Food has always been our body’s primary source of energy and sustenance. Our body uses vitamins, nutrients, and calories from food to power different parts of our body and gives us strength throughout most of our day. This is especially true among workers and athletes that have to do physically demanding work. Eating a well-balanced meal can affect the performance of these athletes while expediting the recovery process.
This is one of the reasons why eating a well-balanced meal is important for athletes and sports enthusiasts. However, athletes don’t just need a well-balanced meal but will also need a specialized diet to optimize their endurance and stamina in the field. These specialized diets can help athletes get through physically-demanding workouts and long days at work. So what are some food diets that are great for increasing endurance and performance? Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Food Prepping For Endurance and Stamina
Since food is the primary “fuel” for our body, we must frequently eat the right food types to maintain good bodily functions. At the most basic level, our brain and body will usually rely on sugar and simple carbohydrates as a means of getting energy. Once carbs are used up, we start tapping into glycogen. Then once these “primary” sources of energy have now been used, our bodies start burning through some of the most well-known sources of energy: fat and muscles.
In some situations, high-intensity workouts (known as HIIT) will usually last seconds to minutes. But when it comes to long-term activities like hiking, triathlons, and manual labor, which will last around an average of 8 hours, it won’t just rely on strength alone but will also rely on endurance. Most activities that are related to endurance are non-stop while dragging from 30 minutes to around several hours. That said, the body will require a good amount of energy and stored energy.
During much of these training sessions that will last several hours, these athletes must start eating small snacks with rough calories for the right push of endurance and stamina. Most sports enthusiasts and athletes don’t want to get to the point where they are burning their muscles.
Experts would suggest taking a bit or two of easy-to-digest carbohydrates. This can come from dried shelf-stable fruits, fresh fruit, cereal bars, and yogurt. If you’re just at home or have a container with you, you might want to prepare a blended smoothie or juice right before the training.
Most athletes will usually do an activity known as carbo-loading, which is an excellent way of having a fair amount of energy for prolonged exercises. Most would consume a fair amount of food that’s rich in carbohydrates right before a sporting event as a means of improving endurance and stamina levels.
Suppose you’re looking for the best resources and information in preparing your own packaged meals. In that case, check with restaurants and companies that prepare meals. Some companies like Lakeside Manufacturing, are dedicated to help these restaurants prepare food with the best kitchen and catering equipment. They understand that it is part of bringing the best healthcare and packaging solutions to sports enthusiasts, athletes, and the general public.
What Are Food That’s Great For Endurance?
Luckily, much of the food that’s great for both stamina and endurance are already present in our daily lives. Here are some that are readily available:
- Whole-grain meals and complex carbohydrates in the form of bread, rice, pasta, and oatmeal.
- Lean meat in the form of chicken and beef
- Fish and most types of seafood
- Leafy vegetables such as cabbages, bok choi, and most types of herbs
- Root crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and radish.
- Legumes and legume-based products such as peanut butter
- Milk and dairy products
- Fresh fruits
- Soy-based products and alternatives to dairy products
Most nutritionists would suggest avoiding fiber and fat since this is known for slowing down much of the digestion process. Caloric intake is vital in having the right energy for endurance exercise. If you’re not sure about your nutritional needs, you might want to consider consulting a dietitian who could recommend the food that would suit your state of health and your lifestyle.
Recovery Process
For much of the sports enthusiast or athlete’s routine, injuries are more common than usual. Most athletes should start focusing on resorting to their body’s energy storage in the form of glycogen and rehydrating their body.
There are a variety of ways to increase the overall stamina and endurance of the body. While exercise does play an integral part in improving the body’s performance, a diet will play an even larger role in keeping the body in pristine condition, especially when performing physically intensive activities.
