Chief Nutritionist at Nutri4verve, Shivani Sikri : Tips on Nutrition and Diet for Sports Persons & Athletes

OptimumDiet regime plays a decisive role in building muscle fitness and regeneration a very crucial criterion for the success of any sports person As Cofounder amp Chief Nutritionist at Nutri4Verve Shivani Sikri looks after numerous clients from across the globe for holistic nutritionamp knows very well about this important connection between diet and training In this interviewshe gives tips on nutrition and diet for sports persons and athletesWhat should a healthy and balanced diet look like in everyday lifeA healthy and balanced diet contains all the important nutrients This includes an optimal protein intake sensible fats necessary vitamins minerals trace elements and of course enough water It is important to use unprocessed food whenever possible ie natural products from good rearing organic products without flavour enhancers colourings and additives The diet should contain as little chemicals as possible and give the body back the necessary resourcesDo you advise men and women to eat the same foodsThere are certain differences between men and women ldquoMen usually aim for muscle building and fitness whereas women also have to look after their hormonal balances after certain agerdquo Explains Shivani As long as the ingredients are correct it doesnt matter what you eat Proteins from meat but also from plantbased foods can be absorbed well It can become problematic if for example people eat too onesidedly Vegans could for example take in insufficient amounts of certain nutrients such as vitamin B12 iron zinc or vitamin D which then leads to an undersupplyAre there big differences in optimal nutrition depending on the training program and goal or should a nutrition plan for athletes be relatively uniformThe optimal diet is highly differentiated and always depends on the loads of the athlete If this requires a high concentration for example a sharp reduction in carbohydrates is rather counterproductive Avoiding carbohydrates is currently very trendy but a distinction should be made between good fruit vegetables lettuce nuts seeds and bad carbohydrates sugar white flour pastries sweets Overall there is relatively little bad food For example a clear distinction must be made in the case of fats There are fats that are good for the body omega 9 omega 3 as well as DHA and EPE and again fats that tend to harm the body omega 6 saturated fats trans fats Therefore for optimal care of the body one should always pay attention to what loads an athlete is exposed to in his sport in order to then adjust the optimal diet accordingly In competitive sports the same diet is often recommended to every athlete which is often noticeable The footballer needs other priorities like the bodybuilder sprinter or even a cricketer In addition there are differences in taste because not every athlete likes to eat the same thingsIs it advisable to eat shortly before and after trainingThis is again related to individual cases and very much depends on what is eaten Easily digestible foods are less of a problem than very fatty proteinrich foods I recommend that athletes or sports persons always build up their memory and resources in good time so that they do not have to eat much before training However if people are out on business all day this is not always feasible Then you have to weigh up whether eating before training doesnt make sense before it comes to the catabolic degrading effectHow does diet differ during training and for example before competitionsThe competition differs from training in that many athletes are unable to eat a large amount before competitions because the excitement is very high Others have no problem with it In certain sports so many intervals have to be driven that there is hardly any chance of eating properly in between because there is tension even in the breaks The main questions here are How stressful are meals before the competition for the stomach and can they influence my performanceDo you advise professional athletes to use the same nutritional concept as the amateur cricketers or the occasional cyclist or runnerOften professionals and recreational sports persons are not comparable in their daily routine Professional athletes can determine their schedule differently and often lay their meals in such a way that it fits optimally For recreational athletes a lot also depends on their work situation which is why it is a little more difficult for them to bring a continuous flow into their diet However the food composition should be similar for both in the same sportIs an occasional sin okay or is it too damaging to the training goalOccasional sins are perfectly fine and absolutely necessary Not necessarily before important events such as competitions or stressful days but every now and then everyone needs something ldquofor the soulrdquo I do not believe in strict bans because they are often not implemented A failure of the right nutritional advice is often due to the fact that an attempt is made to prescribe a certain nutritional physiology to athletes or customers without directly addressing the individual needs Longterm success is only feasible if the athlete and customer are convinced of what nutritional advice they are getting and if this is integrated into their life cycleAbout the Diet ExpertShivani Sikri is an internationally renowned award winning Nutritionist having more than a decade of experience She has transformed thousands of lives from millennials to golden agers As Chief Nutritionist amp Cofounder at Nutri4Verve Shivani recommends customised Indian versions of International Diets like Keto Diet Veg Non Veg Intermittent Paleo and other top international fat loss targeting diets in addition to wellbalanced metabolic and combination based nutritionally rich diets so that the fat loss is easily attainable and everlasting by eating balanced healthy meals and through your home cooked foodWebsite wwwnutri4vervecomFor Appointment 918800339577