The Athlete's Essential Grocery List It

No matter how hard, or frequently you train, if you are not putting the right fuel into your body you are not going to succeed to the best of your potential. Without the correct diet you will either crash and burn with a season ending injury, or if you are lucky, only carry on at a mediocre level. It's your choice. But here through my resource scouring I have come up with a list of essential grocery items for athletes. Here they are:

• Dried Fruit - Dried fruit is quickly digestible glucose, which is necessary for the body to sustain itself especially during physical exertion. It is more easily digested into the body than fresh fruit and it's easy to carry. Ingested in not stupid amounts and it wont upset your stomach during a race either.
• Bananas - The energy bar that nature has provided. They are filled up to brim with essential performance nutrients and energy sustaining electrolytes. Trumps an expensive energy bar or sports drink every time.
• Almonds - Almonds are stacked full of "good" fats and Vitamin E, a fundamental ingredient to boost an athletes immune system.
• Eggs - One egg is a significant amount of your daily protein needs. It is also contains absolutely necessary amino acids that promote the recovery of your working muscles. It also has a large amount of Vitamin K, which aids in bone health.
• Sweet Potato - This powerhouse is often overlooked, yet it contains a huge amount of Vitamin A, which is a powerful antioxidant. It also supplies the body with a great many other essential nutrients, but most importantly it contains trace amounts of  Maganese and Copper. These minerals are absolutely essential, and frequently under received, for healthy muscle function.
• Mixed Greens - They contain a unique combination of phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients are also antioxidants which can fend off muscle damage following a rigorous workout.
• Salmon - Not only is this a great source of protein, but it also supplies the body with essential Omega-3 fats. These fats balance the body's anti-inflammatory response, which are beneficial to any athlete with breathing or muscle problems during workouts.
• Whole Grain Bread & Pasta - Great for the body's function, but also may be beneficial to those weight conscious athletes. Those who eat whole grain bread as opposed to white or other grain breads weigh , on average, less. Pasta is great for the athlete regardless as it contains easily digestible carbs, but the whole grain version contains far more fiber and B vitamins that aid in metabolism and disease prevention.
• Frozen Vegetables - Packed with antioxidants and much quicker to prepare than their fresh counterpart. Great for an athlete short of time.
• Chicken - One serving of chicken provides around half of an athletes daily value of protein. It also contains selenium which prevents free-radical damage that can occur during exercise, and Niacin which helps fat burning during a workout.

Also, try these drinking concoctions that are fantastic to any athlete, and vastly cheaper than their advertised counterpart.

• Green Tea with Honey - Honey contains both sodium and potassium, which are the key electrolytes in most sport drinks. The green tea is great for antioxidants, but its main one has been linked to help raise your VO2 Max.
• Orange Juice Diluted with Water - Orange juice is full of potassium! Mix in a tiny bit of salt and dilute it with water and you've created your own homemade sports drink.

Now these are only some great ingredients for an athlete. But these are the ones I deemed to be most valuable. Remember that greater performance starts within. Hope this helps those unsure about what to buy! Good Luck!