Athletes, those who excel in sporting competition, their body is their shrine, their bank, so they’ll do everything they can to take care of it. They keep it in tiptop optimum shape, prevent it from injury, and feed it the proper fuel to maximum physical output.
So if you’re wanting your own body to perform more optimally, then do what the pro athletes do, how they treat and feed their bodies, as that’s their meal ticket. Know the type of foods that they eat, along with the quality of the nutrients that they absorb.
Those who excel in athletics are gifted with superior genetics and talent. There’s also some who are physically gifted, but are still unfortunately young and dumb, and will eat anything, taking their health for granted.
So despite all of the training that they do, like anyone else, there are damaging effects caused by their poor food eating choices, which eventually catches up to them.
The informed athletes however, who has adopted a more natural, healthier whole foods approach towards their diet, has shown that it gives them a decided edge when in competition.
How Athletes Get Their Energy
What’s known is that sustainable energy along with stamina doesn’t come from sugar. They avoid simple carbs such as pasta, corn syrup, or bread, this before any type of competition.
What these foods causes is a sudden surge of energy from the blood sugar spike, that’s quickly followed by an energy crash, then exhaustion.
What’s known is that these simple carbs also makes them sluggish, which hampers their performance. So what’s recommended is creating this energy more naturally.
The Need To Eat Real Food
Eating real food is the foundation when maximizing physical performance. Since it works for these superior athletes, you know it’ll work for you.
The key is eating as organic as possible, eating whole unprocessed foods which are grown without fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, and genetically engineered organisms (GMO).
What these toxins does is they’ll strip out their food value, the majority being valuable antioxidants. What’s known is that organic fruits and vegetables can contain up to 70% percent more antioxidants than what’s conventionally grown.
These are the vital antioxidants which contains properties that reduces chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, and neuro-degenerative disease.
Mechanically Processed Farming
Mechanical processing is the main reason why nutrients are stripped out of these fruits and vegetables, a method which was introduced over a century ago. It’s the health of the soil that dictates the quality of the food it produces.
What using chemicals along with mechanical based farming does is it destroys this soil, making it almost impossible to grow healthy nutritional foods. Processing them then further depletes their value.
The majority of the “real food” that’s consumed today is most likely genetically engineered in some way, saturated with preservative chemicals and pesticides, then processed. Most are prepackaged to extend their shelf life, so the so called real food no longer exists.
Pre Post Workout Foods
Prior to a workout, consume fruits such as oranges, apples, pears, plums, or berries. Make sure they’re whole and not juiced. They are an excellent source of natural sugar, which supplies regulated stable energy.
Also consume complex carbs a few hours before the event, along with the “good” fats and protein. What’s recommended is: brown rice, sweet potatoes, flax oil, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, and eggs, which all digests easily while providing sustainable energy.
Once the exercise is completed, the body becomes low on nitrogen while the muscles break down. So what it needs are amino acids from animal protein, such as lean beef, chicken, or eggs, along with vegetable carbohydrates. Whey protein is good as well.
Loading On Carbs
Although some health experts recommend “carb-loading” before endurance events, what’s found is that they’re always not ideal for extending stamina.
The reason being that carbs are stored in the liver and the muscles, this in the form of glycogen, which the body uses as fuel when it’s tired.
As this glycogen begins to deplete, fatigue then sets in, and the reason why muscles hurt and performance begins to suffer. The body also begins to burn stored fat.
So for endurance, rather than loading up on carbs, what’s recommended is consuming healthy fats along with protein, which will dramatically improve performance longevity.
How Probiotics Strengthens Immune Function
What strenuous training does is it attacks the immune system, and the reason why athletes become vulnerable to infections, including coughs, colds, and the flu. What’s found is that probiotics can counteract these symptoms.
Eating organic whole foods which are traditionally fermented or cultured are the best choices, which colonizes the good gut bacteria, this so probiotic supplements aren’t needed.
Also, if you’re wanting to make healthy changes to your diet, or are suffering from chronic diseases, it’s advised to “reseed” your gut with probiotic supplementation for a few months.
The bad bacteria usually outnumbers the good by a ratio of 10 to 1, which has a huge impact on your weight and health, this both mentally and physically.
How Bacteria In Your Gut Goes Off Balance
What antibiotics does is it indiscriminately kills off all bacteria, both good and bad, and the reason why taking them results in cramping, gas, diarrhea, and exhaustion.
What consuming too much sugar does is it causes the overgrowth of disease causing bacteria, such as fungi, yeast infections, and parasites.
This often results in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Candida, Crohn’s disease, periodontal disease, and other common stomach infections.
So what’s recommended is eating as many real foods as possible which are low in bad sugar, as doing so produces the good bacteria to flourish, while discouraging the bad bacteria.