Healthy Food for Fighters: Simple Ideas for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
By Corey Beasley
One of the most overlooked or under appreciated aspects of training is nutrition.
I'm not sure if its because of our emotional attachment to it, habits or people's unwillingness to prepare it, but eating good quality foods can make a huge impact on your health and performance.
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Benefits of eating healthy:
- Increased Energy
- Lower Your Body Fat
- Increase Muscle Mass
- Speed Recovery between Workouts
- Improved Sleep
- Shopping instead of dining out can save us $
- and more.
Below you will find some ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that hopefully inspire you to add some better foods to your daily intake.
Start Your Day Off Right... Breakfast Basics
When an athlete sleeps, their metabolism slows down to restore the body. Eating breakfast kick starts metabolism and fuels the body and brain especially if you have an early morning workout. Food is fuel. After a night of sleep, an athlete’s gas tank is empty, which can cause the morning sluggish and tired feeling. Eating breakfast fills the tank with proper fuel to endure long practices, workouts, and games. An athlete’s brain needs food in order to function properly and think clearly. The brain uses 20% of the glucose/food supply to function normally. Therefore, it needs to be fueled like any other muscle so that it can do its job on the field.
Oatmeal - Oats are packed full of slow digesting carbohydrates and fiber. Add fruit, nuts, nut butters, spices and more to give your oatmeal a personal touch.
Eggs - Hardboiled, scrambled, omeletes, sandwich, wraps and more. Eggs are one of the BEST sources of protein we can eat, plus they are packed full of nutrition.
Smoothies - In a rush? Throw everything into the blender, mix it up and walk out the door. Add veggies, almond milk, coconut milk, protein powder, fruit and more.
Post workout fuel - a fast, energizing green protein smoothie. Frozen banana, frozen kale, pumpkin seed protein powder (it's by Omega Nutrition for those asking...I use 3T which has 20g protein), avocado, water. Happy Friday everyone! #plantpower #ohsheglows #greensmoothie #drinkyourgreens A photo posted by Angela Liddon (@ohsheglows) on
Middle of the Day... Lunch on the Go
Typically lunch is eating on the go. Whether you are rushing to another practice or fitting it in between appts at work, lunch is a vital piece of the puzzle. You can either pack up good food or find some local restaurants with healthy options. Wraps, Pitas, Tacos, Sandwiches - Wrap up some good veggies and meats and done. Its about as simple as it gets.
Salads - Whether you make it yourself or eat on the go, salads are an easy way to get good foods in your system. Variety is the key, so mix it up and see what works best for you.
End of the Day... Dinner is Served!
At the end of a long day, its time to unwind, relax, eat some good food, hang out and get ready for bed. For some people, prepping a few meals ahead of time works best, while others have time to cook regularly. Either way, eating good, quality food at night can help speed recovery between tough workouts. Meat, Its Whats for Dinner... Wild Fish, Free Range Chicken, Grass Fed Beef and other naturally raised animals provide good protein and fats that help our bodies function.
King Salmon with Horseradish Crust & sautéed kale and garlic scapes for #dinner tonight! Loved this crust. Might need to tweak and share on the blog! #whole30 #lexiscleankitchen A photo posted by Lexi (@lexiscleankitchen) on
Eat your Vegetables - the key to eating more vegetables is mixing them up, trying new foods, and mixing up the flavors and textures, so its not so boring. You can mix a huge bowl of different stuff and call it a meal, or you can use it as a side.
Casseroles - Sometimes its easier to prep food ahead of time and then just throw in the oven for a few minutes at the end of the day. Casseroles and other meals like this are very versatile and easy to throw together.
Want to learn more about nutrition?
Learning What to Eat, When and How Much
7 Tips for Cutting Weight, Fueling Up and Getting Lean for Your Next Competition
