Assignment 3: Research the diet of a top athlete/sportsperson (use secondary sources and acknowledge them). Explain how and why it is different from that of a normal adult. This must be more than half a page and less than a page.
Answers
The athlete’s diet:
An athlete’s diet should be similar to that recommended for the general public, with energy intake divided into:
more than 55 per cent from carbohydrates
about 12 to 15 per cent from protein
less than 30 per cent from fat.
Athletes who exercise strenuously for more than 60 to 90 minutes every day may need to increase the amount of energy they get from carbohydrates to between 65 and 70 per cent.
More recent advice also provides guidelines for carbohydrate and protein based on grams per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight. The current recommendations for fat intake are for most athletes to follow similar recommendations to those given for the general community, with the preference for fats coming from olive oils, nuts, avocado, nuts and seeds. Athletes should also aim to minimise intake of high-fat foods such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, chips and fried foods.
Carbohydrates and exercise
During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into sugar (glucose), which is the body’s primary energy source. Glucose can be converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscle tissue. It can then be used as a key energy source during exercise to fuel exercising muscle tissue and other body systems. Athletes can increase their stores of glycogen by regularly eating high-carbohydrate foods.
If carbohydrate in the diet is restricted, a person’s ability to exercise is compromised because there is not enough glycogen kept in storage to fuel the body. This can result in a loss of protein (muscle) tissue, because the body will start to break down muscle tissue to meet its energy needs, and may increase the risk of infections and illness.
Carbohydrates are essential for fuel and recovery
Current recommendations for carbohydrate requirements vary depending on the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise. Foods rich in unrefined carbohydrates, like wholegrain breads and cereals, should form the basis of the athlete’s diet. More refined carbohydrate foods (such as white bread, jams and lollies) are useful to boost the total intake of carbohydrate, particularly for very active people.
Athletes are advised to adjust the amount of carbohydrate they consume for fuelling and recovery to suit their exercise level. For example:
Light intensity exercise (30 mins/day): 3–5 g/kg/day
Moderate intensity exercise (60 mins/day): 5–7 g/kg/day
Endurance exercise (1–3 hrs/day): 6–10 g/kg/day
Extreme endurance exercise (more than 4 hrs/day): 8–12 g/kg/day..