Do you track your nutrition properly ?

            NUTRITION: THE ACE CARD

                   Eat right to look right!

In this article, we’ll try to make you understand the importance of nutrition with respect to physical fitness and give you practical recommendations for pre and post workouts.

By eating a healthy, sufficient meal 1-2 hours before hitting the gym or doing exercise, and another healthy, sufficient meal 1-2 hour after exercise, most people can meet their desired goal. It’s easy to achieve and convenient if one has proper knowledge about nutrition.

•The body building workout circuit. If your workout goal are in terms of muscle mass development and weight gain its essential to have a well designed protein + carbohydrate (P+C) diet plan. In such case one must follow caloric surplus diet to reach up to your desired goal. This phase is commonly known as the ‘Bulking phase’

•Getting ready for fitness competitions. You need to increase the number of workout hours in order to drop the body fat percentage to a single digit level. Also one must cut down carbohydrate to a minimum level. In such case one must follow caloric deficit diet. This phase is commonly known as ‘Cutting phase’

 Average people and Moderate goals:

Remember if you're exercising for general health and fitness, if your goals are modest or if you don’t have any physiological needs then you don’t need to stress over any particular workout nutrition strategies. It’s important to avoid conditions of nutrition deficiency, eat right and smart according to your body type.

•Pre-workout nutrition

What and when do you consume plays a major role in physical fitness.

 Proteins before workout: it’s necessary to eat something rich in protein few hours before hitting the gym.

~ It helps to increase or maintain the muscle size.

~ Helps to recover the previous muscle damage.

~ High inflow of amino acids into the bloodstreams which helps to increase muscle-building capabilities with gradual Increase in muscle size.

Carbs before workout:Carbohydrates is very much important before hitting the gym.

~ Helps increasing Muscle retention and growth by preserving muscle and liver glycogen.

~ Fuels up the training session and helps in recovery.

~ Improves protein synthesis and prevents its breakdown. It’s achieved by eating up a mixed meal of protein + carbs.

  [Your actual need may vary as per your body type, size, goals, genetics, intensity of workout and duration.]

•Post- Workout nutrition

The real body is built in kitchen not in the gym. What you consume after your workout helps to give a definite shape to you fitness goal and your body too.

Proteins after workout: it’s necessary to eat something protenitious within half an hour after hitting the gym.  It takes about 40-60 grams for men and 20-30 for women of any high quality protein rich meal to get the job done.

Eating proteins after gym inhabits protein breakdown and promotes protein synthesis.

Carbs after workout: Contrary to the belief, it’s highly unnecessary to stuff yourself with lot of carbohydrates and sugar which restores muscle and liver glycogen (theoretically) as early as possible after workout although the same result can be achieved by consuming minimal amount of whole food carbohydrate and by consuming complex carbs from sources like fruits.

 •Different sources of protein

Proteins obtained from animal sources:-

~ Meat

~ Poultry like chicken and turkey

~ Fish

~ Milk and yogurt

~ Eggs

~ Pork

Proteins obtained from vegetable sources:-

~ Legumes
~ Beans
~ Grains like wheat
~ Nut Butters like peanut-butter
~ Seeds
~ Nuts

But the main difference is vegetarians often have a hard time getting enough sources of protein. A complete protein is that which has all 9 amino acid present in it.

•All 9 essential amino acids:

~ LEUCINE: cheese, soybeans, beef, pork, chicken, pumpkin, seeds, nuts, peas, tuna, seafood, beans, whey protein, plant proteins, etc.

~ ISOLEUCINE: soy, meat and fish, dairy and eggs, cashews, almonds, oats, lentils, beans, brown rice, legumes, chia seeds.

~ LYSINE: eggs, meat, poultry, beans, peas, cheese, chia seeds, avocados, almonds, cashews, whey protein.

~ METHIONINE:  meat, fish, cheese, dairy, beans, seeds

~ PHENYLALANINE: rice, avocado, almonds, peanuts, figs, raisins, leafy greens, most berries, olives, and seeds.

~ THREONINE: lean meat, cheese, nuts, seeds, lentils etc.

~ TRYPTOPHAN: almonds, bananas, peanuts and sunflower seed

~ VALINE: cheese, red meat, chicken, pork, nuts, beans etc.

~ HISTIDINE: red meat, cheese, white meat and poultry, seafood etc.

All the non vegetarian sources, they have all these available in them. The problem is vegetarian sources don’t have these, they’re incomplete. What we have to do is to combine the 9 amino acid. You can make a complete protein based on the combining them. You can also relay on PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) which is a method of evaluating the quality of a protein based on both the amino acid requirements of humans and their ability to digest it. They are listed below:

Casein              -   1.0

Egg white        -   1.0

Soy protein     -   1.0

Whey protein -   1.0

Beef                 -   0.92

Whole wheat  -   0.42

Brown rice     -   0.40

Black beans   -    0.75

Peanuts          -   0.52

•Different sources of Carbs

Here are food groups and a few examples of where you’ll find the most carbs:

~Dairy
Milk, yogurt, and ice cream.

 ~Starchy Vegetables 

Potatoes and corn.

~Fruit

Whole fruit and fruit juice.

~Grains
Bread, rice, crackers, and cereal.

~Legumes
Beans and other plant-based proteins.

~Sugary Sweets (Limit these!)
Soda, candy, cookies and other desserts.