The advice of nutritional biologist Maila Fiorentini
At every age one regular physical activityeven moderate, helps to improve the quality of life by positively influencing the state of physical and mental health, to the point of preventing and alleviating many chronic pathologies. But does an athlete need a special diet? The nutritional biologist Maila Fiorentini leaves no room for doubt: “Naturally it is necessary to distinguish professional sporting activity from amateur one. In both cases, however, the answer is yes”.
Table rules for those who play sports
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Everything varies based on the type of sporting practice, the extent of training and the frequency of competitions. In short, from energy expenditure required. “In my opinion – the expert began – the Mediterranean diet seems to be the most suitable dietary model to satisfy the nutritional needs of those who play sports”. Let’s discover the handbook.
Eat a varied and balanced diet – This is sufficient to provide the body with all the nutrients necessary for sporting activity and to replenish, in the recovery phase, those used during physical activity.
Eat five meals a day – The daily requirement of energy and nutrients should be divided into 5 meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks.
Pay attention to the times – Let 2-3 hours pass from the last full meal and generally 30-45 minutes from the snack and the start of training. Practicing sports shortly after meals leads to greater fatigue and less satisfactory results.
Food choice – Favor foods that are not too elaborate, cooked with little fat (fried foods, creams, fatty foods in general are digested more slowly) and which provide good quantities of complex carbohydrates and proteins and little fat.
Take care of hydration – Drink a lot not only immediately before and after training but also during in small sips and at regular intervals and above all throughout the day, even if you are not thirsty. Do not drink less than 2 liters of water a day. The consumption of alcoholic beverages is not recommended.
Watch out for supplements – The use of protein, mineral or other nutrient supplements can only make sense in people undergoing very intense daily training and must always make use of the advice of a specialized professional.
Eat before training
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It is important to know that the meal before training has a very important function: “That of providing a dose of carbohydrates necessary to saturate glycogen stores, ensure correct hydration, prevent hypoglycemia and prevent any condition of gastrointestinal ‘discomfort’ “.
These are the specific inputs of the nutritionist: “If physical activity takes place in the morning, it is advisable to consume a breakfast at least 2/3 hours before, to provide all the useful macronutrients. Attention must be paid to the quality of the foods ingested.” If breakfast is sweetgreen light for “low-fat Greek yogurt, cereals and dried fruit. Alternatively, low-fat Greek yogurt, toast and 100% dried fruit creams without added sugar and without palm oil”. If breakfast is savory“you can opt for freshly squeezed orange juice without sugar and toast with fresh cheese to spread, or with lean sausage or with egg and avocado”. Lunch before training (at least 2-3 hours before) must be easily digestible. Maila Fiorentini recommends: “A cereal (rice or pasta), fresh seasonal vegetables, a light protein (for example low-fat cheese, white meat, lean fish) and olive oil as a condiment.” If physical activity takes place in the afternoon or evening, “the day must proceed regularly with a substantial breakfast, a mid-morning snack and a regular lunch. The pre-exercise snack should be easy to digest and consumed, generally speaking, 30-45 minutes before. I suggest carbohydrates such as fresh fruit, dehydrated fruit, biscuits (rice/buckwheat/quinoa), wholemeal biscuits, wholemeal crackers or cereal bar. Sometimes you can also add dried nuts. It is important – underlines the expert – to avoid that a rapid phase of increase in blood sugar is followed by a hypoglycemic phase produced by the intervention of insulin”.
Eating after training
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During any muscular work, the body encounters, more or less intensely, certain physiological consequences: “Water and salt losses produced by sweating, exhaustion of glycogen stores used to support muscle work, increase in metabolic waste and metabolic acidosis An optimal and correct recovery phase is essential to return the body to a state of homeostasis.” This is where it comes into play post-workout nutrition: “Start immediately after physical activity – explains Maila Fiorentini – within the first 45 minuteswith hydration and a small snack consisting of carbohydrates. These can be accompanied by an initial small portion of proteins (white low-fat yogurt, low-fat sausages, dried fruit, small portions of fresh cheese). The post-workout meal – he clarifies – it is used to quickly restore glycogen supplies. If the training ends around lunch or dinner time, it is not necessary to consume the post-workout snack but it will be sufficient to have lunch or dinner.” An optimal dinner? “Cereals (pasta/rice/spelt/couscous and similar) or potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables preferably in season, proteins (especially blue fish, meat, eggs, legumes) and ‘good’ fats (olive oil, dried fruit, nuts , oilseeds)”.
It is not enough to eat “well” only after physical activity. The nutritionist’s appeal is clear: “All previous meals influence sports performance and lay the foundations for good recovery. If an athlete does not eat and hydrate properly before training, not only will he obtain bad results from the from an athletic point of view, but will suffer from muscle damage, excessive dehydration, a heavy depletion of liver and muscle glycogen reserves, as well as a significant increase in metabolic waste. Post-workout nutrition – explains Maila Fiorentini – however correct it may be, it alone will not be able to completely bring the organism back to a state of homeostasis. states of tiredness, fatigue, nervousness and difficulty in recovery may arise which will negatively influence subsequent training.”
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