The sport  is one of the healthiest habits we can include in our daily lives, as it will provide toning our muscles, it will help us combat this accumulation of unnecessary fats in our body, it increases our muscle mass, as well as countless other benefits for our physical and mental health, but do we really know how to follow an adequate diet  when we perform a certain physical activity with some frequency?

The mere fact of  practicing sports will help us to combat the symptoms associated with  obesity, one of the main causes of very diverse diseases in the medium or long term that today suffer a considerable percentage of Western society. However, beyond the strength of will, when playing  sports we must carry out a series of measures to avoid any harmful effect on our body. In addition to clothing, footwear, adequate equipment and control of time and physical effort, we must provide our bodies with the  nutrients we need to resist during our training.

The  energy in the form of carbohydrates, sugars or proteins, becomes one of the key drivers underlying the  sports nutrition. Each person, depending on the intensity and duration of the training sessions of their physical activity, will need a certain amount of food. Taking into account this last point, roughly, we must consider that the diet of an athlete must be high in carbohydrates.

If we talk about an  athlete, for example, between 55 and 75 kilograms of weight, we must consider that, according to the experts in nutrition, around 55% of their energy needs have to come from  foods rich in carbohydrates, which are later transformed into glucose, one of the main engines for our muscles to function.

If you plan to undertake some type of sports competition to fill the liver and muscles of glycogen (how glucose is stored) you can eat additional servings of carbohydrates in portions slightly higher than you usually consume. These foods are, for example, rice, pasta, fruits, tubers or cereals.

Likewise,  water plays a fundamental role to keep us in shape and avoid dehydration. It is convenient to take it during and after training and competitions, paying special attention and care to drinks with caffeine, not recommended in these cases.

The  proteins are another essential nutrients to the diet of an athlete, but in this case, unlike carbohydrates, we have to control their numbers. You can find more information and protein supplements in the online store of sports nutrition that we indicate in the link.

For example, in the case of endurance athletes  or those prepared for high level competitions, it is necessary to increase the dose of protein foods so that their muscles can recover after performing the physical effort they have been subjected to. Approximately, for each 7 kilograms of body weight, a protein ration is recommended, which is equivalent, for example, to 250 ml of skimmed milk or 30 grams of red meat, fish or skinless chicken.

On the other hand, it is recommended to control the consumption of excess fats . It is true that, for example, the intake of a minimum proportion of fat is required for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. We must bet in any case, for foods with a low percentage of fats and avoid, for example, industrial pastries, sauces such as mayonnaise or butter.

Regarding the  type of minerals, in the case of  women athletes  with absence of menstruation, calcium needs are usually increased   to compensate for their lower intestinal absorption of this mineral, being advisable to eat dairy products such as milk or skimmed yogurt.

On the other hand,  iron  also plays a very important role, since it will provide more energy to our body, being in the case of  athletes  a greater demand for this mineral than that of a sedentary person. They are convenient in these cases, the consumption of meats and vegetables.

In addition to providing energy to achieve the maximum  amount of glucose  in our muscles and achieve good muscle and joint recovery, sports nutrition  aims to prevent you from overeating, increase body weight, avoid potential deficiencies due to lack of nutrients and the desire to eat every short period of time.

The  power, therefore, is also presented in the  sporting arena  as one of the basic pillars that allow us to meet the physical effort that requires our training or competition. Therefore, we must take care of what we eat, also, when we play sports.

And you ? Do you follow a special dietary program when you practice some physical exercise with some frequency?