Hello young ladies, hope all is doing well. Today I would like to discuss with you about the diet plan of female wrestlers of India. As we all know how the amazing ‘Phogat sisters’ made India proud with their unusual interest in the predominantly male sport ‘Kushti’. The famous saying, “Behind every independent and successful woman there is a father who blindly trusts his children and not the society” aptly describes the dedication and unwavering faith of a doting father for his children.
Now let us discuss the detailed diet plan with health benefits:
diet plan in detail
Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then do some stretching and warm-up exercises. Drinking water in the morning helps in cleaning your bowel, detoxifies your body and helps in boosting immunity. It increases appetite and increases BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) by up to 24% which helps in weight loss and muscle tone.
Breakfast:
Sprout Salad: Sprout salad can be prepared from a variety of readily available sprouts such as chana sprouts, moong bean, kidney beans, split peas etc. Iron and Zinc.
Including sprouts in your diet has various health benefits like rejuvenating your skin, boosting collagen production, helping in the detoxification process and preventing premature ageing. So, go ahead and enjoy a mix of different sprouts recipes and avail its benefits.
Fresh Fruits, Vegetables: Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides your body with all the essential nutrients required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Fresh vegetables are naturally low in calories and rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid and potassium.
Consuming potassium-rich foods like soybeans, spinach, lentils, and kidney beans, etc., helps maintain normal blood pressure. Dietary fiber from most vegetables lowers blood cholesterol levels and helps form starch that aids digestion. Foods rich in folic acid like broccoli, avocado, lentils etc. stimulate the formation of red blood cells. Citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C have wound healing properties.
Milk, Soybean: Cow’s milk is considered the best diet for strong bones and teeth as it provides a rich source of calcium and vitamin D. It also contains supplements like potassium which help in vaso-dilatation thereby lowering your blood pressure. The most important dietary change a healthy person should choose is to reduce sodium intake and optimize potassium intake. The optimum intake of 4069 mg of potassium per day reduces the risk of heart diseases by almost 50%. Cow’s milk is also designed for building muscles.
Whole soy foods are an excellent source of fiber, calcium, vitamin B complex and omega 3- fatty acids. It is the only complete non-animal protein because it is a plant source of all eight essential amino acids. These foods provide us with high-quality protein and are very low in saturated fat, making it a healthy and complete meal in itself. Whole soybeans are best because they contain isoflavonoids, and a diet rich in isoflavone phytochemicals forms the basis for a balanced diet.
Dried Fruits: Raisins are a high energy food supplement for wrestlers. They are known to increase weight in a healthy way. They are the ideal food for maintaining an athletic body as they provide powerful boosts of energy to the wrestlers. The high amount of iron and copper in raisins helps in the formation of red blood cells.
Almonds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and contain filling fiber that keeps you full for longer. They are best consumed as an in-between meal snack to keep your hunger pangs at bay. These lovely nuts also contain a unique and protective phyto-sterol antioxidant and a plant protein. When consumed with raisins they complement each other.
Cheat Day: Sometimes wrestlers like to have breakfast of their choice like aloo paratha with curd or other healthy variations. These cheat days are allowed to satisfy your craving and follow the diet plan with utmost discipline.
So, it was all about breakfast and snacks. Now let’s discuss about food in detail.
Main Course Regular Meals: The wrestlers are induced to eat regular meals, which constitute ‘Dal’ which is a preparation of wholesome and palatable pulses. These come under legume food, which are rich in protein. It is advisable to include a mix of all pulses in your diet, without which a typical Indian meal is incomplete. White rice has some rich mineral content and can be eaten in moderation with lentils.
Various green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, turnip etc. are cooked in simple ways to retain their nutritional value, color and taste of the food. Some vegetables are preferred to be eaten in their raw form and mixed together to prepare various salads.
Due to the high amount of protein in chicken, chicken is included in the diet plan of wrestlers. Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of our muscles. 1 gram per kilogram of body weight is the recommended daily protein intake. The best part of eating chicken regularly is that it provides high protein content to the wrestlers to make their body more muscular and firm and also maintain their body weight.
Indian whole wheat bread or roti is eaten with vegetables, dal, chicken and salad for dinner, which keeps the stomach full for a long time and at the same time makes one feel active and light.
Mid Time Evening Snacks: A glass full of milk and seasonal fruits is good enough to keep your hunger pangs at bay. Almonds and raisins should be consumed to give energy shots whenever required.
Pre workout diet: Milk and seasonal fruits provide the wrestlers with the required energy for rigorous workout sessions.
Post workout diet: A post workout meal of soy protein, fruits and lots of water is needed to replenish the muscle glycogen depleted during the workout. Fruits and water hydrate dehydrated body tissues.
Last but not the least, a glass full of milk before bedtime relaxes your tired muscles and makes you sleep like a baby. Milk contains tryptophan (an amino acid that helps induce sleep) and melatonin (a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle).
A wrestler’s diet is versatile and balanced, devoid of high calories and junk food. Fresh and seasonal food is very relevant. Wrestlers are advised to avoid excessively sour and spicy foods such as pickles, chutneys and chaat as they are believed to induce lethargy and sensual excitement.
Hats off to the Dangal sisters for their forbidden moves to become successful wrestlers and their indomitable thirst to achieve their goal. More power to you ladies, go ahead and hold on to your dreams.
