For a tasty snack, try serving quartered fresh figs with a dollop of reduced-fat ricotta cheese or flavored yogurt. In comparison to other calorie- and fat-dense nuts, chestnuts contain less than one gram of fat per ounce while providing a hefty dose of fiber, vitamin C and folic acid, nutrients important for immune function, formation of collagen and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.

Chestnuts are tasty in stuffing, pilaf, vegetable side dishes and soups. Or try them as a snack by themselves. A one-cup serving and a mere 80 calories later, you get 20 grams of energy-enhancing carbohydrates, four grams of appetite-curbing fiber as well as a significant amount of vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that keeps the immune system revved.

Blueberries have the highest ORAC oxygen radical absorbance capacity score of any fresh fruit, which means they can destroy free radicals in the body before they cause damage to healthy cells.

In addition, the dye that makes blueberries "blue" has been shown to improve memory, balance and coordination. Blueberries are a tasty addition to cereals, salads and smoothies. In the colder months when fresh blueberries are less prevalent, opt for the frozen variety. Yogurt has always been touted as a nutritional powerhouse, partly because it's loaded with calcium, a critical nutrient considering osteoporosis affects 20 million women each year.

Rich in vitamin B, yogurt also helps prevent fatigue. And plain yogurt just may be the perfect recovery food for athletes, as it promotes glycogen replenishment and muscle recovery. Give yourself an energy boost after your next workout by slicing a ripe banana into a cup of plain yogurt.

Make sure your yogurt contains active cultures called probiotics, hugely beneficial to immune function. The USDA reports more people are eating refined white bread, which lacks quality nutrients due to processed flours.

Rice bran boasts superior nutritional credentials, with five grams of carbohydrates and more than two grams of fiber in a mere two tablespoons. Furthermore, it provides 23 percent of the RDA for magnesium, a nutrient directly responsible along with calcium for the production of adenosine triphosphate ATP , for energy during metabolism, as well as conversion of glycogen to glucose for use as the body's fuel during exercise.

Rice bran can replace up to half the flour in any quick bread or muffin recipe and be added to recipes for meatloaf and casseroles. If you don't plan on baking in the near future, try sprinkling rice bran on cereal, salad or yogurt.

Despite some concerns about the glycemic response of large portions of pasta, this common carbo-loading meal can be a healthful addition to your diet.

Whole wheat pasta provides nearly 40 grams of energy-rich carbohydrates per one cup cooked serving. In addition, whole wheat pasta provides five grams of dietary fiber, most of it insoluble fiber, shown to reduce risk for breast cancer.

To ensure you are buying the healthiest whole wheat pasta, look for at least four grams of dietary fiber and five grams of protein per two ounces dry or one cup cooked serving. Be sure to watch portions and try to add a protein chicken, ground sirloin to your plate to avoid craving that second pasta portion.

And, of course, add some veggies for color, fiber and an array of health-enhancing nutrients. Despite this vegetable's impressive nutritional profile and appealingly "sweet" flavor, consumption of sweet potatoes is on the decline.

A look at the facts might change your mind about this nutrient-dense veggie: A four-ounce sweet potato contains a mere calories with a whopping 28 grams of carbohydrates and more than percent of your daily requirement for beta-carotene.

A sweet potato also packs in more than a quarter of your daily needs for vitamins C and E, nutrients shown to prevent cell damage in athletes competing in extreme environments altitude, heat, cold, pollution , as well as enhance muscle recovery after intense training.

Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of iron. Expand your intake of sweet potatoes beyond Thanksgiving by stirring them into chili, adding some to your favorite potato salad recipe and adding shredded raw sweet potato into hamburger, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

Also, try using mashed sweet potato as a ravioli stuffing. Considered by many to be winter's most delicious fruit, oranges are rich in natural sugars for a quick energy boost, yet provide three grams of fiber for sustained energy.

In addition, just one navel orange meets an entire day's requirement for vitamin C, while providing immune-enhancing flavonoids, helping to keep colds and flus at bay. Your heart will also benefit from the folate in oranges.

Opt for the whole orange rather than juice , and be sure to eat the spongy inner layer that lies right under the colorful part of the skin to ensure you are receiving energy-sustaining fiber. Besides using oranges as a tasty, convenient snack, try adding sections of oranges to salads or smoothies, or using the juice as a marinade for meat.

More Food And Nutrition Articles. Adding family members helps ACTIVE find events specific to your family's interests. Look for this banner for recommended activities. Summary of nutrition and hydration recommendations and examples can be found in the table at the end of this article.

Remember, you cannot out-train poor nutrition and hydration. Food is fuel and your body needs good nutrition to train and perform at your best! Urgent Care. In This Section. Specialties Sports Medicine Meet Our Team Sports Medicine Locations News and Updates Sports Medicine Conditions Sports Medicine Services Sports Medicine FAQs Sports Medicine Articles Resources For Providers Sports Medicine Research Sports Medicine in Schools and Organizations Information for Coaches Sports Medicine Internships Sports Medicine Resources Sports Medicine Articles 8 Signs Your Child's Knee Needs To Be Examined ACL Injuries in Children and Adolescents Allowing Youth Sports to be Child's Play Antibiotic Resistance Are You Prepared for Your Sport?

Breaking Stride Can I Go Back In Yet? Is Your Rotator Cuff A Sore Subject? Kid's Sports Injuries: The Numbers are Impressive Little League Elbow Low Back Pain: Could it be a Spondy? Making Healthy Choices on the Road Mouth Guards in Sports: A Necessary Piece of Equipment New Guidelines: Sports and Energy Drinks Osteochondritis Dissecans Let's Play Ball Preventative Measures for Asthmatic Athletes Promoting Youth Fitness Scapular Dyskinesis Somatic Dysfunction Sports Safety Stocking a Medical Kit STOP THE MADNESS - How to be a Good Fan Strength Training for Children Strength Training with a Limited Budget Stretching Stretching for Swimmers Swelling: The Body's Reaction to Injury Swimming with a SICK Scapula Shoulder Blade The ABCs of Blister Care The Sprains and Strains of Sporting Injuries Tips for New Runners: How Much is Too Much?

To Tape or to Brace is that the Question? Every athlete knows and loves this perfect on-the-go fuel. With calories and 26 grams of healthy carbs, they serve as the perfect pre-workout snack. Plus, bananas pack in plenty of potassium, a needed electrolyte that is lost in sweat. They also make perfect addition to your post-run smoothie.

Bananas are also a great way to sweeten baked goods without any added sugar, like in these No Added Sugar Blueberry Pancakes. Sprouted grain breads are made from a variety of whole grains and legumes. The grains have already been broken down by enzymes, making them a little easier to digest for those with sensitive guts.

Top with your favorite nut butter or mashed avocado. Dried fruit is rich in natural sugar, making it perfect pre-workout carb to provide lots of energy. For distance runners, dried fruit also works well as an easy to carry fuel source for during a long run. Some of my go-to picks are dried mango, dates and raisin.

Try adding some into DIY trail mix, energy balls oatmeal and yogurt. It is no coincidence this has long been a favorite pre-long run meal. This high-carb food can help fill up your glycogen stores so you have plenty of energy throughout your workout.

A vegetarian staple, beans are not only a good source of healthy carbs, but protein as well, making them a great choice for post-workout recovery. Enjoy beans in a variety of ways, like tacos , salads and soups or blended into dips.

This carb may be low in calories, but it packs in tons of vitamins and minerals — most notably fiber, Vitamin C and B6. Slice a spaghetti squash in half, remove the seeds and roast it in the oven until it caramelizes and the strings are soft and easily separate from the skin.

After roasting, the inside transforms into thin strands that resemble spaghetti. Top with your favorite tomato sauce or pesto. Opt for plain varieties to avoid added sugars and sweeten yourself with fruit or a touch of honey.

Pro tip— plain Greek yogurt is a wonderful addition to savory dishes. Try it as a sauce in this Chickpea Wrap. Your email address will not be published. Submit Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Table of contents Why are carbs important?

How long before working out you should eat depends on when your last full meal was, said Molloy, who works with top athletes in various sports.

If it's been longer since your last meal, you don't need to eat more but you should have the carb-based snack earlier, as the benefit of it is more pronounced. Molloy recommends something simple and light, not something that will sit heavily in your stomach. There's nothing wrong with a smaller version of a meal as your pre-workout fuel, such as ground chicken and white rice with some kind of sauce for flavor, Molloy said.

Another of his favorites is overnight oats : "A couple packets of instant oats, some chia seeds, a scoop of protein, and your favorite liquid of choice oat milk is my go to works really well," he said.

Molloy previously told Insider that one of the biggest mistakes active people can make is eating a low-carb diet , because it limits your performance capacity and can lead to muscle loss and flu-like symptoms.

Read next. Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

HOMEPAGE Newsletters. Rachel Hosie. Share icon An curved arrow pointing right. Fatique: the body's energy reserves are exhausted and waste products, such as lactic acid, have increased. the athlete will not be able to continue activity at the same intensity or rate.

It is an important goal for all athletes to provide their bodies with appropriate fuels to maintain and enhance their performance. Carbohydrates are a major source for the athlete.

Carbohydrate feedings before exercise can help to restore glycogen stores, which may be called upon during prolonged training and in high-intensity competition. Carbohydrate meals should be low fat, easily digested, and tolerated by the athlete. Fat intake should be limited because it delays stomach emptying time and takes longer to digest.

for example for an athlete with 70kg body weight preferred. Carbohydrate for daily consumption is between gg each day. the amount of Carbohydrates needed for a 70kg weight is grgr per day. This regulator helps athletes not to exceed their carbohydrates use every day.

Ideas to build your meal: fresh fruit, fruit or vegetable juice, baked potatoes, cereal with low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, bread or bagel with peanut butter, lean meat, low-fat cheese, or spaghetti with tomato sauce. Ideas to build your meal: fresh fruit, fruit or vegetable juice and bread, bagel, English muffin with limited amounts of margarine, butter, or cream cheese , oatmeal, or pancakes.

Note: Protein plays a minor role in providing energy for the body during exersice. The pre-exercise meal should be eaten 1 to 4 hours before exercising to allow time for digestion and absorption and complete emptying of the stomach.

Carbohydrate intake during exercise improves performance when the exercise lasts longer than one hour.

If exercise is less than one hour, ingesting carbohydrates appears to have no benefits in most individuals. If carbohydrate feeding starts during exercise, it should be continued throughout the exercise.

More carbohydrates is not better. Nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea may occur if large amounts of carbohydrate are consumed.

Energy is stored as glycogen in muscles. It takes at least 20 hours to restore muscle glycogen after intense exercise. Restoration is enhanced by consuming carbohydrates in the first minutes immediately after exercise.

Delaying carbohydrate intake after exercise will reduce glycogen restoration. At least g of carbohydrates should be consumed within minutes after exercise to maximize muscle glycogen stores. Ideal foods include pasta, sandwiches, yogurt, crackers, bagels, granola bars, or, if preferred, a sports drink.

The addition of a small amount of protein will further enhance glycogen restoration. Athletes should not consume any alcohol during the recovery period. Alcohol will delay the restoration of glycogen. Are you taking protein supplements? Maybe you have heard that they will bulk you up or help keep you healthy.

First of all, taking protein supplements will not build muscle. It is the resistance activities exercise that will maintain or develop muscles. Protein supplements do provide protein and calories. If you get enough protein and calories from food, you already have the building blocks necessary to maintain and grow muscles.

Regardless of whether you follow the Paleo diet , a vegan diet or any other of the many different eating approaches out there, it makes the most sense to get the carbohydrate part of your meal from the most natural, least refined sources.

Lately, many people have been interested in going gluten-free whether or not they have Celiac disease, because studies have shown health benefits to this type of approach. According to their site, www. On a personal note, even though I was tested for Celiac and fortunately, learned I did not have it, I still found that cutting gluten from my diet eight years ago proved to be the single thing that halted a lifetime of stomach issues in a mere three days.