NUTRITION FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE PROTEINS, VITAMINS AND MINERALS

WHAT DO YOU KNOW? What do you know about vitamins and minerals? What sort of foods do we obtain them from?? Why do you think that the protein requirements of young people and athletes might be slightly higher than that of other people???

WHY EAT PROTEINS? Why do we need protein in the diet?

PROTEINS These are needed to build and maintain all cells in the body (no other nutrient does this). Increase the strength of muscle fibres. Repair – of damaged tissues (resulting from fracture, dislocations, sprains, muscle strains and bruising). For the manufacture of enzymes required for metabolic functioning. As an energy source when the body is depleted of all CHO and fats.

AMINO ACIDS Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The body requires 20 different amino acids of which 8 are essential. Because the 8 essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body, we must obtain them through our food sources.

SOURCES OF PROTEIN Proteins from animal sources are generally a better source of protein as they are high in essential amino acids. Muscle mass does not increase simply by eating high amounts of protein – in fact eating excessive amounts of protein can be harmful to the liver and kidneys. Recommended daily Intake (RDI) is 15% of total Kcal or about 85g for men/62g for women.

What foods do you think you get the most protein from?

PROTEIN CONTENTS OF VARIOUS FOODS: FoodAmount of protein (g per 100g of food) White Rice, cooked2.6 Pasta, cooked7.7 White Bread7.9 Semi Skimmed milk3.4 Cheddar Cheese25.4 Poached Egg12.5 Rump Steak, grilled31.0 Peanuts25.6

VITAMINS AND MINERALS:FUNCTION Important for the chemical reactions which take place in the body e.g. such as extracting energy from CHO. Also important for bone building & blood clotting. They can be either fat soluble (A,D +E) or water soluble (B + C) – if they are water soluble it means that a large proportion of them are excreted, this means they have to be replaced every day.

When minerals are dissolved in water they are sometimes called electrolytes and these are important for extracting energy from foods.

To maintain a high amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet, you must ensure that fruits and veg are as fresh as possible. You must also be careful about cooking techniques as a lot of vitamins can be lost in this way. What difficulties do you think there are to eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day??

VITAMINS & MINERALS Vitamins Required for growth, health & well being Taken in through the diet & supplements Used for energy production, immune system, nervous system Minerals Used to regulate some of the processes in the body Eg fluid balance Also involved in some of the body’s structures Muscles, bones, teeth etc

VITAMINS VitaminFunctionsSources AVision Skin Liver Mackerel Milk products B ComplexConvert food to energy Nervous & CV systems Meat Fish Vegetables CHealing Fight infections Fresh fruit & veg DBones & teethSunlight Fish oil Egg yolk EProtects cellsSoya Plant oils KBlood clottingGreen leafy vegetables

MINERALS MineralFunctionsSources CalciumMuscle contraction Bones & teeth Blood clotting Milk Cereal Green vegetables IronHaemoglobinLiver Eggs Grains & cereal PotassiumFluid balance Nerve transmission Bananas Potatoes Kidney beans SodiumFluid balanceVirtually all foods Processed food MagnesiumProduction of proteins Regulation of blood pressure Leafy vegetables Whole grain foods Sea food