I often get asked for simple nutrition advice for athletes. Here I lay out five simple performance eating tips.
During Workout Shake
A simple yet effective way to enhance recovery and improve performance during your workouts is to have a shake with both protein and carbohydrates. One scoop of whey protein mixed with Gatorade Powder provides a simple and cheap way to do this. For Whey Protein I recommend Earth Fed Muscle Product but any Whey Protein will work. Orange Gatorade mixed with Vanilla Whey is a good flavor.
Night-time Protein
Another good way to improve your body's recovery ability and help improve body composition is to eat a slow digesting protein at night. For this I use Casein Protein. I mix one scoop of Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Protein with 4 ounces of water or milk. This makes for a very tasty pudding! Plain Greek Yogurt can also be used.
Eat Before Your Workout!
This sounds simple but I don't know how many times I've heard from my athletes say in the middle of a workout that they didn't eat before training! Eat a meal with lean protein (chicken, fish, lean beef, etc) and a carbohydrate (sweet potatoes, rice, or fruit) before working out.
Majority of Carbohydrates Around Workout Window
Focus on getting the majority of your carbohydrates during the 2 hours before, during, and the 2 hours after your workout. This is when your body needs carbohydrates the most. Carbohydrates are not the enemy! They are fuel for your body!
Eat Raw Foods
As much as possible focus on eating non-processed foods. Try to eat raw foods that are minimally processed. Can you pick it, grow it, or kill it? Focus on eating more of these foods and overall you will be healthier. Another tips is at grocery store the majority of your shopping should be around the perimeter of the store.
Comprehensive Nutrition Plans
For comprehensive nutrition plans and performance eating templates I recommend Renaissance Periodization.
