Baskets of Nutrition

“Every morning,I go for a swim for around 45 minutes. Swimming is one of the most rigorous ways to workout. This session is followed by an hour of yoga,and every evening,I workout in the gym,followed by a quick practice session,which,of course,is essential to keep on one’s toes,” says Kothari.

The 5’11 tall athlete,who has played at the state-level 35 times and was part of the recently held India camp in Delhi,says that to maximize the energy and nutrients he gets through his food,he likes to spread out his meals through the day. “I have four meals a day,not very heavy,nor very light. Each meal is separated by a gap of around three hours. That way,I can gain the best of the meal,” he says.

A typical breakfast,for Kothari,consists of eggs and toast,coupled with fruit juice,which he eats immediately after his workout in the morning. “Eggs are a very good source of proteins,which are of course essential for an athlete. The fruit juice gives me the essential vitamins that I might have lost during my workout,” he says. Around 1pm,he has his lunch,which is usually two chappatis and a vegetable curry,had with fresh salad and a bowl of curd. “The chappatis have carbohydrates,which helps in building sugar in the body. The vegetable curry and salad will have lots of essential vitamins and minerals,while the curd adds calcium to the body,apart from cooling it down.”

At about 4pm,Kothari has his ‘tea’,which usually consists of freshly cut fruits. “An athlete needs all the energy he can get,and every ounce of vitamin in the body helps,” he says. Then finally,he has his dinner at 7.30pm,which is more or less identical to his lunch. “I like to have an early dinner so that I can wake early the next day,” he says.