Physical and psychological benefits of sport are obvious but when the intense exercise is a part of everyday life, you must make sure you have the proper diet on a long term.

Athletes have the same nutritional needs as ordinary people, but because of greater physical effort, the demand for carbohydrates increases. An athletes diet can contain up to 67% carbohydrates.

Athletes should know that handling a diet for a short-term performance may cost a long-term health. No food can miraculously improve performance, just a good combination of food can sustain the competition.

When a sports requires a great expenditure of energy, it is essentially an adequate intake of calories, macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fibers) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) to maintain the energy and fluid balance.

More minerals …

Mineral content and application of tissues and cells differs.Bones contain much calcium, potassium and magnesium than muscle cells, and the blood is rich in sodium and chloride ions. Normally, the lack of minerals will be offset by reducing the excretion and releasing a few minerals stored in tissues.

Potassium in muscle is gradually lost as they are requested to repeated exercises. The body needs this mineral substance to release energy for a regular heart rhythm and a good digestion. So that, you can include in your diet foods rich in potassium; good sources are the lean meats, vegetables, nuts, pods and fruits, especially bananas.

To performant athletes can often be found a magnesium deficiency. This thing, with the physical exercise causes fatigue and muscle cramps, to hypotonia. Magnesium rich foods are the sea vegetables, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and pods.

Why fats need?

There are plenty of people that are folowing some weight loss programs in order to be healthy.

Because an athlete’s diet emphasizes the high intake of carbohydrates, it takes only 30% fats for the energy consumption. Muscles prefer fat as fuel during easy exercises, but carbohydrates are consumed quickly when the activity is intense.

Obesity is an imbalance between fat intake and energy expenditure. Now day obesity is a problem of health and mind in many people. The stimulating factors of obesity is social environment, advertising of many food products induce the consumers want to eat more than the energy use. The rush hours working lifestyle make many people take junk food and fast food more than nutritionists. The important factor is Generic, it is found that one obese patient has a 40% chance of obesity and both obese patients have 80% chance of obesity.

There is no truly direct way to measure how fat you are or how much the body fat. Common way is calculate BMI (Body Mass Index).  If the BMI > 27 means now you have severe problem of obesity and may increase risk for morbidity, developing a number of chronic disease and health.

The chronic diseases that are developed from obesity are diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, cancer, gout and sleep apnea. So control the weight is the best way to void health problem.

There are many ways to control and reduce the weight. Exercise and should low calories foods are the best way. The other way is using weigh control products.