millets for athletes as pre/post workout

millets for athletes as pre/post workout
Millets are healthy and high in nutrition, but do you know, millets are great for athletes too? Millets make a great option for pre and post-workout meals for athletes. 

Millets not only provide essential nutrients to athletes for intense physical activity, but they keep them full for longer periods as well.

Importance of pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes 

Pre and post-workout nutrition is one of the essential aspects of athletic training.  Though the exact nutrition requirements can be different for different athletes and highly dependent upon various factors like body composition, the type of sport they play, etc. All athletes are required to consume a healthy diet comprising whole grains, protein, fruits, and vegetables.

It is essential that athletes include a healthy (and complex) source of carbohydrates and a good source of protein in their diet. A healthy source of carbs moderates insulin levels and preserves liver glycogen, while a good protein source helps in maintaining or increasing muscle mass and prevents protein breakdown.  

Experts suggest it is good to eat a healthy snack (made of whole grains) or a light meal at least 1-2 hours before a workout or training session, known as a pre-workout snack. It is recommended to avoid heavy meals and high-fat and heavy protein snacks before the training session, as they are heavy to digest and may cause sluggishness during training. 

You should eat a small healthy snack in between sessions if you plan to train or work out for over 60 minutes, to maintain stamina and energy.  

Post-workout nutrition is equally important to replenish the lost energy and refuel your body. Eating a wholesome meal comprising whole grains, protein, fruits, and vegetables is best for maintaining your post-workout nutrition. 

Maintaining a good level of hydration is another important aspect of pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes. Apart from water, you can also consume vegetable juices and buttermilk to maintain good hydration and provide other essential nutrients too. 

Apart from the traditional healthy snacking items, athletes can turn to millets for healthy and nutritious pre or post-workout meals. Recently, on the Fit India Hindustan Talk series, sports nutritionist, Ryan Fernando too extolled the virtues of millets for athletes.

5 reasons millets are a great option for pre and post-workout nutrition for athletes

 1.  Millets act as a stable source of energy for athletes.

Millets are a great source of complex carbohydrates. They have a lower glycemic index. They absorb slowly and prevent sugar spikes. Thus, millets are a great choice of grain for athletes for maintaining stable energy without the sudden spike in blood sugar levels.  

2.  Millets keep you full for longer (high fiber content) 

Millets are high in fiber. They keep you full for a longer period and are a better option than other traditional grains like rice. High fiber content aids in easy digestion and prevents digestive issues like constipation in athletes.

3. Millets help in weight management

Maintaining an ideal weight is another important aspect where millets can play a vital role. Being high in fiber, millets help in ideal weight management and prevent obesity in athletes.  

4. Millets provide excellent nutrition to the body

Millets are high in nutrients. They contain good amounts of various essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and magnesium. All these essential nutrients provide excellent nourishment to athletes before and after a workout and help in maintaining the proper nutritional requirements of the body. 

5. Millets help in reducing inflammation and muscle fatigue

Millets are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants work great in reducing inflammation in the body and improve fatigue and muscle soreness. 

How to include millet in an athletic diet?

 Millets are available in various forms, like pearl millet and foxtail millet. Athletes can replace white rice with these millets and can pair them with any lentil or curry to make a wholesome meal for dinner or lunch. 

Millet snacks and millet breakfast cereal are other
options to include millet in your diet. Nowadays, various ready-to-eat millet breakfast cereals like Jowar flakes and Bajara flakes and millet snacks like millet bars are available in the market. You can consume them easily, and get all the excellent nutritional benefits that millets offer for our body. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, millets are the best option for athletes to maintain nutritional requirements during workouts or training sessions. If you are an athlete or a sports person, then you must include millets recipes in your diet regimen. Check out our shop for exploring various millet products for boosting the nutritional quotient of your diet. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Environmental Friendly and naturally Organic, Millets are the new-age global grain

Image
In recent years, millets have made a powerful comeback. Since the declaration of "2023 as an “International Year of Millets” , people across the globe are making conscious efforts to include millets in their diets.  Millets are small-sized, round-shaped grains belonging to the Panacea family. They are ancient grains and we can find evidence of millet consumption in the prehistoric era too. Millets come in various varieties such as little millet, Kodo millet, Finger millet, and foxtail millet, etc. India itself has around seven popular millet varieties . Millets are environment-friendly grains and require less water and pesticides to grow and survive. Increasing millet production and consumption can be a great way to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce the carbon footprint on the environment. This is one of the reasons for millet to be considered as the new-age global grain. Read on to know more about the environmental benefits of millet and its role in providing foo...
Read more

All you need to know about ready to cook millets.

Image
We are busy people. Our routine life is often occupied with multiple personal and professional obligations. The hectic routine often leads to frantic stress and as a result, we tend to look for ready to cook alternatives.    As per a recent Femina India survey report, 85% of millennial working women do not cook at home and find it hard to take out time for preparing homemade meals for their families.  Nuclear families and lack of efficient cooking skills are other factors that demand convenient and easy-to-cook food options.  Nowadays, modern consumers are looking for options that take less time to cook and require less or minimum effort. However, it does not mean that they are ready to compromise on the nutrition quotient. They want quick yet healthy homemade meals that suit their busy lifestyle and fulfill the body’s nutritional requirements too.  Considering this aspect, ready-to-cook millets seem like a great option to prepare quick and healthy m...
Read more

7 Millet dessert recipes for healthier Indulgence in 2023

Image
Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen—a happily-ever-after to supper.” - Terri Guillemets.  Of course, desserts are tasty treats. Having dessert after the main meal is a common food tradition in many parts of the world, including India.  Though eating desserts is a great way to complete a meal and to satisfy our sweet cravings, most of the typical desserts are made of unhealthy ingredients like Maida, white sugar, etc., and may not be a healthy option to include in our routine diet. But what if you could convert your dessert obsession into a healthier indulgence?  Yes, we are talking about millet desserts.  Including millet desserts in your diet is a great way to enjoy everyday dessert recipes with a healthy twist. We are sharing 7 amazing millet dessert recipes that are perfect to satisfy your sweet cravings. Millet Cake Millet cake is one of the best dessert recipes made with millet. For making millet cake, you can either use mixed millet flou...
Read more