When most people think of gamers or online streamers they envisage a young man who resembles a sumo wrestler, sporting a ragged beard that a cat could lick off, mashing a keyboard or controller with swollen sausage fingers. This stereotype is no longer valid, with many pro gamers becoming gym monkeys, on a mission to stay fit. However, no fitness regime can ever hope to have a significant impact without being combined with a balanced healthy diet. Here’s why gamers and streamers alike need to take their diets more seriously and the ways it can be done.
A well-fed gamer is a happy gamer
Avoid Sluggish Reactions and Bad Decision Making
In many online games the difference between winning and losing can come down to who reacts first, who pulls the trigger that split-second quicker, which player can multitask as his avatar tears a path through the bemused field of opposition, or who can call a bluff after eight hours of non-stop play. However, if a gamer doesn’t eat right then attaining such levels of performance is always going to be tricky, especially in games like poker that require individuals to maintain concentration for long periods of time and often across multiple tournaments. For those at the top levels of the games they play, meals have to be carefully planned, often with the help of a nutritionist. Two things all gamers should certainly be cutting from their diets are sugar and caffeine, due to the short-lived highs both induce being followed by performance sapping lows. Similarly, alcohol and heavy foods such as burgers and pizza take a long time to be digested, leaving you open to that sniper head shot or big river bluff.
Gamers need to ensure they eat their five a day
Eat Well to Maintain Good Eyesight
Many games rely on gamers having near twenty-twenty vision, to catch that foe jumping between rooftops or an energy bar dipping into the red. Unfortunately, frying your retinas with a computer screen every day of the week isn’t the best way to maintain your eyesight. Luckily there are some foods that can help, including leafy green veg like kale and spinach, as well as oily fish such as salmon and tuna. Combine all of these in your weekly diet along with taking regular short breaks from your screen and you’ll be surprised at how sharp your eyesight will be.
Victory Runs in Your Blood, Literally!
Sitting in the same position all day is bad for you. Any health and safety expert or air hostess will attest to that, but when you’re at home there’s no one from HR to move your feet off the desk or air hostess to tell you to fasten your seat-belt. That means that as well as taking regular breaks to stretch your muscles you should also be eating foods and drinking drinks that aid the flow of oxygen rich blood around your body, which in-turn will keep you free of distracting aches and pains. Some of the best beverages to slug mid-game are anything infused with lemon and ginger, as well as green tea. The best foods to tuck into include berries, tomatoes and beetroot. Why not ram the whole lot in a smoothie, chug it down and feel your body spark to life?
Keeping the Weight Off
The problem with gaming and eating badly is that it’s so easy to gain weight and yet so damn difficult to shed it once it’s hanging from your love handles and bingo wings. That’s why it’s always prudent to consume food types that are not only low in calories, but which can also promote weight loss, so you don’t have to keep upgrading to bigger gaming chairs every few months. Some of the best are celery, broccoli and lean chicken breast. In the long run, maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle are the only way you’ll be able to justify your hardcore gaming lifestyle.
