How should I eat to become a better athlete?
It’s easier to eat too much protein than it is to eat too little protein and nine other things I learned about food and performance
Eat what you like to eat
If you don’t eat what you like to eat now, the chances are, soon you will. That is why the single most important principle in structuring our diet is to eat what you like to eat. The more serious you are as an athlete, the more likely you are making important sacrifices for the sake of athleticism. What you eat, should not need to be one of those sacrifices.
Eat to fuel training
If you do a big gym session, eat for that session before and after. If you know you’re going to do a long ride on Sunday, start eating for it no later than Friday and make sure you take in what you need afterwards.
Eat as you plan to eat
Make a diet plan, and stick to it. For example, if you eat breakfast and dinner each day, decide on seven different dinner dishes (one for each day of the week), and master cooking those, while sticking to same breakfast every day. Change things around based on seasonality and other factors.
Eat more vegetables and fruits
If you feel like eating burger and fries, go ahead, but make sure to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits on that same day. Green leafy vegetables are specifically beneficial, but any vegetable and fruit goes a long way.
Eat more carbs
If you don’t eat more carbs than you would otherwise eat, you will not have the fuel you need to keep your engine running near its full capacity. If you can’t keep your engine running near its full capacity when scheduled, you will not make the athletic gains you are looking for, or you will make them much slower than you otherwise could.
Eat enough protein
There are a lot of beliefs about protein and what is enough. I think it’s easier to eat too much protein than it is to eat too little protein. If your main objective is not muscle growth, you can probably get away with a small amount of protein on most days of the week.
Eat good fats
The difference between bad fats and good fats is very important for human physiology. Whereas trans fats should probably never be eaten by anyone, things like nuts and olives should probably be eaten by everyone. Sufficient intake of fish oil reduces all-cause mortality as much as daily smoking increases it.
Eat more whole foods
Instead of drinking juice, eat fruit. Instead of eating a sausage, eat meat. Instead of highly refined bread, eat a wholemeal tortilla. Eat whatever you like, but eat a more wholesome version of it.
Restricting eating to a time window
Instead of eating the first thing in the morning, eat few hours after waking up. Instead of eating the last thing in the night, eat a few hours before going to sleep.
Eat supplements sparingly
Supplements, such as creatine and protein should be taken periodically and with consideration to circumstances. We don’t need supplements, but with correct timing and dosing, they can be beneficial. Doing blood work annually is a great way to guide supplementation.
