Nutrition for Sports Performance Chapter 16

The Nutrient Needs of an Athlete Some questions you may ask yourself: What should an athlete eat to ensure that his or her muscles are supplied with the energy needed to perform? What foods will improve his or her performance? Should some foods be avoided before, during, and after an athletic event? Are certain supplements and performance aids helpful or hurtful?

Women vs. Men Athletes Is there a difference in nutrient needs? A healthy diet is important to ALL athletes However, women athletes have nutritional needs that are uniquely affected by their gender The most common nutritional issues for women athletes relate to bone health, iron deficiency, absence of menstrual periods, and eating disorders

Planning Meals for the Athlete in Training Sports nutritionists will tell you that healthy eating provides athletes with the foundation for peak performance Meeting the athlete’s energy needs through caloric intake and getting the necessary fluid replacements is critical for athletes Meal and snack management for athletes is all about how food intake affects digestion and use of energy for top performance

Meal Management for Athletic Events Each group will be given a specific type of athlete (type of sport, male or female) You are free to refine your athletic events in order to be more specific with your meal plan Using your textbook (Chapter 16) and internet resources, research different aspects of sports performance nutrition Step #1 (pre-game): You are to create a pregame breakfast, pregame lunch, and several pregame snack ideas along with fluids Step #2(during): Create snack ideas and/or fluid replacements during an athletic event Step #3 (recovery): Snacks, fluids, and at least 1 meal for post-athletic event nutrition Make sure to create rationales and answer questions when applicable We will be giving brief presentations of our meal plans