Eating Well for Sport Aoife Smith Senior Dietitian

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Eating Well for SportAoife SmithSenior Dietitian
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WHAT SHOULD A SPORTSPERSON EAT?

• Both athletes and non athletes need the same
  nutrients...
• Carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral
  and water
• Sports persons need to consume them in different
  quantities and proportions.
• Carbohydrate, protein and fat (along with
  alcohol) provide energy.

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• Vitamins and minerals do not provide energy, but
  are needed in very small amounts to enable the
  body to perform efficiently and effectively.
• It is essential that the food you eat provides
  sufficient energy to fuel your sport.
• It is also important that you obtain this energy
  from the correct food choices, to avoid gaining
  excess body fat, and to ensure you meet
  requirements for vitamins and minerals.

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Adolescent Athletes

• Teen athletes have unique nutrition needs.
  Because athletes work out more than their
  less-active peers, they generally need extra
  calories to fuel both their sports performance
  and their growth.
• Depending on how active they are, teen athletes
  may need anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 total
  calories per day to meet their energy needs.

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So what happens if teen athletes don't eat enough?

• Their bodies are less likely to achieve peak
  performance and may even break down rather than
  build up muscles.
• Athletes who don't take in enough calories every
  day won't be as fast and as strong as they could
  be and may not be able to maintain their weight.
• Extreme calorie restriction could lead to growth
  problems and other serious health risks for both
  girls and guys

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FUELS FOR EXERCISE

• Carbohydrate and fat are the 2 main fuels for
  exercising muscles.
• The proportion of carbohydrate to fat used during
  exercise depends on the -
• Type
• Duration
• Intensity
• Fitness level
• Nutritional status.

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CARBOHYDRATE THE MAINSTAY OF AN ATHLETES
DIET

• Carbohydrates are chains of glucose/sugar units.
• Carbohydrate is stored in the body as glycogen in
  both the liver and muscles.
• During exercise glycogen is broken down into
  glucose to supply the working muscles with
  energy.
• An inadequate intake of carbohydrate rich foods
  leads to incomplete muscle glycogen stores.
• This will cause early fatigue, and will affect
  your daily training and performance.

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HOW TO INCREASE YOURCARBOHYDATE INTAKE

• Base every meal around a carbohydrate rich food,
  such as
• bread, breakfast cereal, potatoes, rice, and
  pasta.
• Consume a high carbohydrate snack between meals,
  such as
• fruit, wholemeal scone, low-fat yoghurt, dried
  fruit, cereal bar, fruit bread, fruit smoothie.
• Use thicker slices of bread.
• Choose deep pan rather than thin based pizzas.
• Add potato to soups and salads.

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• Eat boiled/ mashed/ baked potatoes instead of
  chipped or roasted.
• Try boiled rice/pasta with stews and curries for
  variety.
• Pasta and rice mixed with beans/peas/sweetcorn or
  raisins make tasty salads.
• Add fresh or dried fruit to breakfast cereals and
  desserts.
• Make your own "high carbohydrate" smoothie with
  fresh or tinned fruit, low-fat yoghurt and honey
  or sugar.

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Protein

• Protein is necessary for growth, maintenance, and
  repair of body tissue.
• Athletes taking part in strength and endurance
  sports have higher protein requirements than
  non-athletes.
• Most athletes can meet this increased requirement
  through a varied balanced diet.
• It is generally not necessary to take specialised
  protein powders / bars / supplements.

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Reference www.indi.ie
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PROTEIN POST TRAINING

• After a heavy / strenuous training session most
  athletes will benefit from taking a small amount
  of extra protein along with their post training
  Fluid and Carbohydrate snack.
• The requirement of protein post training varies
  depending on your body weight (approx 0.2g / kg
  body weight is recommended).

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Protein Snacks
www.indi.ie
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Fat

• Small amounts of fat in your diet are necessary.
• HOW TO CUT DOWN ON FAT
• Limit your intake of high fat foods (see list
  below)
• Grill, boil, steam, braise or microwave food
  instead of frying.
• Eat chicken, turkey and fish regularly.
• Lean red meat is a good source of iron and can be
  included 2-3 times a week.
• Trim visible fat from meats and skim fat from
  casseroles and stews.
• Use low fat, monounsaturated/polyunsaturated
  spread
• Use low-fat, vitamin enriched, or skimmed milk
  instead of full-fat.

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Fat

• Choose low-fat cheeses such as "light" cheddar,
  Edam, Gouda,
• Feta, Camembert, Cottage or low-fat cheese
  spread.
• Substitute low-fat yoghurt/fromage frais for
  cream
• Use fat-free or vinegar based dressings, mustard,
  or chutney instead of mayonnaise, on salads and
  sandwiches.
• FOODS HIGH IN FAT INCLUDE
• Butter, margarine, cream, full fat dairy,
  mayonnaise, fat on meat,
• processed meats, fried food, pastries, crisps,
  cakes, and chocolate.

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Fluids

• During exercise fluid loss from sweating can be
  very high, particularly in warm weather.
• This can lead to dehydration, which will impair
  performance and is a potential health risk.
• HOW MUCH FLUID DO I NEED?
• BEFORE EXERCISE Drink 300-600ml in the 15
  minutes prior to exercise.
• DURING EXERCISE The general recommendation to
  athletes is to drink 150-200ml every 10-15
  minutes but it is better to individually assess
• AFTER EXERCISE Replace all fluid lost during
  exercise

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• To check you are drinking enough...
• Weigh yourself undressed before and after
  exercise.
• Try to keep weight loss below 0.5 kg by
  increasing fluid intake during exercise.
• After exercise you must drink 1.5 litres of fluid
  for each kg of weight lost.

• WHAT SHOULD I DRINK?
• BEFORE AND DURING EXERCISE
• Isotonic sports drinks, e.g. Club Energise Sport,
  Gatorade,Lucozade Sport, Powerade.
• Homemade carbohydrate-salt solutions
• Water
• AFTER EXERCISE
• Isotonic sports drinks and homemade carbohydrate
  salt solutions.
• Hypertonic sports drinks, e.g. BPM, Club
  Energise, Lucozade
• Original, Lucozade Energy.
• Soft drinks.
• Water.

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Are you hydrated?

• If your urine is light (1 to 3), then you are
  well hydrated and don't really need to worry
  about this issue for now.
• The darker your urine colour gets, the more
  dehydrated you are and if you're in the 6-8
  range, you should seriously think about a
  hydration plan.

www.gaa.ie
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VITAMIN AND MINERALS

• Active people need to make sure they consume
  adequate vitamins and minerals to meet the
  demands of exercise.
• A varied balanced diet which includes plenty of
  fruit and vegetables at least 5 portions a day
  will ensure that your vitamins and mineral
  needs are met.
• Some athletes have higher requirements for iron
  and calcium, such as female athletes and
  adolescents..

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Women and iron.

• Iron deficiency in women is becoming an
  increasing problem and low intakes lead to low
  stores in the liver leading to eventual
  full-blown anaemia.
• Iron is needed to produce healthy red blood
  cells, which carry oxygen around our bodies and
  hence give us energy.
• However, if we are lacking in iron this process
  does not occur efficiently leading to symptoms of
  fatigue, weakness and poor health

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• Women are particularly vulnerable to developing
  iron deficiency because of
• 1. Increase requirements due to monthly menstrual
  loss
• 2. More inclined to follow restrictive weight
  reducing diets thus not taking in recommended
  amounts.
• 2. Drinking too much tea/coffee, both contain
  substances that interfere with iron absorption.
• 3. Intense fitness regimes can cause women to
  damage red blood cells thus losing iron.

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Good Sources of Iron
Lean Red Meat Chicken Eggs Legumes Fortified
Breakfast Cereals Nuts Dried Fruit Spinach
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Alcohol Sport

• Alcohol consumed during the day or night before
  training or playing will have a dehydration
  effect on the body
• Remember being just 2 dehydrated can result in
  significant decreases in performance and alcohol
  will dehydrate you beyond this amount
• Alcohol Dehydration Poor performance

www.drinkaware.ie
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Drugs how will they effect my performance?

• Short-term effects
• cannabis is a depressant or brain-slowing drug
• Some people find that using cannabis is a
  negative experience. They may feel anxious,
  self-conscious or have paranoid thoughts. Some
  experience acute anxiety and panic.
• People who are intoxicated on cannabis usually
  feel more sensitive to things around them and
  sensations can seem different. People concentrate
  less well, often talk and laugh more than usual
  and can have problems with their balance.
• Physically, the pulse rate increases (from
  between 20 to 50 per cent above the usual heart
  rate), the eyes become bloodshot, appetite often
  increases (they get the 'munchies') and
  coordination can be affected, making activities
  such as driving a car or operating machinery
  difficult and dangerous.

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• If large doses of cannabis are taken, the
  resulting toxicity can cause symptoms of
  confusion, paranoia, panic attacks,
  hallucinations and feelings of unreality. New
  users may also experience acute paranoid
  experiences which usually stop after intoxication
  wears off.
• Cannabis also often impairs short-term memory and
  attention and makes it harder to complete complex
  tasks, ie, tasks which involve doing several
  things at once.
• Cannabis is not, as widely perceived, a harmless
  drug but poses risks to the individual and to
  society.
• Pharmacology and effects of cannabis a brief
  review
• C. HEATHER ASHTON, FRCP, Emeritus Professor of
  Clinical

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KIT BAG ESSENTIALSIt is very important to take
a high carbohydrate/protein snack immediately
after exercise to refill your glycogen stores in
preparationfor your next training session.
www.indi.ie
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Breakfast, Lunch Dinner Ideas

• Breakfast Always consume approx 500mls fluid
  at breakfast
• Porridge, Special k, Weetabix, All-bran with milk
  full or low fat or super milk
• 4 slices of granary or wholemeal bread with jam
  or slices of banana
• Fruit salad made with 2 or more tinned or fresh
  fruit with low fat or bio yoghurt
• Low fat rice pudding with fruit
• Fruit smoothie blended with fruit, millk or
  yoghurt
• When training add protein to your breakfast
• Scrambled eggs, egg omelette
• Grilled bacon with tomatoes
• Tinned tuna or salmon
• Cheese

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• Lunch
• Eat a green salad or selection of veg at lunch
• Homemade soup is an alternative
• Always include a protein and carbohydrate source
• Examples
• A mixed salad with nuts and bread
• Vegetable soup with beans and bread
• Salad sandwich with cheese, lean meat and plenty
  of veg avoid mayonnaise and only use low fat
  dressings and spreads

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• Dinner
• If dinner is taken after training it must include
  carbohydrates and protein
• Ensure that you consume carbohydrates like bread,
  potatoes, rice or pasta
• Include veg or salad
• Always drink water to ensure you are well
  hydrated
• Examples
• Spaghetti bolognese add plenty of veg to sauce
• Stir fry with rice ensure very little oil is
  used
• Lean meat, potatoes and veg

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Snacks

• Limit sports drinks to before and after exercise
  only
• Muesli (1 cup) with milk
• Banana sandwich made with light spread
• Banana and 500mls of sports drink
• Small bowl of cereal with milk

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Summary

• NEVER SKIP MEALS
• MORE carbohydrates during training
• Prevent dehydration take fluid on board!
• Never drink alcohol
• Women need good sources of iron and calcium

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• Thank you