Do you find yourself lacking energy halfway through a karate session? Do your kids complain that they are tired after coming home from martial arts training? You and your family might need to look at what you are eating! We have provided three simple things to think about when it comes to your dietary habits. These tips will help you and your family get the most out of your karate sessions.
Fuel your body
You shouldn’t be training without fueling your body! You need to eat both carbs and protein before and after a karate session. You should eat before to have energy, and eat after to restore your energy. Your body recovers from exertion much faster if you fuel it appropriately.
Eat Colourful Food
You should aim to eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Instead of just focusing on one or two, it’s best to eat a variety of colourful plants to ensure you are getting a wide range of health-promoting plant pigments.
Anthocyanins are flavonoids that are purple or blue. They help produce beneficial antioxidant effects.
Carotenoids are pigments that provide the orange/yellow/red colours found in foods like carrots and squash. They provide vitamin A along with benefit our skin and eyesight.
Betalain pigments are described as deep red and purple. Foods like beets and rhubarb contains these pigments, which help protect you against prostate and breast cancer.
Along with all the health benefits of mixing up coloured fruits and vegetables, your meals will look nicer and more appealing to those picky eaters. Eating is always better if your food is as sweet as it looks!
Essential Fatty Acids
You’ve probably heard about the essential fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3. They aid in maintain important healthy bodily functions. They both have a different role in keeping your body running at peak performance, though. Your body constructs hormones from these omega fatty acids, but they have opposite effects, which is why they need to be balanced. The imbalance between these two has been linked to the increasing amount of cancer, obesity, and coronary heart disease.
Most people will be looking to cut down on their omega-6 levels because they can be found in processed foods everywhere. To increase omega-3 intake, you should try eating omega-3 fortified eggs or even oily fish. If you can find a balance between the two, your body will reap the rewards!
