1. BE REGULAR: The number-one improvement athletes can make to their diets is to structure their eating. Studies have linked regular meals with more consistent blood-sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and increased lean body mass.
Recipe for Success: Plan for three meals a day and two snacks in between. Eat every three to four hours to keep hunger at bay.
2. SIMPLIFY: 鈥淓ating well doesn鈥檛 have to be about restrictions,鈥 says Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. 鈥淩ather than dwell on every calorie, focus on big-picture needs鈥攑roteins, carbohydrates, and fats.鈥
Recipe for Success: Divide every meal into thirds. The first third should be protein, such as fish or chicken; the second, fruits and vegetables; the third, grains.
3. DON’T JUST FILL, FUEL: 鈥淎 lot of people use exercise as a free pass to eat whatever they want,鈥 says dietitian Kelli Jennings of Apex Nutrition in Golden, Colorado. 鈥淓xercise should complement your diet, not sabotage it.鈥
Recipe for Success: Jennings suggests distinguishing between daily eating and 颅training nutrition, with an emphasis on performance calories on the days you exercise and healthy, whole-food nutrition on the days you don鈥檛.