As the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympics unites the best and the most tenacious, strong, and courageous athletes. However, for the Indian contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the preparation is not only about good training sessions and mental conditioning.
It also includes a crucial element that often goes unnoticed: their diet. What feeds the engines of those sports personalities? The answer is a nice balance of foods that keeps them physically and mentally fit – a meal of favourite local flavours that reminds them of home.
Diet in relation to performance of sportsmen
The role of nutrition in most any athletic event is well defined. The diet depends on the sport; for Indian athletes, it is a wholesome diet with emphasis on carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. This diet provides for a constant supply of energy, rapid recuperation, and, in general, good health. Regardless of this, before the start of the Paris Olympics, nutritionists and dietitians had been engaging the athletes, seeking to understand their individual dietary needs based on the type of sport, frequency of training sessions, intensity, and individual preferences.
Dal Roti: A ‘Powerful’ Combination
Another India’s staple dish, the dal roti, has also gotten itself into the Indian athletes’ favourites list. This is a plain dish that gives much nutrition with the right proportion of carbohydrates and proteins. The roti, prepared from whole wheat, is a good source of carbohydrates, which are complex in nature, and some of the crucial requirements of athletes are energy and endurance in case of coupled training and competitions. The dal, mostly prepared from lentils, comprises rich proteins needed in the process of muscle buildup.
Beyond Dal Roti: The other side of a colourful life
Although dal roti still remains as part of their staple dietary preferences, Indian athletes also get to enjoy most foods that are good for them as per their physical and dietary requirements and personal preferences.
For instance:
- Rajma Chawal: This warming dish that includes kidney beans and rice is another such meal that encompasses protein and carbohydrates, enabling one to sustain a healthy meal plan. It also contains many traces of iron, which is essential in the transportation of oxygen in the blood and enables athletes to set records.
- Quinoa Upma: Quinoa upma is a South Indian dish influenced by a modern approach. The dish contains proteins, fiber, and essential amino acids. Quinoa is one of the health-enhancing foods and listed as a superfood that gives out slow and steady energy, hence recommended for athletes.
- Smoothies and Shakes: Speciality and freshly made fruit juices blended with both the inner skin and purees of fruits and nuts, seeds, and Greek yoghurt which make up the energy or ‘recovery’ shots for training athletes. Bananas, berries, almonds, and flax seed contain antioxidants, potassium, and omega 3, which are essential for a quick recovery and to prevent inflammation.
The Role of Hydration
Besides the solids, fluids are equally important, and the volume, nature, frequency, and timing of these fluids are exceptionally relevant to an athlete. Sportspersons, are advised to take a lot of fluids in the form of water, electrolyte-containing beverages, and coconut water to replenish their body fluid losses during the hot summer in Paris. It is also important in the prevention of muscle cramps, concentration, and achievement of the best performance.
A Recipe for Success
In Paris 2024 Olympics preparation, the nutrition of Indian players is as important as the rigors of training they undergo. Thus, what they are doing is an amalgamation of Indian meals with contemporary nutritional strategies, thereby assuring themselves that not only their bodies are ready but their minds too for the calls that are likely to be made. And with pride one could think of the fare – dal roti, rajma chawal, and all the other wholesome foods these athletes have on their plates—one can easily imagine them ready to conquer the world, bit by nutritious bit.
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