What Is a Healthy Diet for a Wrestler?
Like any athlete, wrestlers need to be concerned with eating a proper diet. In many cases, they are required to maintain a certain weight, so they need to get the most nutritional value out of every calorie they consume. Since they are frequently in a situation where they need to lose weight, it is important that they be aware of the nutritional value of the foods they eat so as not to miss out on such essentials as vitamins and protein.
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Variety
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There is no one perfect food that a wrestler should consume. In order to get all the necessary vitamins and nutrients required, he should eat a variety of foods from all the food groups listed in the USDA food pyramid, including meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, meat and grains. It is also important to eat a variety of foods within the food groups.
Water
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In addition to eating the right foods, the wrestler needs to hydrate properly. As with most athletes, wrestlers perspire excessively, which results in a loss of critical fluids that need to be replenished. As a rule of thumb, the wrestler should take in one milliliter of fluid per calorie of food consumed. So if the wrestler eats 2,000 calories per day, two liters of water should also be consumed.
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Protein
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Protein is necessary for building muscles. However, not all protein needs to come from meat, which is especially important since wrestlers need to maintain a specific body weight. Protein can be obtained through other sources, such as nuts, yogurt, eggs and beans.
Egg Whites
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In addition to being a source of fat-free protein, egg whites, like all proteins, can help the wrestler maintain a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time. This can be important for weight maintenance, especially when it gets closer to weigh-in time and weight needs to be reduced quickly.
Fruit
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A variety of fruits should be consumed since they can contain many different vitamins as well as little or no fat. In addition to eating fruits, choosing fruit juices as an alternative to soda is a way to increase the intake of "good" calories and eliminate bad calories. Fruits should include melons, blueberries, oranges and bananas.
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