People who do sports or build muscles need different kinds of food depending on what they want to achieve, how they train, and what they like. But there are some common rules that work for both groups:
- Eating enough food to give them energy and help them recover
- Eating enough protein to fix and grow their muscles
- Eating healthy foods that have vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other good things
- Drinking enough water before, during, and after exercise
- Eating at the right times to do better and recover faster
Some examples of food plans and programs that people who do sports or build muscles can follow are:
- The Mediterranean diet, which is based on how people eat in countries like Italy, Spain, and Greece. It has a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, and some dairy, poultry, eggs, and wine. This diet may make you stronger and fitter by giving you a lot of nutrients and antioxidants.
- The flexitarian diet, which is a kind of vegetarian diet that sometimes has animal products. This diet may help you shape your body, improve your blood flow, reduce inflammation, and store more energy, which are all important for people who do sports.
- The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is made to lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems by limiting salt, fat, and cholesterol and increasing potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It also has a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meats, nuts, seeds, and legumes. This diet may help female athletes by preventing or treating low iron levels, which can make you tired and weak.
- The paleo diet, which is based on the foods that humans ate a long time ago. It does not have grains, dairy, legumes, refined sugars, and processed foods and has meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. This diet may help you gain muscle mass and strength by giving you high-quality protein and healthy fats.
- The Noom diet, which is a personal weight loss program that uses an app to track what you eat, how you move, and how much you weigh. It also gives you coaching, feedback, and education to help you change how you eat and act. This diet may help you lose weight by making you eat less and choose better foods.
- The Nordic diet, which is inspired by how people cook in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It has a lot of seasonal and local foods, such as berries, root vegetables, whole grains, fish, dairy, and game meats. It also has less red meat, processed foods, and added sugars. This diet may make you last longer by improving how your blood vessels work and reducing stress on your body.
- The Trifecta diet, which is a food delivery service that gives you ready-to-eat meals that match your goals and tastes. You can pick from six different meal plans, such as keto, vegan, paleo, clean, classic, or vegetarian. You can also change your meals by picking your protein, carb, and veggie sources. This diet may be easy and fun for busy people who do sports or build muscles but don’t have time or want to cook.
- The Green Chef diet, which is a food kit service that sends you organic ingredients and recipes to your door. You can pick from several menu options, such as keto, paleo, balanced living, plant-powered, or family plan. You can also change your servings, delivery frequency, and skip or cancel anytime. This diet may give you fresh and tasty meals for people who do sports or build muscles and like cooking but want to save time and trouble.
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