The use of natural supplements is a common practice among athletes, but there are natural supplements for sports that are really necessary
And what benefits they bring
The use of supplements for sports
The use of natural supplements for sports has always been a topic much debated and controversial, between those who affirm its importance and those who argue that it is not necessary. How to regulate then to understand if and how it is appropriate to resort to supplements
First of all by evaluating the level of intensity and physical effort that are reached during the practice.
To those who practice sports as professionals and to those who, even if only for passion, face very demanding competitions, I recommend that they always be followed by professionals in the sector, who can implement targeted integration strategies, respecting their health.
A different story, however, for the thousands of people who practice sport of medium intensity. The athlete, even if he has a higher calorie consumption than a sedentary person, should still base his diet on foods with a low glycemic index and which do not increase his inflammatory state.
Here then are the foods that should never be missing in a sportsman’s diet:
- whole grains as the main energy source
- abundant portions of both cooked and raw vegetables
- fruit in the post workout
- quality protein sources, such as fish, eggs and legumes.
Instead, it is good to pay attention to pro-inflammatory foods, harmful to health and enemies of good sports performance.
The main pro-inflammatory foods, to be limited or avoided, are:
- sugar and sweets in general
- packaged products containing saturated and hydrogenated fats
- refined grains and products that contain refined flours
- red meats
A diet of this type ensures the right energy, physical and mental, in respect of health, both in the short and long term.
Nowadays, however, there are two categories of natural supplements for athletes that should never be missing in the daily routine of a person who plays sports:
- a multivitamin supplement
- an omega 3 supplement
Multivitamin supplements
Scientific studies show that more and more people are deficient in vitamins and minerals. This trend is primarily due to poor eating habits, which are increasingly rooted in the population. The scarce use of fresh fruit and vegetables is added to a drastic impoverishment of the foods themselves, due to the increasingly intensive cultivation methods.
If these two factors are associated with the quantity of vitamins and minerals that are inevitably lost during storage (because nowadays almost no one collects the vegetables in the garden before using them) and cooking, it is easy to understand the spread of this deficiency.
A chronic deficiency of vitamins and minerals, even if not pathological, negatively affects both sports performance and the individual’s state of health. A multivitamin supplement , such as Esi Multicomplex , can represent an ally of the athlete, improving performance and promoting faster recovery.
Omega3 supplement
The unsaturated omega3 and omega6 fats are defined as essential because our body cannot produce them, and therefore we are forced to introduce them with the diet. Omega 3 are mainly contained in fish, crustaceans, flax seeds and walnuts, while omega 6 are mainly found in vegetable oils. While both are important, we must keep in mind that it is their relationship that makes the difference.
A correct diet should provide a quantity of omega6 about 3-4 times greater than that of omega3. Nowadays, however, this ratio is completely unbalanced in favor of omega6, which can even be 15-20 times higher than omega3. This is mainly due to the widespread use of packaged products rich in vegetable oils, associated with an increasing consumption of meat derived from animals (including fish) that are farmed and not lived free. The composition of these meats is increasingly poor in omega3 and rich in omega6 instead.
The excess of omega6 favors the onset of inflammatory states, especially a type of silent chronic inflammation, which is the basis of numerous diseases. This explains why a balanced use of omega3 supplements, associated with a healthier diet, is important to restore the correct balance between the two types of essential fats.
These two categories of natural sports supplements are a valuable aid for anyone who performs physical activity, at all levels. It is in fact important to counteract micro deficiencies to improve not only sports, but also general well-being.
