There is food and food

How manythings can be said about nutrition, especially that of an athlete? 1,000 books are not enough; a library is not enough. Diets, foods to favor, foods to avoid, timing, recovery time, supplements, amino acids, fluids. It is no wonder, and it is very rightly so: nutrition is a scientific field in which people often have the mistaken belief that they know a lot and in which, instead, ignorance often reigns supreme. There is one topic, however, that is often treated superficially or, let’s say, not thoroughly enough. Often you’ve been told (and we probably have too) to generically eat protein or carbohydrates or fat. In principle, this is right: a good diet is a balanced diet that contemplates all these nutrients. Rarely, however, is it specified what kind of nutrients should be eaten. In other words: there are carbohydrates and carbohydrates, there are proteins and proteins, and there are fats and fats. These are some simple rules to help you decide which type of these nutrients to choose when you have to decide how to feed yourself.

1. Carbohydrates

Thinking about carbohydrates, the first thing that comes to mind is pasta. And that’s perfectly fine, mind you. There is more than just pasta, though. Potatoes, brown rice, quinoa are also a good source of carbohydrates, and they are also more digestible, and when you’re in a race that’s not bad.

2. Fats

By now it is understood that fats are not evil, right? Do you also remember the crusades of a few decades ago against fat people? They seemed to be responsible for every wrongdoing, from high cholesterol to melting Arctic glaciers. Fats are needed, all right: when you’re out of sugar, where do you think your body finds energy? That’s right: in fats. In fact, the fat you store is reserve energy, and you start using it just as you run out of other more immediate reserves, such as sugars. Their transformation into energy, however, is less immediate than that of sugars, and above all, not all fats are the same: without going into a very tedious discussion of saturated or unsaturated fats, good or bad or good company, it is better to indicate which are the good ones and where to find them, no? Well, since you have to feed on fats, know that it is good to look for them: – inEVO olive oil (i.e., virgin olive oil, not harvested by mechanical methods and that has not touched the ground and obtained by cold pressing) – in avocados – in dried fruits – in fish (which contains Omega-3 fatty acids that are GOOD) – in peanut butter (how good is it?). More generally: especially in competitions or longer workouts, having fat reserves is important to last longer and not be overwhelmed by hunger pangs.

3. Protein

Protein is critical for rebuilding muscles stressed and frayed by athletic activity. They are contained in animal meats but, as any vegetarian or vegan knows very well, these are essential nutrients for nutrition and, fortunately, you don’t have to eat meat to get them. Find protein:

• In white meat (chicken, turkey) and red meat
• Fish (tuna, salmon, cod, sardines, mackerel, and mussels)
• eggs
• milk and dairy products/cheese

but also (if you are vegan/vegetarian)

• In legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, edamame and soybeans)
• In hamburgers that taste like meat but are not meat (and it’s not black magic!).
• in the vegetarian/vegan burgers.

One last thing

You will have realized by now that talking about carbohydrates/proteins/fats means referring to very large families that within them have many different declinations. Being aware of what you eat, as we have always repeated, is the first step toward healthy eating. Generally (indeed: always) foods that are less processed and have the shortest possible ingredient list are preferred. It is said that you should be able to explain to your grandmother what you are eating, and she, needless to specify, should understand it. The more processed a food is, the more likely it is not good for you. Start reading “processed” or “industrial” as a characteristic that, at least when talking about food, is not good. And good nutrition to all! (Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash)