We hear a lot about balanced diet, but do we really know what it is?
More than a diet, it should be understood as a lifestyle. It is a balanced, healthy and sustainable eating pattern over time, based on the consumption of every macronutrient at every meal, from breakfast to dinner.
All meals should be balanced.
Even a sportsman or gym and fitness enthusiast needs to eat a varied and balanced diet consisting of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins. Therefore, it is essential to choose the "right" fats to add to one's diet, which are able to provide high levels of "ready-to-use" energy and allow the assimilation of fat-soluble nutrients. Fats are a fundamental source of energy for athletes and are an important reserve especially for endurance and endurance sports .
Extra virgin olive oil, thanks to its valuable properties, is definitely an excellent choice. Low in saturated fatty acids to the advantage of unsaturated ones, one of the most important substances for preventing cardiovascular disorders and for the functioning of metabolism.
To reap the maximum benefits and keep all the properties intact, however, it is recommended to consume it raw as a seasoning on preparations, or at any rate cooked at low temperatures.
Extra virgin olive oil is also notable for the amount of polyphenols, molecules with high anti-inflammatory properties and capable of protecting human cells from oxidative stress. Olive oil is also a natural source of vitamin E, fights free radicals, which increase with the performance of sports activity, and is an important cancer prevention tool. Finally, it also helps to better assimilate vitamins found in other types of foods, such as fruits or vegetables. These vitamins are only fat-soluble, meaning they are not absorbed by the body if there is a lack of fat: therefore, it is essential to season with extra virgin oil.
Sports and nutrition go hand in hand: the properties of this type of oil therefore make it particularly suitable in the diet of athletes, counteracting and repairing tissue damage, helping in the alleviation of inflammation and muscle injuries. Several studies have shown that during intense physical activity it increases oxygen consumption by the muscle and the production of free radicals, creating a state of oxidative stress.
