Millets are healthy and high in nutrition, but do you know, millets are great for athletes too? Millets make a great option for pre and post-workout meals for athletes.
Millets not only provide essential nutrients to athletes for intense physical activity, but they keep them full for longer periods as well.
Importance of pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes
Pre and post-workout nutrition is one of the essential aspects of athletic training. Though the exact nutrition requirements can be different for different athletes and highly dependent upon various factors like body composition, the type of sport they play, etc. All athletes are required to consume a healthy diet comprising whole grains, protein, fruits, and vegetables.
It is essential that athletes include a healthy (and complex) source of carbohydrates and a good source of protein in their diet. A healthy source of carbs moderates’ insulin levels and preserves liver glycogen, while a good protein source helps in maintaining or increasing muscle mass and prevents protein breakdown.
Experts suggest it is good to eat a healthy snack (made of whole grains) or a light meal at least 1-2 hours before a workout or training session, known as a pre-workout snack. It is recommended to avoid heavy meals and high-fat and heavy protein snacks before the training session, as they are heavy to digest and may cause sluggishness during training.
You should eat a small healthy snack in between sessions if you plan to train or workout for over 60 minutes, to maintain stamina and energy.
Post-workout nutrition is equally important to replenish the lost energy and refuel your body. Eating a wholesome meal comprising whole grains, protein, fruits, and vegetables is best for maintaining your post-workout nutrition.
Maintaining a good level of hydration is another important aspect of pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes. Apart from water, you can also consume vegetable juices and buttermilk to maintain good hydration and provide other essential nutrients too.
Apart from the traditional healthy snacking items, athletes can turn to millets for healthy and nutritious pre or post workout meals. Recently, on the Fit India Hindustan Talk series, sports nutritionist, Ryan Fernando too extolled the virtues of millets for athletes.
5 reasons millets are a great option for pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes
1. Millets act as a stable source of energy for athletes.
Millets are a great source of complex carbohydrates. They have a lower glycemic index. They absorb slowly and prevent sugar spikes. Thus, millets are a great choice of grain for athletes for maintaining stable energy without the sudden spike in blood sugar levels.
2. Millets keep you full for longer (high fiber content)
Millets are high in fiber. They keep you full for a longer period and are a better option than other traditional grains like rice. High fiber content aids in easy digestion and prevents digestive issues like constipation in athletes.
3. Millets help in weight management
Maintaining an ideal weight is another important aspect where millets can play a vital role. Being high in fiber, millets help in ideal weight management and prevent obesity in athletes.
4. Millets provide excellent nutrition to the body
Millets are high in nutrients. They contain good amounts of various essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and magnesium. All these essential nutrients provide excellent nourishment to athletes before and after workout and help in maintaining the proper nutritional requirements of the body.
5. Millets help in reducing inflammation and muscle fatigue
Millets are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants work great in reducing inflammation in the body and improve fatigue and muscle soreness.
How to include millets in an athletic diet?
Millets are available in various forms, like pearl millet and foxtail millet. Athletes can replace white rice with these millets and can pair them with any lentil or curry to make a wholesome meal for dinner or lunch.
Millet snacks and millets breakfast cereal are another option to include millet in your diet. Nowadays, various ready-to-eat millet breakfast cereals like Jowar flakes, and Bajara flakes and millet snacks like millet bars are available in the market. You can consume them easily, and get all the excellent nutritional benefits that millets offer for our body.
Conclusion
In conclusion, millets are the best option for athletes to maintain nutritional requirements during workouts or training sessions. If you are an athlete or a sports person, then you must include millets recipes in your diet regimen. Check out our shop for exploring various millet products for boosting the nutritional quotient of your diet.
