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Sports Nutritional Therapist

25th April, 2013 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Increase your performance with a sports nutritionist in London. There has been a lot of hype about sports nutrition over the last couple of years, with athletes attempting to concentrate on every single last detail in order to boost their efficiency. Indeed sports nutrition which can encompass hydration methods, post work out protein shakes, carb loading for the appropriate sports and making use of certain ergogenic sports supplements can improve performance. But a healthy athlete will always out perform an unhealthy athlete. What gets lost at times is the need to develop very good foundation nutrition practices such as eating breakfast, obtaining regular meals, consuming vegetables and eating adequate amounts of protein.

Bear in mind that Sports Nutrition in London can provide you the appropriate information and design the appropriate nutrition strategy for you before you go on to think about hydration techniques, post work out protein shakes, carb loading and ergogenic sports supplements.

One of the first things you can do is make sure your diet is rich in vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are a class of essential nutrients that have to be obtained from the food you eat. Vitamins come as either water soluble or fat soluble.

The water soluble vitamins include the family of nutrients classed as the B vitamins. These include vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, B12 and biotin. B vitamins are identified as the energy production vitamins as they power the enzymes that convert food into energy. B vitamins such as B12 and B6 are found in animal products, whereas other B vitamins such as folic acid and B3 are found in plant foods. Sports nutritionist London recommends eating nuts, seeds, meat and fish for very good sources of B vitamins. Certain B vitamins are also needed to reduce a toxic amino acid called homocysteine from accumulating in the blood. Increased homocysteine levels have been found to be associated with all cause mortality.

Vitamin C is another water soluble vitamin it is also an antioxidant that aids support the immune system and plays a part in collagen synthesis and wound healing. Oranges are most linked with containing vitamin C nevertheless cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and peppers are richer in vitamin C.

The fat soluble vitamins incorporate vitamin A, D, E and K and other fat soluble antioxidants such as beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Vitamin A is found in animal products such as butter and milk and is essential for the lungs, skin and GI tract. Beta carotene gives plants such as carrots and sweet potato its orange colour and can be converted to vitamin A in the body. It also acts as an essential antioxidant to protect the eyes amongst other things.

Vitamin E is found in nuts, seeds, avocado and plant oils. It is an antioxidant and especially important for cardiovascular health. Vitamin K is found in liver and green vegetables and assists the formation of bone and helps blood to clot.

Vitamin D is acquired through the action of sunlight on the skin that converts cholesterol into vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for bone health, the immune system and neurological health. Vitamin D can be acquired in the diet through eating oily fish, nevertheless during winter months a supplement might be extremely useful. Sports nutritionist London recommends vitamin D supplementation through the winter months to make sure you have adequate levels in your body. Beta carotene gives plants such as carrots and sweet potato its orange colour and can be converted to vitamin A in the body. It also acts as an essential antioxidant to protect the eyes amongst other things.

Minerals and trace elements are organic compounds and metals found in minute amounts in food. Minerals include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and molybdenum. Minerals are essential for nerve and muscle function, bone formation and act as antioxidants.

Trace elements include zinc, iron, copper, selenium, iodine, manganese and chromium. It is especially important to obtain zinc as it is employed in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body. The best source of zinc is animal products. These nutrients are important for converting food to energy, boosting the immune system and carrying oxygen in the blood. Meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds are great sources of minerals and trace elements.

It is important to get these nutrients from our food, nevertheless due to modern farming where there are often instances tiny nutrients left in the soil and due to the burden on our bodies living in this contemporary toxic glplanet sports nutritionist London recommends taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Walter Willet – Harvard professor and lead researcher on some of the largest epidemiological research ever carried out suggests we need to be taking a daily multi vitamin and mineral as well.

Once you have been working with sports nutritionist London and put these vitamin and mineral into your diet regime you will be a healthier person and can concentrate on you nutrient timing for performance and other ergogenic sports supplements.