Diet-eating right

How to Eat Like an Athlete
By Tracey Philippi BSN, RN.

We live in the day where sports nutrition should be a vital part of everyone’s training program. If you are working out like an athlete then you need to eat like one. We have a standard quote at PSI that we try and drill in everyone’s head, “Remember that 50% of the workout is the physical component and the other 50% is what we eat.”

Everyone can improve on the nutrition side. Eating like an athlete takes some work. Most people underestimate the nutrients found in fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and good fats. The vitamin and mineral component is vital for building strong muscles, bone health and immune function just to name a few. I would say that many of our athletes would tell you that they are eating healthy and taking supplements during the week. The first thing I do when working with an athlete is to have them log in their diet for 4-5 days. Most of the time it is quite an eye opening experience. Our American diet is severely deficient in consuming the daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables. Most of us do not consume a good source of omega 3 or other healthy fats.

The PSI diet protocol number 1 is to Get Back to the Basics! If you cannot pull it, pluck it, or kill it, you should not eat it. This helps to eliminate a lot of unhealthy processed carbs and high fat foods. Here are some basic and easy tips to jump start a better diet program and improve your sports performance.

1. Eat lean protein with every meal.
2. Eat fresh fruits and veggies [mostly green] with every meal.
3. Choose healthy fats such as: olive oil, nuts, seeds, and flax seed.
4. Try to purchase organic. This will help to eliminate harmful pesticides, hormones and antibiotics that are injected into the meats and diary.
5. Purchase wild caught fish.
6. Do not let 3-4 hours go by with out eating.
7. Take a quality daily vitamin/mineral supplement. Clinical research states that only 50% of vitamins and minerals get absorbed into the body. We highly recommend Body Wise products. They are top of the line supplements that get absorbed and do what they say they will do. Well worth they money!
8. To keep on track plan ahead and grocery shop for the week. Having a plan of action and a full pantry helps to avoid eating junk. Keeping a food journal also helps to stay focused!