Sportsmen, athletes, and all involved in high-intensity physical exercises are recommended to take a specialized diet that can cater to their daily requirement of nutrition. Sports nutrition, on those lines, is a nutrition and diet custom-made for sportsmen to help them improve their athletic performance.

It is recommended for sportsmen to stay clear of any food that is detrimental to their performance and to stick to a diet curated for their needs by a nutritionist/ dietician. Some of the big food no-no’s for sportsmen include foods like soda, sports drinks, excessive carbohydrates, foods with saturated fats, alcohol, and excessive caffeine. 

Calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc are the most important nutrients for athletes and sportsmen, offering various benefits ranging from strong bones to higher endurance.

Strength training is about building muscle mass. You need a healthy pre and post-workout diet, muscle-nourishing & building nutrition in particular. Nutrition is an integral part of strength training.

Undergoing constant wear and tear, your muscles need adequate nutrition to recover and repair. Eating right for strength training doesn’t only mean high-quality protein.

Adding adequate protein in your pre and post-workout diet is definitely important for maintaining muscle health, but you also need carbohydrates, healthy fats, and hydration to keep the body performing at its best.

You can consume heart-healthy fats like walnuts, almonds, avocados, and fish.

Your pre-workout meal should happen 1-2 hours before strength training/workout. And the post-workout diet should be consumed 30 minutes after the workout. A heavier meal can be had 2 hours after the workout. 

For your pre-workout fix, turn to grilled chicken, broccoli, sweet potato, boiled eggs, whole-grain bread, apple with peanut butter, a handful of nuts, 1/2 cup oatmeal, any whole piece of fruit (like bananas), smoothie. 

For your post-workout fix, turn to salmon with sweet potato, grilled chicken with roasted vegetables, oatmeal with whey protein, banana and almonds; cottage cheese and fruits, 1 slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 tbsp of peanut butter and 1/2 sliced banana, veggie omelette with avocado and 1/2 cup roasted potato.