Keeping up a good diet—while not imperative—definitely helps in maintaining the physique many athletes strive for. Although they have to make sure to not  allow it to become an unhealthy obsession. 

Honestly, narrowing down which diet is the best or worst is incredibly difficult, as diets are typically very individualized based on sport, body chemistry, and general impact. 

For the sake of efficiency and my sanity, I’ll be looking at diets that aren’t based on previous food restrictions like allergies and uncorrelated medical conditions such as a gluten intolerance. 

With that out of the way, now we can get into the meat of this. 

Depending on which sport one plays, they would require different dietary needs. A football player would focus on bulking up; eating heavy proteins and such. 

On the other hand, a baseball player would need to diet for mostly energy, focusing on eating grain-heavy meals with lots of carbohydrates. 

Really, the whole topic holds a lot of nuance and discrepancies that are over-personalized. 

Deciding how many calories one needs to cut/intake is based on their preexisting bodily balance. 

Also, maybe not the best idea to take health advice from a school newspaper. This is not a health guide, do what works best for you and your needs. 

For athletes specifically, taking good care of and keeping a close eye on their diet is incredibly important, as you would need specific foods to target the specific requirements your sport has. 

Even a slight change  in completing a strict diet can make a large difference, especially in an extended period of time. Drinking a beer even once after sticking to a specific diet for a long period of time could cause a dietary setback. 

Not saying you can’t let loose, just that if you do have a strict diet, don’t get upset if it comes to a standstill after having a “cheat day”. 

In the same vein, you should be able to enjoy what you eat. Taking a diet too seriously could sometimes cause more damage than good, but on a mental health basis. 

The basis of a good diet isn’t what you eat, it’s what you do to balance it out. Our bodies are all about balance, and you need to have an efficient  one if you want proper strength for these sports. 

If you eat something unhealthy for a meal, pair it with something healthy to balance it out. People deserve to be healthy, but they also deserve to be happy. 

The way to dieting healthily—not letting it get out of hand—is creating a good balance. 

It is important to note just how easily dieting can turn into disordered eating, and that that is a very thin line that is easy to cross. 

But as long as you have a hold on your eating habits, and give your body what it needs to function properly for your desired sport, dieting is a great way to enhance already honed mechanical skill.