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The paleo diet for athletes is intended for physically active people, especially those who are familiar with long-term and intense physical exertion. The paleo diet for athletes provides the right amount of energy and nutrients, but most importantly - it promotes the rapid regeneration of muscle tissue after training. Check what the paleo diet for athletes is all about and what to eat before exercise, and what to eat during and after training.

The paleo diet for athletesdiffers from the traditional diet used by many physically active people. A paleodiet that contains slightly more protein and fat and slightly less carbohydrates. It also provides more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, increases fat oxidation (which helps when you need high endurance), but most importantly - it provides faster and better regeneration of the body after training than a diet based on carbohydrates.

Paleo diet for athletes - what to eat before training?

Before exhausting and / or long training, you should reach for protein products that contain a large amount of branched chain amino acids, and those with a low fiber content (preferably fruit). The authors of the paleo diet for athletes before training recommend:

  • egg with fruit - 1 large egg provides an average of 6 g of protein, 1.5 g of which are branched chain amino acids. In turn, low-fiber fruits are bananas, peaches, watermelon;
  • apple sauce with protein powder;
  • ready meals for children, but necessarily with meat, e.g. turkey or chicken stew;

If you eat the last meal an hour before starting training, remember that its energy value should be 200-300 kcal (this value depends, among others, on your body weight and what you ate the day before). However, the makers of the paleo diet recommend that you eat your last meal at least 2 hours before training.

At the same time, they emphasize that each additional hour before the beginning of intense exercise increases the energy value of the meal by another 200-300 kcal. So if a meal is eaten 2 hours before training, it should provide from 400 to 600 kcal, and if 3 hours - from 600 to 900 kcal, etc. Remember that the dietpaleo for athletes is by no means low-energy, and the recommended calorie intake should not be reduced.

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Paleo diet for athletes - very important branched chain amino acids

Protein products with a large amount of branched chain amino acids, especially isoleucine, leucine and valine, play a very important role in the paleo diet for athletes. They constitute a large part of the muscle tissue and are very important for its proper functioning, because they accelerate its repair and growth, and contribute to the rapid recovery of strength after exercise, by reducing the amount of tryptophan in the blood, which leads to a decrease in the concentration of serotonin (responsible for the feeling of sleepiness and fatigue) in the brain.

During exercise, when glycogen stores are depleted, proteins are the source of energy for working muscles. During an hour of intense exercise, muscle tissue can lose up to 30 g of protein! Therefore, it is very important to consume branched chain amino acids before and after training. Then the loss of protein from the muscles is limited and the feeling of fatigue after exercise is reduced.

Paleo diet for athletes - what to eat during training?

During long and strenuous physical exertion (such as a marathon), an athlete needs carbohydrates that will be quickly digested. They can be provided in the form of a drink or a gel. For a short workout that lasts less than an hour, drink only water.

Paleo diet for athletes - what to eat after training?

After training, you should replenish the deficiencies of glycogen, water, electrolytes and restore the proper acid-base balance of the body. However, the most important thing is to supplement the protein deficiency.

Therefore, immediately after training, you should reach for a regenerating drink, containing carbohydrates and proteins in the ratio 4-5: 1. The drink drunk shortly after the end of training will ensure the regeneration and rebuilding of muscles. In turn, a few hours after intense exercise, you should reach for starchy carbohydrates in the form of products that are not necessarily recommended in the paleo diet (e.g. pasta), because their task is to replenish the glucose deficiency. The author of the paleo diet for athletes, Joe Friel, recommends raisins, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Fruit juices are also recommended.

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Paleo diet for athletes - how to prepare for the competition?

A week before the start of the competition (e.g. a marathon), slightly reduce the caloric content of meals. All because properly, approximately 7 days before this type of effort, you should train less. You should also include foods that you don't necessarily have in your dietrecommended for the paleo diet. These are carbohydrate products that will supplement the deficiencies of glycogen - the main "fuel" of the body during exercise.

Paleo diet for athletes - what can you eat?

The paleo diet for athletes is based on:

  • lean meat (turkey, chicken, veal);
  • lean fish (cod, tuna, sole, pollock, hake, stream trout);
  • seafood;
  • fresh, possibly least processed seasonal vegetables and fruits;
  • "good" unsaturated fats, e.g. olive oil
  • nuts and seeds;
  • dried fruit.

Paleo diet for athletes - prohibited products

  • very fatty meat and fish (e.g. carp, salmon, eel);
  • cereal grains;
  • legumes;
  • dairy products;
  • high-glycemic fruits and vegetables;
  • alcohol;
  • foods that contain a lot of s alt;
  • processed or refined products.

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Diets for active people