Sports Nutrition Nutrients There are 6 nutrients that everyone - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sports Nutrition

Nutrients • There are 6 nutrients that everyone needs: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water.

• Nutritionists recommend getting 40-50% of your diet from carbs if you are a non- athlete. • If you are an athlete, that number jumps to as high as 60%. • For athletes, your protein should be 15- 20% of your diet and your fat intake should be 20-30%.

Water • An athlete should get at least eight 8- ounce glasses of water a day. • Many wrestlers, when they cut weight, are just losing water, which can be DANGEROUS!!!!

Fat • There are 2 types of fat: essential and storage. • Essential fat is necessary for the body to function (men need 7%, women need 10%). • Storage fat is excess fat. • If you go below your essential body fat levels, you are putting your health in danger!

Eating Issues • Anorexia and Bulimia can be life threatening and athletes need to be referred to an eating disorder specialist. • Obesity for males is >20% body fat and for females, >30%.

Well balanced meals are the best! You should never lose more than 2 pounds/week!

Pre-game meals • Pre-game meals should be high in carbs and fluids. • Carbs are easier to digest and are used as energy much faster. • You should eat your pre-game meal 3-4 hours before your activity and drink plenty of water.

Post-game meals • Post-game meals should include complex carbohydrates, protein, and fluid replacement through juice, water, or sports drinks.

All-day events • For all-day events, you should eat small meals many times throughout the day, consisting of complex carbs and fluids. • For example, you may eat ½ sandwich 6 times during the day/event. • Time necessary to digest the food will determine how soon before an event/match you will need to eat.

Carbohydrate loading • This is for endurance events (like a marathon). • You will need to start 10 days before your event and deplete your carb stores for 7 days. • The last 3 days before your event, you will need to eat LARGE quantities of carbs (as much as 70% of your diet).

Creatine • It is found naturally in the body after exercise and it is also found in fish and meats. • To get the equivalent found in supplements, we would have to eat 15 pounds of meat a day! • The long term effects are UNKNOWN!!!