In the year of the Olympic Games in Brazil, Brazilians’ interest in sports continues to grow.
Despite being a country with a great sporting mission, carelessness and lack of information about the important aspects that revolve around these activities can endanger health as a whole. For example, food is one of those essential aspects for those who exercise regularly.
Knowing what to eat before, during and after training directly affects our quality of life, well-being and, of course, physical performance.
Before we know what to eat, we need to know what we will practice, because the concept of physical activity is different from that used for physical exercise, and this completely interferes with dietary requirements.
While physical activity is characterized by any unplanned movement of the body that generates energy expenditure, such as walking the dog on the street or washing the car, for example exercise (swimming, running, etc.) motors.
Nutritionist Sheila Basso explains the importance of following a consistent diet against these wear and tear.
“You always need to remember to take care with a good diet in two moments: before and after exercise. , vegetables and a low intake of foods rich in fats and sugars,” explains the professional and repeats: “Interest in these lifestyle changes requires attention: changes in eating habits and the start of programmed physical activity must be carefully monitored by experts,” the specialist leads and presents to us menu for each specific moment of activity. See below!
Before training – Absence of carbohydrates in parallel with physical activity can cause loss of muscle mass, premature fatigue, loss of intake and performance.
Therefore, one to two hours before training, consume foods rich in carbohydrates, such as rice, tubers (potatoes, cassava, cassava, yams, yams), pasta, oatmeal, granola, farofa and flour in general, pastries, crackers and toast.
If possible, it is better to consume these foods in whole-grain versions (bread, rice and whole-grain products), because they are able to provide energy for a longer period of time”, emphasizes the nutritionist.
Good options: Banana with oatmeal
During training – according to Dr. Sheila, for workouts of less than an hour, 200ml of water is recommended every 20 minutes of exercise. If exercise exceeds one hour, it is recommended to drink 50ml to 100ml of water every 20 minutes and add 30g to 60g of carbohydrates to replenish muscle glycogen to improve performance and delay fatigue.
After training – Immediately after physical activity, it is important to replenish the energy expended during exercise. Therefore, foods rich in carbohydrates should also be present at this time, in this case non-whole grain versions (white bread, white rice, fruit, honey, etc.), which will give us energy more quickly.
“In addition, we should also take foods with a source of protein, such as skimmed milk and yogurts and low-fat cheeses, because this nutrient is responsible for the regeneration and regeneration of muscles,” reiterates the nutritionist.
