It has been estimated that nearly 90% of the
population in our society do not drink enough water.
Water
is the foundation of the body’s diet. The body’s biochemistry relies on
an adequate intake of purified water.
Approximately 15 ml of water per pound of body
weight, per day, is needed for the body to function properly. The body robs
water from the cells to process common dietary liquids such as coffee, tea
and soft drinks.
The tiredness many people feel after eating is a result of oxygen being consumed during the digestive process, which diminishes the oxygen available to the rest of the body.
The goal of most athletes is to achieve and maintain optimum physical performance in a given sport. This often requires training to increase muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance combined with a tuned nutritional diet and technical practice. In the pursuit of athletic excellence, many athletes become serious students of nutritional biochemistry and physiology. Performance advantages can be obtained with a balanced nutritional regime. The latest nutritional research for athletes recommends a balance of 40:30:30 for calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The caloric 40:30:30 programme requires a conversion to food weights, which are 50 per cent carbohydrates, 35 per cent protein, and 15 per cent fats. Therefore, this converts to weight proportions of 4:3:1 of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
The 50 per cent carbohydrate weight portion of your diet should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and starches (pasta). Approximately, half of the carbohydrate intake should contain complex carbohydrate fibre – as a source of time-released sugars and as an intestinal/colon-cleansing agent.
The 35 per cent protein weight segment should contain poultry, fish, lean meat, whey protein powder, eggs, tofu, low-fat cheese and low-fat milk. Eating portions of protein prior to carbohydrates can assist the metabolism in craving excess carbohydrates.
The 15 per cent weight portion of dietary fat should come from nuts, seeds, essential fatty acids, avocados and vegetable oils. Fats in the diet are a wonderful form of energy for athletes. These fats are important for cell membrane rebuilding and restoring body fat levels that are utilised during extended training sessions. Even vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets require daily intake of these healthy fats.
High performance athletes minimise their daily intake of processed foods. They shop for a good variety of fruits and vegetables. They eat most vegetables raw or slightly steamed. They cook rice and pasta to carbo-load. You can experiment with a dietary formula that gives you close to the recommended 40:30:30 balance. These athletes also supplement their diet to provide the needed vitamins, minerals and special performance-supporting supplements.
Neways’ LifeSport line of athletic supplements and foods provides an excellent source of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Most importantly, Neways has formulated the LifeSport products with ingredients for maximum power and endurance. These products were designed for daily consumption and use in pursuit of ‘life’s sport’ and fitness.
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