Posted October 23rd, 2018 by Fruidel Team
Nutrition is important for fitness
Eating a well-balanced diet can help you get the calories and nutrients you need to fuel your daily activities, including regular exercise. When it comes to eating foods to fuel your exercise performance, it’s not as simple as choosing vegetables over doughnuts. You need to get the right types of food at the right times of the day. Learn about the importance of healthy breakfasts, workout snacks, and meal plans.
Get off to a good start
Your first meal of the day is an important one. According to an article published in Harvard Health Letter, eating breakfast regularly has been linked to a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Starting your day with a healthy meal can help replenish your blood sugar, which your body needs to power your muscles and brain.
When it comes to working out, you know that what you do in the gym is important. But what you do outside the gym — what you eat, what you drink, and especially how you sleep, is just as crucial. In fact, you must sleep in order for exercise to actually work.
Count on the right carbohydrates
Thanks to low-carb fad diets, carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap. But carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy. According to the Mayo Clinic, about 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories should come from carbohydrates. This is especially true if you exercise.
Choosing the right kind of carbohydrates is important. Too many people rely on the simple carbs found in sweets and processed foods. Instead, you should focus on eating the complex carbs found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
Boost your fruit and vegetable intake
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of natural fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that your body needs to function properly. They’re also low in calories and fat.
Aim to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies at every meal, recommends the United States Department of Agriculture. Try to “eat the rainbow” by choosing fruits and veggies of different colours. This will help you enjoy the full range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that the produce aisle has to offer. Every time you go to the grocery store, considering choosing a new fruit or vegetable to try. For snacks, keep dried fruits in your workout bag and raw veggies in the fridge.
5 Reasons to eat fruits post workout
A good post-workout recovery routine is just as important as the training itself. The first 15-60 minutes right after exercising is crucial to replenish your body. Complement your workout efforts with portion control foods for weight management – like fruits.
Here are 5 reason why fruits make great post-exercise snacks
1. Hydrate and Replenish
Our body loses electrolytes and fluids when we exercise and fruits are great for replacing both. Fruits are hydrating and a natural source of Vitamin C, A, E, K, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Calcium, Manganese, Folate, and more. Not only are these nutrients essential to strengthen your body but also to fight off free radicals that form when you exercise.
2. Alleviate Acid Reflux
We exercise in an oxygen-depleted state, which leads to lactic acid build-up. Luckily we can do a quick acid detox just by eating fruits. Fruits are highly alkalizing to sooth our digestive and intestinal systems. Try eating apples, bananas, or tangerines 15 minutes after your workout to get your daily dose of fruits and be rid of that nasty feeling of post-workout reflux.
3. Easy to Absorb and Digest
The same blood cells are used for both digestion and absorption. When we give our body easy-to-absorb foods during its prime absorption state, it will concentrate on taking in nutrients instead. Skip dense foods and opt for simple post-workout snacks like fruits. They contain the satisfying fiber you need to feel full and nutrients without a digestive overload.
4. Good Portion for Weight Control
People exercise not only for health reasons but also to keep in shape. Portion control for weight management nicely complements your workout schedule. Fruits, fresh or dried, are low in calorie and fat and packed with essential antioxidants and minerals to fuel your body.
Replace those commercial junk foods with a few bags of raisins, cranberries, nuts, and a 2-ingredients That’s It. fruit bar to get your daily dose of fruits and the taste to satisfy your cravings, without the excess calories and fat.
5. Convenient to Grab On-the-go
After a prolonged marathon, you probably don’t want to spend another working hour in the kitchen. That’s where fruits come in – just wash and pack them into your gym bag for a complete post-workout snack on-the-go – sans preparation and cooking.
