Desirable Energy Distribution for Athletes

Food is the carrier of nutrients, and to get the nutrients we need, we require the right food exposure. It is this basic fact that is the basis of the most elementary nutritional principle: eat a wide variety of foods. While this may appear to be a simple and easy-to-accomplish principle, most people tend to consume the same few foods over and over again. This occurs because of habit, time limitations, work conditions, and basic food desires and dislikes.

Nutritional Strategies for Sports

Different activities place special metabolic requirements on the muscle system, and these differences alter the nutrition requirements among athletes involved in various types of sports. Sports that require a high level of power and speed over short distances such as baseball, american football, weightlifting, and hammer throw have a high anaerobic component. Athletes in these sports follow training regimens that increase their muscle mass and have unique nutrition requirements for supporting or enlarging this mass. These athletes must consume enough energy so the nutrients, including protein, needed to support this larger mass are available for anabolic use and are not catabolized to meet energy requirements.