How many times have you sat down to play your favorite game and had a nice can of coke with some of your favorite snacks to help you push through a marathon session of gaming? Probably more than a few if I’m guessing. You know it, I know it, and gamers everywhere know it. Sometimes our nutritional needs aren’t really met when we have gaming on the brain. Here a few simple tips to help you keep up your nutritional standards, while allowing you to continue your online dominance.
Swap that carbonated beverage for some tea. I love a good Pepsi or Dr. Pepper. My teeth on the other hand, really don’t. If you are drinking cokes while playing, odds are you drink more than one in a gaming session. How do you know this John?!?! Are you a wizard?!?! No, I’m only a wizard on Smite. You are just trying to postpone the crash from your first coke with a second one. Why not trade that coke out for some tea? And no, I’m not talking about Liptons iced tea and loading it with sugar, though it’s a better choice than cokes. I personally like my tea hot, with some honey added to it for some sweetness. Teas range from white to black and all colors in between. If you're looking for an energy boost stay more towards the black side of the teas.1 By switching to tea you cut out the amount of sugar you intake, and increase the amount antioxidants and water you intake. Even with drinking teas however, you must make sure you drink water because the tea will still dehydrate you.
- Substitute those snacks for some healthier options. My all time favorite snack while gaming has definitely got to be caramel filled chocolate chips. They are amazing! Are they good for me? No. There are many healthy alternatives to your sweet chocolates and salty chips. Try substituting in some nuts or some fruits. These options give you much needed vitamins and minerals and cut out the processed sugar or overabundance of salt from other snacks. One good alternative is to freeze grapes and eat them during a long session of gaming. They don’t fully freeze, they just get a nice creamy consistency. 2
These 2 tips are just scratching the surface of some healthy options for gamers. In the upcoming weeks we will look at some more eating and health related issues that gamers have to deal with.
References
1Edgar, J. (2009, March 20). Types of Teas and Their Health Benefits. Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/tea-types-and-their-health-benefits
226 Best Healthy Snacks. (2016, March 07). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/26-best-healthy-snacks.html
"Are you a wizard?!" That was hilarious. These are great healthy swaps for gamers, or anyone really. I personally am not a gamer nor am I good at them. Although if I were, I'd definitely have some frozen grapes by my side. Just how many hours do gamers spend in a gaming session?
ReplyDeletePeople that consider themselves "hardcore" gamers can spend anywhere from 5-8 hours at a time playing a game. Also, streamers such as myself can dedicate anywhere from 12 hours or more if they are trying to raise money for a charity or something of that sort. I know I have personally done one 18 hour charity stream.
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