Table of Contents:
[ Health /
Dietary / Liquid ]
[ Carbohydrate / Fat
/ Protein ]
[ Vitamin / References
]
Why do student athletes need a balanced diet?
Murray and Horswill (1997) have stated that the human body needs
more than 40 different nutrients to function properly. By eating
a variety of foods student athletes can obtain all the nutrients
they need to support the development and growth of all the tissues,
maintain healthy immune function, optimize metabolism, and maintain
healthy growth and weight control.
Injury and tissue maintenance: Physical activity
can lead to tissue damage. Time needed to recover from injuries
to muscles, tendons, and ligaments varies considerably according
to the extent of the damage sustained at the time of the injury.
Adequate dietary intakes will help provide the necessary building
constituents that are needed for tissues to fully recover. The
process of rebuilding injured tissue is sometimes slow and there
are no miraculous nutrients yet known to science that cause
instant recovery of damaged tissue. The secret is to eat a balanced
diet over time to ensure the injury receives via the bloodstream
a high level of nutrients for optimal recovery.
Immune function: According to Huffman-Goetz (1997),
intense exercise and over-training depresses the immune system,
and moderate exercise enhances the immune function. A diet rich
in vital nutrients, especially anti-oxidants such as vitamin
C, vitamin E provides support for the immune system of athletes
who are following a heavy training program.
What are the United States dietary guidelines?
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (4th ed.,
1995) individuals should:
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Balance food intake with physical activity to maintain
or improve weight.
- Choose a diet rich in grains, vegetables and fruits.
- Select foods low in saturated fats, and cholesterol.
- Choose foods with moderate sugar content.
- Choose foods with contain moderate salt and sodium content.
- Drink alcohol in moderation, no more than 3-5 drinks per
week. (Note: this applies to those who are over 21 years
and legally entitled to consume alcoholic drinks).
What are the general nutritional needs of athletes?
Individual athletes differ in their nutritional requirements
because of physical size, sex, nature of the sport, climate,
and time of the year/weather conditions. Therefore, it is difficult
to provide precise recommendations regarding the nutritional
practices of individual student athletes in specific sports.
How do the energy requirements for student athletes
differ in individual and team sports?
Energy needs are high during periods of growth, and decrease
after age 30 (Position of the American Dietetic Association,
1989). In general, a student athlete's energy requirements are
met by keeping a balance between energy intake and energy expenditure.
The daily energy requirements of student athletes will vary
and depend on the body size, and activity level of the student
athlete (Murray and Horswill, 1997).
Team sports: Energy expenditures for team sports
depend on the specific sport and the position of the athlete.
For example a midfielder in soccer might cover an average of
8-10 miles per game, while a defensive player covers less ground
(Ekblom, 1986).
Short-duration, high intensity sports: Athletes
who are involved in high intensity, short duration sports (of
less than 20 minutes) such as track runners, swimmers, sprint
cyclists, rowers, wrestlers, weight lifters and gymnasts essentially
utilize glycogen as the primary energy fuel (Sherman, 1992).
Long duration, moderate intensity sports: Marathon
runners, cyclists, and cross country skiers who need to sustain
energy levels for longer periods of time need to be able to
burn fat for energy in addition to using glycogen. These athletes
may use from 2,600-5,000 calories in competition. According
to Murray and Horswill (1997): a runner who completes a 10 mile
run at a 6 min / mile pace in the morning and 8 miles at 5 min
30 secs / mile in the afternoon would require an intake of at
least 3000 calories in addition to his or her basic energy needs
to maintain adequate glycogen stores and energy requirements.
