Fuel Your Success: Power Up with Optimum Nutrition

Reviewed By: Dr. Geetha Kamath, BAMS Women’s Health Ayurveda, Gut & Metabolic Lifestyle Care

Delve into the world of sports where happiness meets competition, and performance is key. But have you ever wondered what fuels an athlete’s success?

Balanced optimum nutrition, regular massages, and proper hydration play vital roles. From carbohydrates for energy to fats for endurance and proteins for muscle repair, discover how the right diet powers peak performance on the field.

Introduction

A sport usually provides happiness to the participants and enjoyment to the audience. It includes all forms of competitive activities or games that involve casual organized physical/ non-physical participation. In any sport, the audience looks for performance. The performance of the sports person mainly depends on physical fitness. In turn, the physical fitness of the sportsperson depends on regular and balanced food habits, oil massages, and proper hydration.

Balanced food with appropriate proportions of carbohydrates, fat, proteins, and vitamins provides fuel to maintain energy levels. Adequate intake of carbohydrates is essential to avoid muscle fatigue since the working muscles use it as a primary fuel. It also increases muscle glycogen stores and promotes faster stomach emptying.

On the other hand, fat intake is to be monitored but should not be eliminated. The fatty acid from the fat is used as a source of energy for long-lasting sessions. Fats act as building blocks for hormones and the formation of cells. Protein is essential for building new muscle tissue and energy. If protein is taken in excess, it will be stored as fat. It may also lead to dehydration and may contribute to kidney problems.

• Sports Diet: A sports diet should boost the immunity system and increase the internal body strength of sporting individuals so that they can recover from any afflictions at a faster pace. Sports persons who have bulky body with muscle mass needs should take high-calorie food such as almonds, bananas, cow’s milk, chicken meat, etc.
• Sports persons who need to maintain a low body weight and a lean physique should consume foods that provide body strength and stamina such as green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, seeds, skinless chicken and turkey, and low-fat dairy products. Building stamina and immunity through a  optimum nutrition diet not only depends on the nutrients but also on a diet plan on a time scale i.e., one should have regular and timely diet schedules.
• To stay active for long periods, one needs to follow a diet rich in carbohydrates since they provide quick energy. Diet during the sporting event can also be planned as pre-game/post-game along with hydration. Pre-game meals should include 70% carbohydrates but should avoid high content of processed sugar and any food that has not been tried earlier. After-game energy food should include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grain cereals, natural fruit juices, and dried fruit.
• Energy Drinks: Inadequate fluid intake leads to dehydration which is highly dangerous to health. It is essential to rehydrate the body quickly. Water is the best rehydrate. Water mixed with a little salt, sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice acts as electrolytes which replenishes the body instantly. Lemon juice with jaggery and pudina (mint leaves), buttermilk, tender coconut, tender coconut with lemon juice, jal-jeera, sol-kadi, kokum juice, honey/ jaggery and drinking water also rejuvenate the body instantly. Ragi malt with jaggery, green gram malt with jaggery, sesame milk with jaggery, etc., are a few of the traditional healthy drinks that boost immunity and build stamina if planned with a regular diet.
• Energy Foods: The inclusion of unrefined grains in daily diet helps the body to get essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Whey protein helps in repairing and rebuilding lean tissues. During intense exercise, carbohydrate is the predominant fuel source, and during prolonged exercise stored fat acts as the fuel source. Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables regularly as per the regional regime along with additional but traditional foods like baked sweet potato with coconut milk and jaggery, plain potato, egg, egg with milk, dry fruits, nuts, grains, etc., helps to build stamina and immunity in the long run instead of packed dietary supplements available in the market which may have to boost effect for short term.
• IQ enhancers: Cashew nuts fried with ghee and taken with a little honey and ghee followed by drinking a cup of warm milk are supposed to act as the best memory enhancers. This can be an ideal supplement for memory-based sports. It is rich in Vitamin B2, B3, C, or E, magnesium, pantothenic acid, and copper content in its natural form. Ghee balances excess stomach acid and helps to maintain the mucous lining of the stomach. Dried pumpkin seeds, walnuts, butter fruit, green leafy vegetables, coconut oil, turmeric, and Brahmi are a few examples of memory enhancers.