1. Diet 1
Diet

2. What you will learn about
Diet 2
What you will learn about
in this topic:
A healthy, balanced diet
How diet can aid a sportsperson

3. Diet 3
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation you should be able to:
Understand why diet is important to sports performance
Describe the different parts of a balanced diet
Explain how special diets can aid sports performance

4. Task Why do we need to eat food?
Diet 4
Task
Why do we need to eat food?
Spend three minutes noting down as many reasons as you can think of.
Teacher’s notes
Possible answers include: provides energy, helps the body function, assists the body in growth and to repair injured tissue and contributes to good general health.

5. Diet 5
Balanced diet
A balanced diet is made up of seven different categories:
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
Vitamins
Minerals
Fibre
Water

6. Diet 6
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the sugars and starches found in certain foods, which are changed into a sugar called glucose by the body.
Carbohydrates can be divided into two sub-groups:
Simple carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates

7. Simple carbohydrates consist of one or two sugar units. For example:
Diet 7
Simple carbohydrates consist of one or two sugar units. For example:
Sugar
Sweets
Honey
Fruit

8. Complex carbohydrates consist of hundreds of sugar units. For example:
Diet 8
Complex carbohydrates consist of hundreds of sugar units. For example:
Bread
Pasta
Rice
Potatoes

9. Carbohydrates are stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.
Diet 9
Carbohydrates are stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.
Glycogen converts to glucose and is used as energy for the muscles, brain and other organs.
Excess carbohydrates are stored as fats.

10. Diet 10
Carbohydrates aid the sportsperson by providing a ready source of energy for when the muscles need it.
Athletes training hard use up carbohydrate stores quickly so diets should be high in this food type.

11. Diet 11
Protein
Proteins are large molecules required for the structure, function and regulation of the body’s cells, tissues and organs.
Protein from food helps to build muscle and repair tissue, which is essential after an injury.

12. Pulses (such as chickpeas, lentils and beans) Nuts
Diet 12
Protein is found in:
Meat
Fish
Pulses (such as chickpeas, lentils and beans)
Nuts

13. Protein is broken down into amino acids.
Diet 13
Protein is broken down into amino acids.
The body requires 21 types of amino acids to function properly.
Our bodies can produce 13 types of non-essential amino acids. The other eight essential amino acids come from protein in our food.

14. Excess protein is converted into fat.
Diet 14
Excess protein is converted into fat.
Sportspeople who need large muscle size will take in extra proteins for this effect.

15. Diet 15
Fats
Fats are a form of stored energy, released slowly when there is a lack of carbohydrates.
Fats should make up 30 per cent of a combination of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.

16. Sources of fat include: Milk Cheese Butter Oils
Diet 16
Sources of fat include:
Milk
Cheese
Butter
Oils

17. Fats aid the sportsperson by:
Diet 17
Fats aid the sportsperson by:
Increasing the body size and weight, important for sports that require extra bulk.
Storing energy that is slowly released when there is a lack of carbohydrates.

18. Diet 18
However, unnecessary weight can inhibit performance and lead to high cholesterol levels.

19. Diet 19
Vitamins
Vitamins are key nutrients that the body needs in small amounts to grow and stay strong. There are 13 vitamins in total.

20. Sources of vitamins include: Citrus fruit (vitamin C)
Diet 20
Sources of vitamins include:
Citrus fruit (vitamin C)
Fish and liver (vitamin A)
Whole grains and nuts (vitamin B1)
Vegetable oil (vitamin E)

21. Vitamins aid the sportsperson by helping with:
Diet 21
Vitamins aid the sportsperson by helping with:
Vision
Production of red blood cells
Blood clotting
Condition of bones and teeth
Skin condition

22. Diet 22
Minerals
Minerals are nutrients needed by the body to help it function properly.
Minerals are:
Iodine
Iron
Calcium

23. Diet 23
Iodine aids normal growth which is essential for the athlete to help energy production and comes from milk and saltwater fish.

24. Diet 24
Iron helps the production of red blood cells and the way oxygen is carried in the body by haemoglobin. Iron comes from liver and green vegetables.

25. Calcium helps bones to grow and comes from: Milk Cheese Cereals
Diet 25
Calcium helps bones to grow and comes from:
Milk
Cheese
Cereals

26. Fibre Fibre (or roughage) helps digestion but contains no nutrients.
Diet 26
Fibre
Fibre (or roughage) helps digestion but contains no nutrients.

27. There are two types of fibre:
Diet 27
There are two types of fibre:
Insoluble: this adds bulk to food, helping it to move through the digestive system
Soluble: helps to reduce cholesterol, keeping the heart healthy

28. Fibre aids the sportsperson as:
Diet 28
Fibre aids the sportsperson as:
Less cholesterol in the body allows the heart to work more efficiently
Less water retention occurs when the body’s digestive system is functioning properly

29. Water Water allows the blood to flow more easily around the body.
Diet 29
Water
Water allows the blood to flow more easily around the body.

30. Diet 30
Drinking water is extremely important when exercising, as the body demands more oxygen, nutrients, heat control and waste removal.

31. Two-thirds of the body is made up of water.
Diet 31
Two-thirds of the body is made up of water.
Sportspeople need to constantly replenish water lost through sweat, urine and condensation when they breathe.
In extreme heat more water is needed to stop the effects of dehydration and heatstroke.

32. Diet 32
Exam questions
1. Give an example of a diet that could benefit a sports performer and explain how it works.
Teacher’s notes
Possible answers include:
Carbohyrate loading diet - reduce carbohydrate intake a few weeks before an event, then a few days before the event, when the body is craving carbs, load up on them, such as having a pasta party. This helps the body to store energy in case it has to go without again. The benefit of this diet is that it gives a plentiful supply of energy for an endurance event.
High-protein diet – a low carbohydrate diet with a high frequency of meals that are rich in protein four or five times a day, including protein shakes. The idea is to build or repair muscle after injury or simply to increase the bodies size.

33. Water, fibre, milk, protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals
Diet 33
2. The seven parts of a balanced diet are:
Water, fibre, milk, protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals
Water, protein, minerals, fats, vitamins, fibre, carbohydrates
Water, fat, protein, dairy products, vitamins, fibre, carbohydrates
Fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, protein, sugars, milk
Teacher’s notes
Correct answer is 2B.

34. What you have learnt in this topic:
Diet 34
What you have learnt
in this topic:
A healthy balanced diet
How diet can aid a sportsperson

35. Learning objectives You should now be able to:
Diet 35
Learning objectives
You should now be able to:
Understand why diet is important to sports performance
Describe the different parts of a balanced diet
Explain how special diets can aid sports performance