Sport always begins at the table – Il Golfo 24

The value of the food supplements market in Italy in the period from March 2018 to March 2019 is 3.5 billion euros! The very name of “food supplements” indicates that these products are used to “complete” the diet when it is deficient in some nutrient. It seems that without filling ourselves with the most disparate drugs and supplements, by training, we will not achieve anything. I am always surprised that insiders recommend such products for team sports or to their customers in fitness centers and the gym. When there are ways to control your physical and mental energy, they are simple and within everyone’s reach, just mastering easy notions. It is enough to take certain foods, in certain certain combinations, and at specific times of the day. After reading my tips, I hope, you will stop filling up on tablets, taking snacks and drinks before, after training or during the day, whether to build muscle mass, to play a game of tennis, to lose too much fat. or just to get back in shape.

The fact is that your energy levels are largely controlled by two amino acids, tyrosine and tryptophan. Both are in competition with each other, and their goal, their goal, is the blood-brain barrier. When either of you gets past it, your energy levels are established. If tryptophan wins, you can say goodnight too. You will be dumbfounded like a drunk on the fortieth drink of the evening. If, on the other hand, it is tyrosine that wins the race, then your energy level will skyrocket, and even if you have nothing urgent to do, it is likely that you will start creating many projects, such as ordering electronic diary, car wash, with the sole purpose of keeping your hyper-energetic mind busy. If tryptophan reaches the brain first, vitamins B3 and B6 transform it into the sleep regulator serotonin. Serotonin alone helps fight depression and also plays a role in blood clotting. It is also the precursor of melatonin, the hormone that controls the sleep rhythm. Tyrosine, on the other hand, is linked to vitamins B3, B6, C, folic acid, minerals such as iron, copper and zinc; all these substances transform it into two chemical compounds that regulate “attention” called noradrenaline and dopamine.

The first stimulates the consumption of accumulated fat and helps control the production of endocrine hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite, among other things. Dopamine, despite its name, won’t make you look dumb; instead it affects muscle movements, tissue growth and repair, and also positively affects the sexual charge and the immune system. Finally, it stimulates the pituitary gland to produce growth hormone (GH). Tyrosine is also involved in reducing the physiological and behavioral effects of stress, both conditions are catabolic if not kept under control.

How can we influence the outcome of this race in the brain

Protein foods contain large amounts of tyrosine, but only traces of tryptophan. While L-tryptophan is contained in large quantities in foods composed of carbohydrates, especially in bananas, sunflower seeds, milk and baked potatoes, among other things. In addition, carbohydrates, and more precisely, the increase in insulin caused by the ingestion of carbohydrates, is necessary to transport tryptophan across the blood brain barrier. Now I hope you have an idea that, to control your energy levels, instead of taking pills and drinks, you need to pay attention to your protein and carbohydrate intake. However, it is not that simple. To control the various factors, you have to work “as a team” with the internal clock of your body. This means eating the right things in the right order. Most of us feel more energetic and stress-free after the first six hours of being awake. After that, the energy goes downhill, unless we take the right measures to keep it high. However, it is always a good idea to eat a high protein, moderate fat and carbohydrate breakfast. This will ensure your brain is supplied with tyrosine and all those neurotransmitters I mentioned earlier. In addition, you will be sure not to overeat for lunch; so you will respect your precise diet. Lunch usually increases or decreases your energy level.

Avoid foods that induce sleepiness

How many of you go back to work after lunch, and, instead of having the last assignment assigned, all they think is to throw yourself under the desk to emerge only at five? Here’s the key: When you eat lunch, you don’t have to eat a bite of anything that contains, or stimulates, tryptophan. Avoid the sandwiches, leave the salad with the sauces for later, and if you skip the appetizers, do not go for the fries or puree before having eaten some protein. Of course, if you allow tryptophan to get off to a good start, it will get to your brain, starting the production of all those chemicals that make you sleepy; you will find yourself with your head resting on the desk already around 13.30. Forget and eat carbohydrates, but only in small amounts, and not before consuming some protein. You can eat those sandwiches later, first you have to make sure you swallow a few pieces of chicken, or shrimp, or some red meat. You could also try having a protein drink about twenty minutes before your “first course”. It could be the big difference in your after lunch energy levels! These same rules also apply to dinner. If you plan to work after dinner, socialize late into the night, or do some acrobatic acts in bed, don’t fill yourself with carbohydrates, and don’t touch them before protein, so that tyrosine has a chance to do its job. .

Tips for eating well

Our physical fitness depends on how we eat and how and when we move. In fact, it is based on which sport or activity we do that our diet will differ. Those who train, even every day, as a hobby or who practice sport at a competitive level will have to follow a diet aimed at the needs of an athlete, and should be followed by the specialist to calibrate the food according to the activity practiced. It is quite another thing to train two or three times a week in the gym. In this case you will have to follow a correct diet without necessarily increasing the caloric and nutrient load. Just improve your diet by putting some simple tips into practice. Find time each day to eat 5 meals: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Sit at the table (at least during the 3 main meals), eating calmly and chewing well. Drink lots of water throughout the day in hot weather; use fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies.

Breakfast should not be underestimated. It must be rich in carbohydrates and fiber (milk-based drinks, yogurt, soy, rice, oats, spelled, etc.) slices of wholemeal bread with honey and jam, fruit. The main meals should be based on cereals, preferably whole and organic; give preference to legumes, small rations of small fish and white meats, once or twice a week for main courses; consume small rations of cheeses, red meats and eggs, always accompanied by large portions of fresh or cooked vegetables. Limit the seasoning fats by favoring cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. Choose carefully the foods to be used in snacks, avoiding those with high calorie density, but favoring fruit, vegetables and small rations of unfilled baked goods. Use healthy cooking methods, i.e. that modify foods as little as possible such as steaming and baking that allow you to add little fat, compared to other methods. Always vary the foods: all of them, if consumed in excess, can harm us. The body needs all the nutrients, so there is nothing worse than following diets that only include certain food groups or are poorly balanced. Before playing sports, do not load the body with heavy foods. Yes to fruit and vegetables, wholemeal biscuits, juices, centrifuges, and don’t forget to always have fresh water with you during training.