Basketball players’ nutritional intake should include a variety of nutritious foods that help build and maintain the body’s muscle strength.
What are the nutritional needs of basketball players?
Basketball is a type of high-intensity sport that requires the players to drain a lot of energy during the game.
Basketball players also really need strength, speed, agility, and high endurance to keep moving, running, and jumping.
Therefore, basketball players need to pay attention to nutritional intake so that they don’t get weak and get tired quickly when exercising.
The type of nutrition for basketball athletes is actually the same as ordinary people, ranging from carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, to fiber.
All these nutrients can be obtained by the body by following basic dietary recommendations with balanced nutrition, such as:
1. A balanced diet consisting of 60–70 percent carbohydrates, 20–25 percent protein, and 10-15 percent fat.
2. Eat a variety of healthy foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
3. Drink enough water according to daily needs and activities.
4. Limit intake of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt.
5. Eat small meals about 5–7 times per day, with the amount depending on your goals and activity level.
Although more or less the same, there are nutritional differences for basketball players and ordinary people. This lies in the strict regulation of intake, including before, during and after the game.
Basketball players must also always pay attention to their physical and mental conditions in order to always appear prime in every game.
So, the need for basketball athletes’ calorie intake is quite high. How much will vary according to age, nutritional status, and the period of training or competition?
The bigger and taller, the greater the calorie needs of basketball players.
If you are a professional athlete and train more than 90 minutes per day, you may need to eat 23 calories per 1 pound body weight.
Nutritious diet rules for basketball players
Basketball players also need to regulate food consumption so that the digestive process is complete before the game.
In this way, blood flow is also concentrated towards the skeletal muscles. This increased blood flow to skeletal muscles can deliver the nutrients and oxygen needed when the muscles are moving quickly, for example when jumping to shoot a ball.
However, the adequacy of sports nutrition for basketball players is certainly not just a matter of food.
Basketball players must monitor fluid intake because the body is more susceptible to dehydration during games.
During a match or after, you still need to add fluids with water, juice, or sports drinks to replace body fluids that come out of sweat.
After the match must, you should meet your energy intake from foods with high carbohydrates and protein.
This food intake is useful for replacing energy reserves (glycogen) that the body has used during training and competition.
Nutritious food menu guide for basketball players
After following the explanation above, this is an example of an ideal basketball athlete menu list for training or improving performance during a match.
Breakfast menu
When you start your day working hard and hard, it’s important to stay energized throughout the day.
Foods that are high in carbohydrates for breakfast are good for starting the day with a strong stamina, for example whole wheat bread with eggs or bananas, and a cup of low-fat milk.
To keep your muscles energized and strong and able to carry on with activities, eat a light meal a few hours after eating. Use whole grain cereal or yogurt as a snack.
Lunch menu
If you’re going to be starting practice or a basketball game in about three to four hours, make time for lunch.
Choose food intake that contains some carbohydrates as fuel. Also, add a small amount of protein to prevent hunger during the game.
Some foods with carbohydrates and protein for a basketball player’s lunch menu, for example:
1. Whole grain pasta with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower,
2. Sandwich with chicken and salad,
3. A bowl of muesli with yogurt and fruit, or
4. Stir-fry chicken with rice or quinoa.
One to two hours before the game starts, basketball players are better off eating a snack that is low in fat and fiber, but rich in carbohydrates.
Some pre-workout or game snack ideas, for example:
1. Yogurt with fruit salad,
2. Bananas, honey, and almonds, or
3. whole grain bread with jam and low-fat milk.
Do not forget to continue to maintain your fluid intake. If you’re having a hard time eating solids, trying liquid sources of carbohydrates and protein, such as fruit smoothies, maybe the best option.
Dinner menu
Food intake after training or competition should contain carbohydrates for fuel, protein for muscle repair and development, and water to replace lost fluids.
To improve your muscle recovery, eat a filling snack, rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fat 30 minutes after the game.
After the body recovers, then you can get ready for dinner after three to four hours of eating snacks.
Some healthy and nutritious dinner menu options for basketball players, include:
1. Sandwich with chicken and salad,
2. Salmon with brown rice and vegetables,
3. Milk-based fruit smoothies, or
4. Yogurt with muesli, nuts or seeds.
It’s also important to keep your body hydrated. In addition to water, sports drinks with electrolytes also help restore lost sweat after a match.