A PEAK INTO A BOXER'S DIET

PHOTO CREDIT: BOXERS HEALTH BOOK

 

BY: REFENTSE MAKGAMATHA

 

Back in the 30s to 80s, our grandmothers would drool over bodies of boxing champs. Though boxing is no longer as recognized as before, for those who still want to partake in the sport, here are some diet tips.

 

Meat – Stick to white meat. It is easier for your body to digest, processes faster through your body, and doesn’t sit around in your stomach making you sluggish. Examples of white meat are chicken, turkey, and fish. Funny how white meat happens to be lean animals that can fly or move quickly? Red meat is the stuff you try to avoid if you can – which is beef or pork. Maybe it’s because our cows and pigs are fed crap that it makes their meat less healthy for the body.

 

Proteins – Besides meat, eggs, tuna, peanut butter, and milk are an excellent source of pure protein. Remember, this is boxing and not weightlifting, so don’t try to be like a bodybuilder and eat one jar of peanut butter a day. It does nothing for you.

 

Fruits and Vegetables – Everybody needs vitamins, this is a requirement to be a healthy person in general. Eat a wide variety of them. Remember the more colorful the better.

 

Liquids – Water, water, water! One gallon a day is minimum for everybody in general. Two to three gallons is a must if you workout hard and/or live in a hot state. Again, this is a minimum, if you can drink more, do it. Stay the hell away from alcohol, it will slow you down, fatten you up, and put you in more situations where you are likely to be straying away from the healthy boxer’s lifestyle!

 

Fats – Stick to healthy fats. In regards to your body fat, this has more to do with your genetic makeup than anything. If you have a body that builds up fat easily, stay away from unhealthy fats for at least five days out of the week. It’s ok to enjoy your food once a week since boxing training is very tough and will burn off the fat quickly anyways. Unless you’re an elite level boxer training for a world championship, your trainer won’t know about the ice cream you ate for breakfast.

supplements – pills, and lab-created substances aren’t natural. They will never be able provide you the same level of nutrients that you get from eating real food. The simple reason is because they are created in labs and just because you ate a 100mg pill of vitamin A doesn’t mean your body will actually absorb it all. Your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients at a time and the rest goes to waste. Just be normal and stick to food. Forget about all those weightlifter’s supplments and all that. They are for looks and not for real performance. Remember, if pills really did help, we’d all be eating pills instead of food.