People often need to tailor their diets according to their daily activities, like their pastimes. Online gaming is one such pastime that has become quite popular in recent years. It can also be a lucrative pursuit with considerable cash prizes if you’re really good at winning. For example, the 2020 Call of Duty League Championship was won by the Dallas Empire team, during which they took home a whopping $1.5 million in prize money. Another example is the online poker player named Phil Ivey, who’s won over $19 million in profit in online cash games. When we say lucrative, we mean it!
But even where there is no prize at stake, online gaming is still competitive and eating right can give you an edge. We’ll explain the details of how to eat healthily while gaming in this article.
1. Eat Fresh, Not Processed
Online gamers do not have that much time to spare, so they are inclined to eat foods that are convenient and require little preparation time, like fast foods and processed foods. While these foods are easy to consume, they are unhealthy and usually packed with high sugar, fat, and salt levels.
Gamers should consume a diet of fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables. Fresh foods are packed with antioxidants and can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. These are beneficial for gamers because they can increase your mental ability and brain power. When it comes to meat, eating lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish are beneficial as they are high sources of protein and low in fat, which can help gamers increase their energy levels.
2. Snack on Nuts and Seeds
Online gaming is also about memory and calculation – for instance, calculating poker pot odds. Nuts and seeds could help increase your ability to recall information when it’s important, like memorizing a Call of Duty map. When a gamer snacks on nuts and seeds, they get a boost of all kinds of nutrients, like zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants — all of which are considered good for the brain. Plus, these snacks are conveniently little and easily fit into the palm of your hand – easy to throw a few into your mouth while taking a short break. Gamers need every edge they can get so they can be alert when they’re calculating how much they’re going to win or the best escape route when under attack.
3. Have Regular Eating Times
You’ll be at your computer for hours during a Call of Duty session, but try to eat at regular times each day because this promotes regular digestion. Eating at regular times throughout the day and night will help your body burn and maintain proper nutrition and energy supply. On the contrary, if you don’t eat at regular times, your body is designed to sense a lack of food as starvation; thus, skipping meals slows down the metabolism and gives you less energy and decreases your ability to focus. To combat this, set an alarm for meal time, snacks, and even midnight snacks if you’re up late at night in a battle – on the field or around a poker table.
4. Prepare Meals Ahead
All gamers are great at planning their playtime before they start, so planning meals ahead of time will be a cinch! Plus, it’ll give you more free time, you’ll spend less than what you pay for fast food, and of course, it’s the healthier way to go! All you have to do is think about what type of foods you enjoy, make a list, and spend some time preparing your healthy meals in advance. Make sure you eat a well-balanced diet, as well as healthy snacks, too! Your food should act as the fuel that will give your body the energy it needs and help strengthen your immune system at the same time. Whether you’re playing sports, fighting a war, or about to go all-in, planning your meals ahead of time is one of the common practices all top online gamers do.
Gamers need to be in their best condition, physically and mentally, if they want to keep on winning. Try these suggestions out and play at your best competition level with proper diet and nutrition.