Although this may be the case, we should not nevertheless become too complacent and think that all is well in paradise. The fight continues and nutrition is always at the rescue and sound management of all disease conditions. That aside, the fact is that I was bent on doing a piece on nutrition and sports considering the Soccer - the FIFA World Cup of course! Need I say more? Our only hopes were on Ghana - that dream to make it to the semi-finals shattered. But of nutrition and all ...last week as is usually the case in most people's line of work in my field, I was trapped in one unreachable part of our beautiful and sometimes not so functional - Africa my Africa. A continent of Ancestral savannahs and proud not so well fed warriors and wise heroes, and diet challenged mere mortals unknown! I'm paraphrasing of course and adding my own nutritional flavour. The point is that I found myself in a very strange dietary situation and had to contend with what I was offered as food or I would not be writing this because of death due to hunger and malnutrition. And by the way malnutrition is such a common phenomena in some parts of the world - Africa in particular - that they don't even consider it bizarre or tragic. Such is life. So now you know!
Back to my topic of interest today - sports nutrition; we are looking at a pretty ugly sort of African nutrition scenario here folks. Go to the gym or bust... For optimum soccer performance or any sports for that matter do exactly that or meet your Ancestors or Maker now. Because success simply isn't going to happen - period! No nutrition, no game, no win. Did I make myself clear? On a serious note though the bottom line is if you cannot get your gym or rather physical activity straight and couple that with some bit of sound nutrition then you aren't up for any game. Simply forget it. No amount of prayer, or bone throwing, or multitude of inhalations, or psychiatric analysis will do it. I repeat, eat well, exercise and be well, to get to the top of your game. And stay away from fads.
And this could be a good start as to how. Go the balanced diet and nutrition way; emphasise fruits, vegetables and wholesome grains plus unprocessed natural foods all the way.
One way to achieve this is to - yes - cut out fats, sugars, salt and highly processed foods. And this the right season with juicy citrus and other tropical fruit varieties. Make salads, add them to your morning cereals, eat them whole as snacks or dessert, use them as pancake or flapjack fillings, the list is endless. Just be creative and you will be amazed at how many calories you can save, and how healthy you will look and feel. Fruits add a lot of value from a variety, taste, and nutritional point of view.
A balanced diet for healthy physical and mental development provides sufficient calories -at least 2000Kcal per day, balanced in protein, carbohydrate and fat content and a sufficient mix of essential vitamin and minerals. Unfortunately the reality of this world is that most hungry and undernourished people live on a mono carbohydrate diet comprising only maize, sorghum, rice, or cassava and lack the required protein, fat, vitamin A, zinc, selenium and iron.
Healthy well nourished people are able to resist many infections and heal faster if they do fall sick. The human body's immune system relies in a balanced diet, rich in micronutrients to be effective. Diets rich in vegetables and fruits bolster the body's immune system, helping it to resist HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, and many other infections that affect most of the developing world.
Fruits and vegetables are also considered by experts to be the primary nutritional tools to prevent non-communicable and micronutrient deficiency related diseases. Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain cardiovascular diseases and cancers can be significantly reduced via increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Sports and peak performance equally benefit from this.
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