What should I be eating or drinking? What shouldn't I be eating or drinking? How much of this should I eat or drink? These are all common questions athletes are faced with all the time. These are some of the questions I hope to solve during my research on this paper.
Protein, maybe one of the most important factors of an athletes diet should take up at least 33% of their diet. The reason why it's so important is because it aids in muscle growth, although protein wont help out in muscle growth with out exercise. Exercise damages and breaks down muscle tissue and an athlete needs the minimum 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass per day for ultimate muscle strength and growth to rebuild the muscle protein they breakdown daily. For example, I weigh 200 pounds, and if I have 8% body fat that means I have 184 pounds of lean mass so I would need 184 grams of protein a day. Because of how important protein is in muscle growth this is the main reason why it is so important for an athlete's maximum performance. Some high quality proteins are lactalbumin, egg albumin (from egg white), beef, fish, poultry, soy protein, and vegetable protein.
Two more factors that are important in an athletes diet are Zinc and Magnesium. Magnesium is very important because it is a huge variable for maximum growth and muscle metabolism. Zinc is needed to produce testosterone .
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and insulin. Even going 2 or 3 days not receiving sufficient amounts of Zinc will cause a sharp decline in testosterone levels. This is not good because testosterone is the steroid hormone responsible for growth of your muscles, libido, and blocking the catabolic effects of cortisol. White spot's underneath fingernails are a vital sign that you are not in taking enough quantities of Zinc. .
Chromium Picolinate is also important for an athletes diet. Chromium Picolinate is needed for top-notch insulin function, and improving insulin sensitivity, which is important for muscle growth and fat loss.
