Paintball diets
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 08:29
- Written by Grant Harrison
What you eat can have an impact on your paintball game. As with any sport, it is important to eat well for health and fitness to play paintball. You do not want to eat a diet that is high in fat. This is important to stay lean and fit. Of course, everyone should limit his or her fat intake in an attempt to obtain optimal health. Eat a well balanced diet at all times. Work on decreasing the amount of foods that are high in fats and sugars. Fill your plate with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Paintball players also should drink plenty of water. You will be doing a lot of running around and "exercise" while playing paintball. It is necessary to stay well hydrated. Many paintball players drink isotonic sports drinks such as Gatorade. This is a good choice as well. However, it is important to remember that a large quantity of your fluid intake should come from water. Drinks that are high in caffeine and sugar should be kept to a minimum.
The day before a paintball game or tournament you may want to change your diet a little. Make sure to eat plenty of carbohydrates. In your normal diet you will eat a healthy mix of carbohydrates, proteins and good fats. However, carbohydrates will provide you with increased energy that you will want for your paintball games. Pasta is a common food that is eaten by athletes, including runners the day before events. Select some foods that have some complex carbohydrates. Again, remember to drink plenty of fluids.
Both your diet and exercise can affect your paintball game. Paintball is a very active sport that requires a lot of strength and energy. Through proper diet and workouts you can maximize your potential as a paintball player.
What to eat
For snacking purpose, you can go in for pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles and ravioli. Its up to you, you can either have them plain or add on some sauce to it.
If you are a rice eater, you can consume rice, but it is preferable to eat it along with low fat toppings or additions.
Boiled, mashed and baked potatoes, but avoid going in for French fries. Limit your intake of butter, gravy and sour cream.
In the list of starchy vegetables, you can go in for peas, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Some people are under the misconception that breads do not form part of sports nutrition food. But, there is nothing like that and you can consume breads, rolls, muffins, bagels etc. Prefer going in for nutritious low fat bread products with multi-grains or high in fibre.
As far as cereal intake is concerned, avoid consuming cereals having very high sugar content.
Low fat soups can be enjoyed in the evenings.
It is not advisable to consume high fat milk products, especially before your games.