Athletes have many behaviors that can seem very strange and even socially unacceptable for anyone not involved in sport. They wake up and immediately put on a heart rate strap to check heart rate variability. They stretch in public places. They lay on airport floors to put their legs up between flights. They wear compression clothing and techy watches. They study the color of their urine. They love to talk about their sport, miles, splits, power, etc…
他们中最奇怪的一切可能是运动员助长身体的方式：从他们吃的食物类型到食用它们的食物以及饭菜的特定时机。精英的饮食习惯植根于迷信，严格的营养方案，胃耐受性以及提供性能优势的希望。
这是运动员的一些奇怪食物习惯：
SWEET POTATOES
众所周知，耐力运动员会吃很多普通的，煮熟的地瓜，这对非运动员可能很奇怪。在耐力运动世界中，这是非常普遍的，因为这些根蔬菜在胃系统上很容易，装有能量能量的碳水化合物，引起满足感并提供大量钾。它们也旅行良好，价格便宜，可以在几分钟内用微波炉煮熟。
If you’re an athlete looking to go the distance and clean up your diet, this odd eating habit might be for you.
CANNED TUNA
While endurance athletes turn to potatoes, power athletes and figure competitors can often be found eating tuna straight from the can. I’ve seen athletes pull cans of tuna out of their gym bag to consume immediately post workout. You might stink up the locker room, but your body will benefit from the whole food, omega-rich protein source. Opt for a brand of tuna that is not only good for your body but also good for the environment such as狂野星球.
另一个奇怪的蛋白质习惯是将乳清与水混合，并用勺子将其食用。竞争性的健美运动员和竞争对手使用这种技巧来获取纯蛋白质，并欺骗人体像一顿饭一样缓慢食用它。成为一名运动员肯定会带来烹饪牺牲！
OYSTERS
When an athlete decides they need a specific nutrient to boost their performance, they go straight to the source. An example of this is a female athlete looking to boost iron and energy levels by consuming a tin of oysters a day. Oysters help resist fatigue of daily competition and high-altitude conditions. While traveling with a personal supply of oysters is unusual for most, there is solid reasoning behind the habit.生蚝载有B12，这是能源生产中的重要维生素，也需要大部分的铁，才能使氧气进入肌肉。这两种化合物在女运动员中通常很低，并导致贫血降低运动表现。
MUSHROOMS
运动员比大多数人更依赖补充营养，以获取支持高能量输出所需的高水平维生素，矿物质和植物营养素。虽然许多服用的补充剂非常典型（蛋白质，每日维生素，电解质），而其他补充剂则更为独特。一个是运动果岭, a mix of more than 75 whole-food ingredients claiming to support and promote health for the active individual. Another is mushroom powders. Specifically Lion’s Mane and cordyceps are making their way into smoothies, coffee drinks and bars consumed by athletes to boost endurance and reduce oxidative stress. It might sound like frou-frou hippie nutrition, butsciencebacks up these compounds as being potentially beneficial in supporting an athletic body. There are many retailers of ‘shroom supplements例如四个Sigmatic和OM，因此请进行一些研究，以找到适合您味蕾，身体和钱包的最纯粹形式。
MCT OIL
在水中添加油不会混合。除非您是一个寻找优势的运动员。许多运动员（从远程运动员到交叉跑者）添加MCT油（椰子油是一个受欢迎的例子）来饮用混合物，希望将脂肪用作有效的能源。可能会有一些实际好处。脂肪，甚至以液体形式消耗，可以帮助促进饱腹感，使运动员不再感到饥饿，使运动员更长。MCT专门指的是一种称为中链甘油三酸酯的脂肪形式，其与长链脂肪酸相比，其独特的好处是被更快地使用。一项研究发现，MCT可以增加肌肉葡萄糖摄取和胰岛素敏感性。但是，其他研究指出了受过训练的跑步者没有增加的性能好处。添加MCT或其他脂肪会在锻炼前会大大破坏胃系统，因此请谨慎。
咖啡（或墨西哥胡椒）
食用有助于加快胃排空的锻炼前/赛车食品是一种常见的技巧运动员，可以使开始线感到“清理”，更轻，避免胃肠道不幸。一位骑自行车的人报告说，在活动前吃了大量的墨西哥胡椒，以确保他能够在开始之前使用洗手间。墨西哥胡椒似乎看起来很极端，但是许多运动员出于这种确切的目的而在活动开始前喝浓缩咖啡。尝试咖啡因或辛辣食物，以了解什么对您有用，以及您的身体需要多长时间才能感受到这种影响。在没有不必要的浴室休息的风险的情况下到达起跑线是一种胜利的策略。
也许最极端的是咖啡灌肠。我听说运动员在直肠摄入（对此视觉上的咖啡很抱歉），希望它能绕过胃道并更快地吸收。该实践的信徒声称它可以减轻慢性疼痛，改善情绪，排毒并改善能量水平。我的专家建议是坚持口头食用您的乔杯。Research表明，与口服咖啡相比，直肠食用的咖啡因的生物利用度少了3.5倍，因此您不会得到额外的提升。执行这种类型的程序也涉及一些风险，绝对不会提高运动表现。
作为一名运动营养师和精英耐力运动员，我本人不受练习奇怪的食物行为的影响。在我第一次马拉松比赛之前，我喝了一只无糖的红牛（我不是作为运动营养师建议的）。但是有时候，食品仪式超越了健康 - 这对我来说是迷信的。在每次大型比赛之前，我都会放下一个小罐子。
A health-related strange food habit I have is carrying around tins of sardines and eating them for snacks or smashing them into meals. Weird (and smelly), but they are loaded with calcium, omegas, protein, zinc and iron that my physically stressed body needs. Also, when it comes to getting that extra edge, I’m a believer in beet powder. I mix it into lattes, juice or smoothies before training sessions and races because研究表明它对心血管系统产生了细胞生成作用。
THE BOTTOM LINE
在将食物摄入作为竞争性运动员时，营养应该排在榜首，以表演什么以及何时饮食。However, there are many more factors (mood, preference, superstition, tolerance) that come into play when choosing the foods that work for your body to perform its best.
If you’re trying to use food to get that extra edge, consult a sports dietitian first. Experimenting with foods that promise amazing results can be a fun way to boost your performance, but it can also be dangerous if done too much or incorrectly.
At the end of the day, remember foods should be the foundation of a healthy diet, not a ritualized regimen that leads to stress, restriction or poor health.
