Available Articles: |
 Back
to Main |
Drink Yourself Fit!
Foods geared towards athletes, low-fat cuisine, vegetarian dishes and diets.... Wher-ever you go, you'll find sports fans making conscious decisions about what they eat. However, many fail to realize the importance of finding the right drink to provide all the necessary nutrients to improve their performance.
 An athlete sweats a lot. This process depletes enormous amounts of water, minerals and electrolytes from the body. This liquid loss rapidly reduces stamina and can quickly turn hazardous, since water is an indispensable coolant for the body and also transports vital elements throughout the system. Therefore it is of
greatest impor-tance that athletes learn to control and monitor their fluid-intake. Once your body registers the lack of water, and sends you a signal - thirst - your athletic capabilities have already been reduced. Athletes should therefore consume sufficient liquid be-fore and during physical activity.
Each athletic or sports activity exerts different demands on the body, hence the diffi-culty in formulating an ideal ingredient for the ultimate sports drink. Athletes debate the benefits of plain water, isotopic drinks, so-called energy drinks and protein shakes. First of all, however, we need to differentiate between drinks that are meant to replace body fluids in endurance sports, and those that promise to enhance the muscle building process in strength-oriented sports.
For endurance sports, water or even tea is sufficient to replenish lost body fluid in activities not exceeding 60 minutes. In longer competitions, however, these cannot deliver the necessary energy replenishment. In these cases you should drink a fruit juice/mineral water mix, which contains the needed carbohydrates, in the form of fruit sugars, for energy. Non-carbonated mineral water is recommended for your wa-ter/juice-mix, since carbonated drinks increase carbon dioxide levels in the digestive tract, thereby reducing the body's urge to take in additional fluids. The mineral water should contain sufficient magnesium (approx 100 mg/l) and
potassium traces to im-mediately replenish any loss. Sweat also depletes natrium
reserves in the system, but a regular daily diet sufficiently replaces any losses. Carbonated soft drinks are not recommended because of their high sugar and/or caffeine content and concen-trated fruit juices are discouraged as well. These juices have high carbohydrate lev-els that tend to inhibit the body's metabolism. Energy drinks don't necessarily give you wings, as advertised, but they cause your kidneys to work overtime due to their high caffeine content. Also their lack of mineral content makes them unsuitable for athletes
Hypo- or isotonic drinks, on the other hand, are similar to the body's own fluid con-sistency and tend to be absorbed easier than, for example, concentrated fruit juices. These are essentially carefully formulated carbohydrate cocktails, consisting of fruc-tose, maltodextrine, and soluble starches, as well as numerous vitamins, co-enzymes and minerals. These drinks quench the thirst while replenishing lost body fluids and maintaining energy levels. Isotonic powders should therefore be diluted carefully to enable the body to absorb their ingredients quickly.
 Many athletes who participate in sporting activities demanding a lot of muscle power swear by their protein shakes. These formulas are advertised in practically every fit-ness facility -- but is the additional protein intake really
necessary? Of course, mus-cle strength sports require additional proteins; however, the recommended daily in-take of approximately 1.6g/kg body weight can easily be achieved through a bal-anced diet. In addition to protein, these shakes contain a lot of sugar, which may ac-tually be detrimental in weight training. It is much better to meet the protein needs by eating animal or plant proteins, such as fresh dairy products, on a daily basis.
Like other sports, weight training requires sufficient carbohydrate intake for energy. Again, a fruit juice/mineral water-mix offers the ideal combination of energy-producing carbohydrates, water, and minerals. Just make sure the fructose content does not exceed 60g/l, to ensure optimal absorption, and always drink highly diluted fruit juices.
|
|
|
