Nutrition and Foods That Are Good for Athletes
Introduction
Many types of food are necessary for a human to survive and to help maintain the body. Food contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, water, proteins and lipids which are all essential for the functioning of the body. Each one of the 6 mentioned has a specific task, all equally important.
An athlete must maintain a healthy mass and have a good nutritional diet. Athletes may also use performance enhancers with their diets.
Diet
Mountain bikers need a lot of energy when they cycle or race. Mountain biking is a grueling sport and ones diet is very important.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your primary source of fuel and it is crucial to have enough of it in order to achieve and do well in races. Your ideal mass of carbohydrates per day should range between 7g and 19g per kilogram of your body mass.
Many cyclists do what we call “carbo-loading”. They then mainly eat foods such as organic breads, oatmeal, whole grain pasta, brown rice and very importantly fruits and vegetables. A mountain biker chooses complex carbohydrates instead of sweets and drinks as the complex carbohydrates are used over a period of time and the sweets and drinks give a sugar high and then a crash.
Protein
Protein is needed to help build your muscles and repair tissue as you train and when you rest. The range of protein that should be eaten per day is approximately 1.2g – 2g of protein per kilogram of your mass.
Cyclists frequently go with lean sources such as turkey, chicken breasts and certain types of fish.
Fat Intake
Fat in the body is stored energy and is vital for races as that storage is constantly accessed. The amount of fat that needs to be consumed ranges from 0.8g – 2g of mainly monounsaturated fat per kilogram each day. Olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocado are appropriate choices.
Salmon and Tuna fish are eaten because it gives cyclists healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Meat and dairy products
Many types of food are necessary for a human to survive and to help maintain the body. Food contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, water, proteins and lipids which are all essential for the functioning of the body. Each one of the 6 mentioned has a specific task, all equally important.
An athlete must maintain a healthy mass and have a good nutritional diet. Athletes may also use performance enhancers with their diets.
Diet
Mountain bikers need a lot of energy when they cycle or race. Mountain biking is a grueling sport and ones diet is very important.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your primary source of fuel and it is crucial to have enough of it in order to achieve and do well in races. Your ideal mass of carbohydrates per day should range between 7g and 19g per kilogram of your body mass.
Many cyclists do what we call “carbo-loading”. They then mainly eat foods such as organic breads, oatmeal, whole grain pasta, brown rice and very importantly fruits and vegetables. A mountain biker chooses complex carbohydrates instead of sweets and drinks as the complex carbohydrates are used over a period of time and the sweets and drinks give a sugar high and then a crash.
Protein
Protein is needed to help build your muscles and repair tissue as you train and when you rest. The range of protein that should be eaten per day is approximately 1.2g – 2g of protein per kilogram of your mass.
Cyclists frequently go with lean sources such as turkey, chicken breasts and certain types of fish.
Fat Intake
Fat in the body is stored energy and is vital for races as that storage is constantly accessed. The amount of fat that needs to be consumed ranges from 0.8g – 2g of mainly monounsaturated fat per kilogram each day. Olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocado are appropriate choices.
Salmon and Tuna fish are eaten because it gives cyclists healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Meat and dairy products