THE TRAINING TABLE
The athlete’s training table is a layout of the proper foods an athlete needs to remain healthy. There are several differences with an athlete’s diet compared to a normal diet. Certain foods are recommended to provide the best nutrition. I found I needed much more protein when I began training heavily. I also needed more fat. Those two things helped boost my immune system. An athlete needs a lot of endurance and needs to eat a meal that is high in carbohydrates. At least 90% of the carbohydrates need to come from complex
whole food produce.
An athlete should be sure their fiber intake is at least 10 to 30 grams. Carbohydrates should consist of almost 60% of an active athlete’s daily intake of food.
The athletes training table also points out that an athlete should take in from 12%-20% of proteins in their daily diet. Fats should not take up more than 15%-20% of a daily diet and saturated fats around 0-5%. Sodium intake needs to be restricted also from 1100-2400 milligrams a day. The fluids should be kept at a minimum of 100 ounces a day also. This depends on the weather and the amount you are exercising. Our article on hydration covers this in detail. The normal American diet that people consume today includes a diet of 31% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 44% fats, with almost 7000 milligrams of sodium. This diet is what the average person eats on a daily basis with almost no exercise at all. This is half the amount of carbohydrates an athlete needs and doubles the amount of protein and fat intake. ATHLETE MEALS
There are ideal meals from each food group an active athlete should eat on a daily basis to meet the proper food count from the training table. An athlete can get some of the proteins he or she needs from milk, yogurt, and cheese daily. All types of cheese can be considered and the aged cheeses are the best. They provide good stomach cultures. An active athlete should also eat meats as a good source of protein. The appropriate meats can be from lean meat, fish, beans, eggs, or peanut butter. I used to avoid peanut butter due to the fat. I now eat it as a good source of protein. I am just sure to add that into my fat count for the day. For athletes who do not eat meat, there are some great
alternative proteins.
The best fruits for an active athlete to eat are berries like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and melons. These fruits provide the best sources of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. You should consume two to four servings from the fruit group each day. Although I do not normally eat within 2 hours of bedtime due to weight gain and digestive issues, I can eat berries right before bed with no issues. Because carbohydrates need to make up more than half of an athlete’s daily intake foods like whole wheat breads, whole wheat crackers, whole wheat pasta and cereal are good. An athlete needs to eat from 6 to 11 servings a day of carbohydrates to meet the needs of their active lifestyle. The athlete’s training table needs to maintain the proper energy levels to make it through the day, training and strengthen the athlete. A great book, Athlete Recipes, has lots of recipes to keep the athlete fueled.
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