Everybody knows that the key to success in martial arts and other sports is not just lots of practice and training.
While these factors are hugely important, you also need to keep to a strict diet to make sure you are consuming the right things to help your body stay healthy and happy during your training.
Most things make sense like fruit and veggies, but perhaps you have heard that a lot of Muay Thai fighters drink a lot of milk. Is this true and if so, why?
Here we are going to be talking about the benefits of consuming milk and how it can help your body while training for Muay Thai.
So, let’s take a closer look at this rumor to see if you should also drink more milk to help improve your Muay Thai.
Do Muay Thai Fighters Drink Milk?
Due to its close relationship to boxing, a lot of people assume that Muay Thai fighters must drink a lot of milk as it is said to be a great way to restore energy after a fight.
However, while it is great to drink plenty of milk because it is a great source of calcium, it’s not actually true that a lot of boxers and Muay Thai fighters drink milk before and after training.
It’s unclear why this misinformation has spread but in reality, Muay Thai fighters and other students of various martial arts and combat sports only drink the recommended amount of milk.
The reason why is because they want to provide their body with plenty of nutrients including vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B12. This can help strengthen your bones to prevent breaks and fractures.
So, Muay Thai fighters do drink milk but not in excessive amounts that goes beyond what an average person drinks.
Instead, a Muay Thai fighter makes changes to their diet that is much more beneficial to their diets – but rarely does a Muay Thai fighter need to go out of their way to drink plenty of milk every day.
Muay Thai fighters can also use other foods and drinks as their main source of calcium such as yogurt.
How Much Calcium Should I Have Per Day?
As we mentioned above, it’s important to include plenty of calcium in your diet to help strengthen your bones and avoid potential injuries but reaching the daily amount of calcium as recommended by doctors is more than enough to help you achieve this.
Muay Thai fighters should consume a minimum of 1,000 mg of calcium every day – just like everyone else.
This means that the average person should drink at least two pints of milk every day – but we also source plenty of calcium from other foods.
Cheese, yogurt, eggs, tofu, and almonds are all calcium rich foods which means that you can swap out most of your milk intake with other calcium rich dairy products.
If you want to avoid dairy, then foods like broccoli, kale, leafy greens, and beans also contain plenty of calcium.
So, milk is not a necessity as long as you have enough calcium in your diet through other sources!
What Should Muay Thai Fighters Drink?
It’s not recommended for Muay Thai fighters to drink a glass of milk before a fight because sometimes, milk can cause upset stomachs and be too rich to digest just before such an intense workout.
As a result, the best type of drink for Muay Thai fighters is water. Water has no calories so it’s free from fat, carbohydrates, and proteins.
It hydrates your body and is necessary to keep your body working and in the best condition possible.
This is because being dehydrated can lead to muscle cramps that can be difficult to recover from and can affect your training performance. As a result, it’s important for Muay Thai fighters to stay hydrated.
So, water is the best drink for Muay Thai fighters to consume both before and after training. It’s hydrating and unlikely to upset your stomach, meaning that you can concentrate on your training and fitness.
What Should Muay Thai Fighters Eat?
Muay Thai fighters don’t run on just calcium alone so it’s important for you to have a balanced diet filled with all the right foods that can power your body through your training to improve your progress and keep your body in great condition.
In order to train, your body will need plenty of energy because all of that movement and exercise will burn calories.
So, it’s important that you provide your body with enough energy to complete your training and some of the foods best for providing you with energy are carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates can be found in foods such as beans, rice, oats, and lentils. So, thes should make up most of your daily intake so you have plenty of calories to burn while you train!
Proteins are also great sources of energy but they also are great for encouraging muscle repair so you can prevent cramps and tears.
Proteins can be found in meats and eggs but if you follow a vegan diet, then you can find vegan-friendly products like certain peanut buyers and cheeses to help provide you with the proteins you need to keep your muscles healthy.
Fats are often avoided but they are super important to your body and helps you rebuild cells and absorb vitamins and minerals.
You can find these ‘good’ fats in foods like avocado, coconut, olives, and oils. It’s important to eat foods in moderation and not to go overboard!
And, finally, fruits and vegetables are great sources of lots of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function.
Make sure that you eat at least five separate portions of fruit and vegetables every day to ensure that your body is getting everything it needs.
Conclusion
So, Muay Thai fighters only drink the same amount of milk as everyone else as part of their daily intake of calcium.
However, you can easily source your daily calcium amount from other foods like cheeses and yogurt – so you don’t have to drink lots of milk every day to be good at Muay Thai!
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