The importance of seeds in an athlete’s diet
We have made clear that for an athlete, the consumption of carbohydrates and proteins is essential. But the diet should also include a significant amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as oats, wheat germ, flaxseed, sesame seeds, whole grains in general, pasta, rice, etc., as the contribution of fiber of these foods helps to obtain a significant energy reserves for use during training or competition. Thus the seeds occupy a central place in the healthy food that every athlete must take into account.
Some seeds to take into account are…
Sunflower Seeds
Some properties of sunflower seeds:
- Improve your brain functioning
- Will help you avoid suffering circulatory and cardiovascular problems
- Improve the performance of athletes
- Will help prevent injury
- Improve the condition of your skin
- We provide an antioxidant effect
- Help you deal with the softening or bone-related diseases
Chia Seeds
It is a fruit used for centuries by natives of Central and North America. Chia seeds were the food in the days of walking due to the amount of nutrients they provide and their high energy content. Despite looking like a small fruit and insignificant, chia seed should not be overlooked. Among all their properties, should be noted the high satiating power, as they have high levels of fiber that calm the appetite more quickly, and are a good way to eliminate toxins and waste that you can spare to our body.
This food is known for its high energy content, but it is not simple carbohydrates, but are complex, causing it to slowly release the body to better advantage, thus preventing accumulation in the form of fat, and achieving energy for the day. That is why these seeds can be a good ally in the diet of every athlete; they will help you to recharge batteries as you need.
In addition to these nutrients, they give us lots of vegetable protein, making them a high biological value and are easily assimilated by the body and needed to get some muscles when in perfect condition and to achieve the desired muscle growth . Their high content of essential oils is something we should emphasize, is that chia seeds are an important source of omega-3, which helps us keep the circulatory system in good condition and free of bad cholesterol.
These fatty acids are essential to help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, E, D and K.
Within these fatty acids that these seeds give us, should be pointed out that the unsaturated linoleic body is not alone and are necessary for the proper functioning of vital organs, are responsible for improving the oxygenation of them, as well as help to maintain completely normal glandular activity and correct. That is why we must draw on this food, it can be a great help in improving our health.
Amaranth Seed
Amaranth is an old crop that played a fundamental role in the diet of the Aztecs and other civilizations. But because of its good properties, this plant is being used today.
Amaranth is a very useful plant, because you can eat it leaves as well as seeds. It is considered a pseudocereal because its properties are very similar to those of a cereal, but has marked differences which give this a high protein food.
It has more iron than spinach, contains a high percentage of fiber, vitamin A and C, calcium and magnesium. However, be aware that is recommended to boil earlier its consumption, since the leaves can have high levels of oxalates and nitrates, which reduce the absorption of some nutrients.
The grain or amaranth seeds have a protein level ranging between 15% and 18%, while most grains contain approximately 10% protein in their composition.
In addition, FAO and WHO on valued an ideal of protein 100, valued Amaranth in 75, cow's milk in 72, soy and corn at 68 to 44. It contains lysine, an amino acid found in limited proportions in the other cereals, which greatly increases the protein quality of amaranth. On the other hand, contains between 5% and 8% of healthy fats, including squalene, a type of fat found only in whales and sharks.
Amaranth oil is superior in quality to that of corn, because it contains high levels of linoleic acid essential to the human body with strong anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of thrombosis and other cardiovascular diseases.
In terms of carbohydrate content, it ranges between 50% and 60% and its characteristics are being studied in industry to assess its use as a thickener ingredient because it has amylopectin.
To cultivate amaranth requires approximately 50% less water than other cereals to grow, therefore, this humble food is high yielder, very economical and with great nutrition. It can be consumed in the form of flour, as a vegetable if we choose their leaves, seeds or any other or, to exploit like popcorn.
Amaranth is a very special food that not only has the properties of a whole grain, but with proteins similar to those of cow's milk. Therefore we say that is a "hyperproteic cereal".
This type of crops that have been forgotten in a moment should be seized and claimed at present the sole purpose of enjoying their property and profits.