Basketball player, feed your daily nutrition with this easy guide

Just like other sports, basketball is a sport that requires players to spend a lot of energy to keep moving and running during the game. Therefore, basketball players need to pay attention to proper nutritional intake so they don't get weak when playing. A basketball player's nutritional intake should include a variety of nutritious foods that help build and maintain muscle strength. Check out the guide below.

What is proper basketball nutrition like?

The nutritional needs of basketball athletes are actually the same as ordinary people, ranging from carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, to fiber. What is important, all must remain in balance. Food is arguably balanced nutritionally when it contains 60-70% calories, 10-15% carbohydrates, 20-25% protein, fat, and enough vitamins, minerals and water.

The difference is that the athlete's diet must be strictly regulated at all times, including before, during and after the competition. This is because basketball players must always pay attention to their physical and mental conditions so that they can always look their best in every match. A nutritionally balanced diet plays an important role in maintaining and improving the nutritional status and physical condition of the players before and during the competition.

Basketball athletes need a high calorie intake. Nutritional requirements for basketball players will vary according to age, nutritional status, and training or competition period. The bigger and higher the body, the greater the calorie requirements. If you play professionally and train for more than 90 minutes per day, you may need 23 calories per pound of body weight.

Why are meal arrangements for basketball players important?

The fulfillment of basketball players and the selection of their food menu needs to be arranged in such a way that before the game starts, the digestion process is complete so that blood flow is concentrated to the skeletal muscles. This blood flow to the skeletal muscles is intended to distribute the nutrients and oxygen needed when the muscles contract to move quickly, for example shooting a ball.

But nutritional adequacy, of course, does not only talk about food. Football players still have to monitor their fluid intake. While competing and afterwards, you still need extra fluids with water, fruit juice, or sports drinks that are fortified with electrolytes to replace body fluids that come out through sweat to prevent dehydration in the field.

Meanwhile, post-match meal arrangements must contain sufficient energy, especially high carbohydrates to replace the glycogen reserves that have been used during training and competition, which is important for accelerating the recovery process.

The ideal footballer food menu guide

Following the explanation above, this is an overview of the ideal basketball player diet for before, during and after a match

Morning meals and snacks

Breakfast with foods high in carbohydrates is good for starting the day with strong stamina. Foods that are high in carbohydrates include whole wheat bread with eggs, or bananas with a cup of low-fat milk. To keep your muscles energized and able to carry out activities, eat snacks as an added meal a few hours after eating.

Lunch and snacks

If you have a basketball game starting in about three to four hours, take your time to eat lunch. Eat foods that are high in carbohydrates and some protein. For example, consumption of whole wheat pasta mixed with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower can be used as a basketball player's lunch menu.

One to two hours before the start of the match, eat low-fat, low-fiber, high-carbohydrate foods that you can get from whole wheat bread with jam or bananas with low-fat milk. Don't forget to keep your fluid intake up.

Dinner

What you eat after the game is just as important as what you eat during or before the game starts. To improve your muscle recovery, eat a light meal that is carbohydrate, protein and fat 30 minutes after finishing the match. Then have a healthy dinner after three to four hours of snacking.

This will help build and improve the performance of your muscles. A healthy dinner for basketball players might include chicken, potatoes, peas, a stir-fry salad and a glass of low-fat milk.

It is also important to keep your body hydrated. Drink drinks that replace not only fluids but also electrolytes, especially after a game.