Your Diet Matters


Proteins – More be good!


Carbohydrates – Eat ‘em when you need ‘em

Carbohydrates are the fuel that your body needs for any activity. While carbs will form the majority of your diet, they should be consumed in proportion to the amount of physical work you’ll be doing. Excess carbs will be stored in the body as fat, and we don’t won’t that, do we!
However, with carbs, things aren’t that simple. There are good carbs, and then there are bad carbs.
The ones we refer to as bad carbs are ‘simple carbohydrates’. Simple carbs get digested very quickly, and therefore they lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels in our body. This spike in blood sugar levels gives us an instant rush of energy. So, you get a surge of energy quickly – how is that bad for you? There’s a catch. Shortly after the boost in blood sugar levels, there will be an equally fast decline in these levels. This would cause you to become tired and hungry, and stressed. So essentially, it’s a rapid process – energy comes fast, goes away at an equally rapid rate. Relying a lot on simple carbs can have serious health effects down the line. Moreover, simple carbs usually have negligible vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Fibre is central to digesting well, and it helps in keeping blood sugar levels stable.

On the other hand, good carbs are the ‘complex carbohydrates’. They consist of sugar molecules intertwined together, and they take much more time to digest compared to simple carbohydrates. So, this makes the blood sugar level rise gradually, and insulin production is also slower. Therefore, complex carbohydrates are a source of sustainable energy needed to play Basketball.

Also, complex carbs are plant based or whole food based, so they have a high amount of fibre, vitamins, and minerals with them too. Examples of foods having complex carbs are green veggies, nuts, potatoes, etc. 

Fats – In moderation

Ideally, the amount of fat intake for basketball players should be low. Fats are calorie rich compared to carbs or protein, so players who need to gain weight can have more fats. Try eating healthy fats like vegetable oil, olive oil, nuts, etc.