Foods For Competition

Foods For Competition.

We all need to eat. This is a basic necessity, the only problem with that, is what we eat, when we eat and ultimately why we eat. In a nutshell it’s usually driven by hunger, for others they would eat a variety of foods for competition.

This article is based on food, mainly for training and competition.  My goal is to express how this helped me during my competition and training days. Our bodies demands the right foods for competition.  Please use this as a guide not as a rule, due to the fact that you may have an intolerance to certain foods.

The Myths.

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Food plays a vital role in our lives, our bodies needs a certain amount of sustenance.  This consists of:

• Protein.                                                                                                   
  
• Vitamins.
• Carbohydrates.
• Minerals.

Most of these we take on board on a daily basis without thought, for instance Protein from meat and Carbohydrates from rice, potato and pasta (Also known as Carbs).  Vitamins and minerals we take on board from fruit and vegetables.

Every coach will have their own ideas about Carbs and its benefits to our bodies. But I would like to say Carbs are our friend. Everything in the right quantity is good! Now down to the nitty gritty, ” don’t eat Carbs after 6pm” this will cause you to put on weight!

NOT QUITE TRUE, Carbs gives us energy, our bodies need it.  But in order for it to be broken down efficiently it requires protein. If these two are not combined then our bodies miss out on these two vital components. Any Carbs that is unused is stored by our bodies as fat.

The main rule of thumb is the right quantity.

A basic guide is that men should consume 2500 calories per day and women 2000. This calculation is based up on our bodies basic needs, in regards to someone in training, their intake of Carbs and Protein would be totally different.

Eating various foods for competition is the major key to success and sustained improvement. Food is our fuel and our bodies requires the right amount and mix to perform its daily functions effectively!

• • Our intake of Carbs per day should be between 45 – 65grms per day.
  • We should eat approximately 0.8grams of Protein per kilo of body weight.

These are basic guidelines for the average person.

Getting The Right Mix.

Vitamins and minerals are also vital to our bodies and requires a regular intake.  This not easily calculated and depends on your age and gender. Not so long ago, it was a case of eating your five a day, this changed to eating your seven a day!  Now I believe its measured by the cup!

Foods For Competition and life.

Getting your daily fix in this category should be what you are comfortable with. If you eat your fruit and vegetables regularly then you will easily meet your dietary requirements.  Just before I leave this topic I would like to point out the when it comes to getting the best out of your vegetables.  The greener the leaves, the better the benefits!

This is because they are rich in Beta – Carotene which can convert into vitamin A and this helps to boost our immune system.  Our bodies are truly very complex machines that requires food and exercise as part of its maintenance program.

When it comes down to getting the most from our bodies, the right fuel is very important.  Protein is obtained from eating meat, fish, nuts or beans if you’re vegetarian. This is important for body repair and growth.  The calories a bodybuilder will consume would be much more than the average man but this is in relation to his size and weight.

• A body builder would consume on average 1.4 to 1.7grams of Protein per kilo body weight.
• Carbohydrates for a body builder would be approximately 17 to 28% of total calories consumed.

Carbohydrates comes from mainly potatoes, pasta and rice and every meal should consist of all four major groups.  For example Protein, Vitamins and Minerals.

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When it comes down to eating the right foods for competition.  Take on board what is  recommended in regards to your size, weight and gender.  But to take your training to a whole new level you should be monitoring how your body responds to the food you consume.

This is training smartly!  As a competitor I would have trained hard leading up to a competition, but eating normally and then a few days before competing I would have a major blow out and then carb up!

The idea here was to put fresh carbohydrates into the body ready for competition.  It’s a technique that worked for me and other students I taught.

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Reflecting on what I said earlier, everything in moderation is good.  Eating after 6 pm isn’t bad, but it does depend on how much you intend to eat and what?

Your body needs Protein and Carbohydrates to chemically burn together to efficiently fuel our bodies. So, eating no Carbs after 6 pm but eating Protein, doesn’t help our bodies.  During our rest period I.e. sleep our bodies repairs itself, this is done by utilising the food we have eaten.  Without the food there’s not much for our little repair men to do!

Now that’s not quite true either!  Our bodies are so complex that they will actually break down and take what they need from our bodies which is known as Catabolysis.  This is the process that takes place with people who choose not to eat or for those who choose starvation diets.

Our body needs its fix and even though it does this its sole purpose is to look after us.  Keep us safe and keep us functioning at our optimum level.

My conclusion to foods for competition.

So, in a nutshell, our bodies needs us to have a basic knowledge of its needs. We take it granted, not always giving it the rest and fuel it requires/needs!

But we constantly want it to do things for us.  I am a very strong believer that when it comes to training and getting the required performance from our body we need to listen to it and work with it by giving it the right foods for competition!

I hope this makes sense to you any comments would be appreciated.

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