you need to know about the intake of calories that is, the energy you receive from eating food.

The six basic classes of nutrients include Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals and Water.

Proteins:  Proteins are the building blocks of life. Protein makes up many structures within the body including your muscles, skin and organs. Enrich your diet with food containing sumptuous amounts of protein including milk, eggs and fish. The amount of protein varies in every food.

The nutritional value of proteins according to the doctors is 4 calories per 1 g of protein.

Carbohydrates: Many people have the misconception that carbohydrates are out enemies. But, the truth is- NO. They are rather our friends when it comes to efficient and powerful energy. They are the most important macro nutrients. The amount of carbohydrates fluctuates according to the needs of the athletic performance.

You can get good amount of carbohydrates from the sources of simple carbohydrates such as Monosaccharide (Glucose, Fructose and Galactose) and Disaccharides (Maltose, Sucrose and Lactose).

On the other hand, Complex carbohydrates are found in whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, yams and oats. Complex carbohydrates are basically large chains of Monosaccharide joined to form one huge molecule.

Fibers are a form of carbohydrate. Fibers help protect the body against bacterial infection, reduce the risk of colon cancer and coronary heart disease and helps stop hemorrhoids and constipation. Vegetables, whole wheat pasta, oats and whole wheat bread contain good amount of fiber.

Fats: We often consider fats as bad and chuck them out of our diets. But the truth is that we should rather eat a ton of fats! I am not joking anyway! Although there are fats which definitely harm the body, there are good fats that are essential foar our body. Good fats when digested are broken down into fatty acids which play many roles in our biology.

Good fats provide a lot of dense energy; make you feel fuller and are major components of cell membranes.

Good fats include Saturated fats (fats that contain saturated fatty acids). They are solid at room temperature and can be found in foods such as animal meat. Saturated Fats are important in the production of testosterone.
 
Essential Fatty Acids are fatty acids which we must get from our diet or cannot make in sufficient quantities (similar to essential amino acids). EFA help with the body’s immune system, help regulate blood pressure, reduce infection, manage blood lipids, and helps with the creation of blood clots. You can get sufficient amount of essential fatty acids in fish and fish oil.

The nutritional value of fat as per the doctors is 9 calories per 1 g of fat.

Water: Last but not the least; water is pro-athletic performance. Drink beer mugs of water and you will get to know that water clears out toxins, makes the water soluble vitamins function properly, causes cell volumization, helps regulate body temperature and the list goes on. The recommended intake of water is 4-8 L a day and 1-2 L during the game.

Make sure that your diet contains all the above essential nutrients to perform well in Baseball.

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