Anyone who’s even a tiny bit in fitness knows that protein is the king of nutrition. While protein takes the spotlight on your plate, your body needs more than just protein powder and peanut butter.
In this blog, we will cover the essential nutrition checklist for maintaining a fit body. Read more to see how many of these are already included in your diet, which one you are missing out on.
The Unsung Heroes of Daily Nutrition
Besides protein, here are some of the most important behind-the-scenes nutrients that fuel your workouts, speed up your recovery, and keep your body from breaking down in the long run.
This list is not just for gym-goers. Even if you’re someone with an almost sedentary lifestyle, these are the must-have nutrients for you. Check them out below:
1. Complex Carbohydrates
Think twice before blaming carbs for your delayed fitness. To be precise, not all carbs are bad. Your body relies on carbs as the main source of energy to fuel your body for recovery and day-to-day tasks.
Choose carbs carefully and opt for complex carbs most of the time. These include whole grains, such as oats, barley, and wheat, as well as starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes.
Fruits also offer sustained energy. Have fruit like mango, apple, or banana instead of drinking instant glucose drinks or sugar-loaded syrups.
2. Healthy Fatty Acids
Ditching healthy fats is not a good long-term strategy for achieving a lean physique. You need good fats like omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammatory markers in your body, support joint health, and boost brain function.
While flaxseeds and walnuts offer some omega-3s, for serious fitness folks, supplements like omega 3 capsules can ensure consistent intake without juggling your macros too much.
3. Micronutrients like Vitamins & Minerals
Whether you’re training hard or just focused on clean eating, you need to get your vitamins and minerals daily. Micronutrients such as vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and B-complex vitamins are highly crucial for muscle function, energy production, and immunity.
Fall short of these and your body will run on reserve mode, with you feeling fatigued and not “that good”. You can easily get your micros from multivitamin tablets. These work like a backup plan, filling the gaps in your otherwise solid diet.
4. Water/Liquids
Even if you’re eating clean and doing everything right, not staying adequately hydrated can still stall your progress.
Water regulates your body temperature, keeps your joints lubricated, and helps transport nutrients to your cells. Even 1–2% dehydration can significantly impair performance. Take out your sippers gathering dust on the shelf and make and put them to good use.
Add some Himalayan salt or cucumber and beetroot slices to your water for a burst of electrolytes with each sip.
5. Fiber
To digest and absorb all that you’re eating, you need to take care of your gut health, too, and eating fiber can help you in this feat.
Eating low-carb, fibrous foods can also boost your immunity and uplift your moods by keeping your gut microbiome in a healthy state. Load up on leafy greens, lentils, fruits, and seeds. Your gut will thank you, and so will your muscles.
6. Antioxidants
Stress is inevitable. It can either be mental or oxidative stress due to physical activities or environmental factors. Physical stress can cause microscopic tears in muscles, which are necessary for growth. However, this stress also generates free radicals, which are unstable molecules that contribute to cellular degradation and aging.
Taking antioxidants can tackle the effects of stress. You can incorporate berries, dark chocolate, green tea, and colorful veggies into your diet to get antioxidants for faster recovery.
To Sum Up
When you’re solely focused on getting enough protein, you miss out on the big picture. For your nutrition to be holistic and wholesome, you need other nutrients too. These are complex carbs, omega-3 fats, micronutrients, and fiber.
Fortifying your diet with these essential nutrients can support your muscle health, improve joint mobility, and promote brain health and overall well-being. So, when you’re preparing a meal plan, make sure to include these elements. After all, your diet needs to be healthy, not just trendy!
