Menu:
Fats
Almost all of us know the importance of minimizing the fat in our daily diets. Excess fat intake means the possibility of the chronic conditions like heart disease, obesity, and even certain cancers. To reduce the risk of each of these diseases, experts advise to keep fat intake under 30 percent of total daily calories. It is necessary especially for the athletes to limit the fat to 15-30 per cent of the total daily calories. However, many strength trainers have fat intake of 20 per cent in order to maintain low body-fat levels. The fat intake should not be dropped too low as it will lead to missing out of certain vitamins like Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Your fat intake should be balanced so that you can boost your performance in the gym.
Essential fats
Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are the two essential fatty acids which are essential for health and they can not be produced in the body.
The linoleic acid, when taken in body, it is converted into several other fatty acids such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and docosapentanoic acid (DPA). Linoleic acid and its derivative fatty acids are known as omega-6 fatty acids.
When alpha-linolenic acid is taken in body, it is converted into eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaoic acid (DHA) which are known as omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-6 is available in most vegetable oils and margarines whereas omega-3 is found in oily fish and certain nuts and seeds. Both omega-6 and omega-3 that come under the category of polyunsaturated fat are the essential elements in our diets and are required to ensure good health. They are needed for the cell membrane structure particularly retina of the eye, the brain and the heart. They are also used by the body for production of other hormone-like substances such as eicosanoids. The essential fatty acids help regulate many processes like inflammatory and immune responses in the body.
According to experts the wrong ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s leads to several health problems like heart disease, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis and pain, and even slow post-workout recovery. If omega-6 intake is high and omega-3 is low the body will produce too many eicosanoids which in turn may lead to inflammation and pain. Hence, they should be taken in the right proportions-approximately five times more omega6s than omega-3s. This means that 1 g of omega-3s should be taken for every 1-5 g of omega-6s each day. Many people take too much of omega-6s than omega-3s.
Benefit of omega-3s for strength trainers
Studies revealed that a high omega-3s intake minimizes inflammation, pain and joint stiffness. The rate of your recovery after heavy workout in the gym may become faster with consumption of more omega3s and less omega-6s. This much amount of these two essential fatty acids may also help reduce any pain and swelling in your joints. Omega-3s is also beneficial for cardio workouts. Consumption of more omega-3s boosts aerobic metabolism thus increasing endurance and fat burning. It also improves oxygen delivery to cells by reducing blood viscosity and making red cell membranes more flexible. Therefore omega-3s will be more effective for your cardio workouts.
Recommended amount of omega-3s
A long chain of omega-3s including eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexaoic acid can be extracted from some oily fishes such as mackerel, pilchards, trout, salmon, herring and sardines.
However, other foods like sweet potatoes, walnuts, almonds, rapeseed oil, walnut oil, soya oil, flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, chicken and beef are the sources for alphalinolenic acid which is known as the precursor to eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexaoic acid.
The supplements and foods with an abundance of omega-3s can also help enhance the intake. For example eggs, margarine and breed which are rich with omega-3 can be very effective to maintain good health.