Have you or your child ever came to Keswick Karate feeling sluggish or tired? Perhaps you’ve felt drained of energy early on in the class or have crashed half way through. Eating correctly to balance your energy levels can have a great impact on your training sessions, and learning a few simple tricks can make you get the most of each class. You don’t have to limit yourself to eating only healthy foods to optimize your performance, and while many children can be picky eaters, there are many foods that can offer them the nutrients they require. Here are some suggestions for eating which will help you power through your next Keswick Karate class.
Firstly, the most important category of food you need to eat is carbohydrates. While any carbohydrates are better than none, eating carbs that are low on the Glycemic Index allows your energy levels to stay relatively stable, as opposed to high glycemic carbohydrates, which can be great for a quick energy boost before class, but not so great throughout the day. Sources of low-gi foods include nuts, legumes, fruit, brown pasta, brown rice, sweet potato, oats, all-bran and most vegetables.
Secondly, and almost as important as carbohydrates, is your protein intake. Protein is what your muscles need to both grow and repair. While physical activity creates small tears in your muscles, protein is what builds them back up again, helping you become stronger, with better endurance. Good sources of protein include milk, eggs, yoghurt, fish, chicken, nuts and beans.
Fats are also required as part of a healthy, balanced diet. While there are many types of bad fats that your body simply doesn’t need, there are also healthy fats, which your body uses to absorb essential vitamins. You can get healthy fats from avocados, cheese, dark chocolate, fatty fish and extra virgin olive oil.
With these three main food categories being required as part of a healthy diet, you can build your meals around these blocks.
Breakfast should be carbohydrate rich, with a moderate protein serving and a small amount of healthy fat. An ideal breakfast would be two or three poached eggs on some whole-grain bread, with a glass of coffee, milk or fruit juice.
With lunch, you should aim for a good intake of both protein and carbohydrates, again with a small amount of healthy fat. An ideal lunch would be a chicken salad, with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Finally, for your dinner, you should draw back the carbohydrates slightly, and increase the protein, but this depends on how active you are. An ideal dinner would be a good portion of salmon or other fish, with some steamed vegetables and brown rice.
By eating nutrient rich meals, you can ensure that your energy levels stay stable throughout the day, and with stable energy levels you can easily give yourself a boost before your Keswick Karate class, by either eating carbohydrates that are high on the glycemic index, a food that is high in sugar, or simply just having a cup of coffee.