Proper nutrition for poker players

A poker player’s job is very specific, primarily due to its schedule. They often have to work nights or go days without sleep. Furthermore, their lifestyle is sedentary, again due to the nature of their profession. What kind of proper nutrition is recommended for professional poker players?

It’s no secret that ordering pizza is always the easiest way to eat in the middle of the night when the game is in full swing. However, many later begin to complain of excess weight, gastrointestinal problems, shortness of breath, and poor skin. We suggest exploring some simple, systematic rules you can follow to create a proper diet, taking into account their sedentary lifestyle and nighttime activity.

Limit fatty foods:

A normal diet should contain no more than 25-30 % of calories from fat. This is approximately 80-100 grams of total fat, regardless of its source. Excess fat not only accumulates under the skin but also harms brain function. Harmful fats are especially found in unnatural foods – chips, hamburgers, pizza, sausage, fast food, and foods fried in sunflower oil. Try to limit your intake of these.
Properly cooked fats are beneficial. A person can’t live a full life without fatty foods. A lack of fatty foods negatively impacts your mood and nervous system – you become irritable and prone to depression. What to do? Eat baked meat and fish. It’s best to replace pizza with sushi! Sushi is very healthy and has a balanced diet of fat, fiber, and carbohydrates.

Try to eat four or five times a day:

The first meal of the day is breakfast. It should be nutritious and high in protein, as it essentially kickstarts all the processes in the body. For breakfast, it’s best to eat porridge with eggs, fish, fruits, and vegetables. By the way, fruit is contraindicated in the evening due to its high sugar content (except grapefruit and pomegranate). After two hours, have a snack. You can also eat fruit with a small amount of various nuts. Lunch should be the heaviest meal – it allows for an entree, meat, and various salads. Nutritionists recommend an afternoon snack of yogurt or cheese – this is fine. For dinner, it’s better to eat fish and vegetables; they’re easier to digest in the evening. And to eat right, you don’t have to wake up at 6 a.m. and go to bed at 9 p.m. – the opposite is true!
Harmful!

There are slow carbohydrates that should be avoided – pasta, potatoes, bread, sweets. Very rarely, in exceptional cases, when you really crave them, you can indulge in a little.
Avoid vegetable oil – it’s best to replace it with olive, flaxseed, pumpkin, sesame, or milk thistle oil. Avoid too much salt – it retains water and leads to swelling.
But the body can’t function properly without salt either.

And remember:

Intelligence, self-control, awareness, and memory are among the most important factors for successful poker play. Only proper nutrition and maintaining good health can help poker players live a full and successful life. Avoid diets – they only help temporarily lose weight, and many are actually harmful to health. Try to eat right – it’s the key to a healthy body and a clear mind!
Don’t forget about exercise and physical activity!