Nutrition

Athletes not only need to be strong and quick, they need to FUEL their bodies properly to achieve optimum athletic achievement.

Training, Rest, Diet, and Heredity are the four factors associated with maximizing your performance.  While you have no control over heredity, you do have the ability to control the other 3.  While the majority of this manual deals with training, it must be understood that rest and diet are equally critical to your physical and mental growth and development.  Much like the kicking game in football, nutrition is often taken for granted.  Please read through this section carefully.

Just as you practice good exercise habits, you must continuously practice good dietary habits.  This is no just during competition, or the few hours before a game, but rather the whole year around.  You must have a basic understanding of the nutrients and the role they play in physical development.

MAJOR CLASSES OF NUTRIENTS

Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water are the 6 major classes of nutrients your body utilizes for energy, cell maintenance, and body regulation.  Protein, fats, and carbohydrates are the three nutrients that supply energy (calories) to your system.  The average diet consists of an overabundance of fats and proteins.

1. Carbohydrates

   1. Primary source of energy for physical activity.

   2. Complex carbohydrates (starchy foods) should make up approximately 65% of your diet.

   3. Examples:  pasta, potatoes, corn, bread, rice, cereals, peas, beans, any whole grain products, etc…

**It is extremely beneficial to replace a portion of the carbohydrates (glycogen) utilized during exercise within 15-20 minutes immediately following exercise.  Because it is difficult to consume products immediately following training, sport drinks and juices are excellent replenishing aides.

2. Proteins

   1. Repair body tissues.

   2. Production of body regulatory aides.

   3. Antibody production to fight disease and infection

   4. To supply energy…if needed.

   5. Examples: skinless chicken and turkey, seafood, lean cuts of beef, pork, green vegetables (which are also one of your best sources of complex carbohydrates), whole grain products, etc.

3. Fats

   1. Over twice the caloric value of proteins and carbohydrates.

   2. Transporters of vitamins A, D, E, and K.

   3. Makes up a part of your cell walls.

   4. Utilized in endurance activities for energy.  Takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes of physical activity before your body utilizes fat for energy.

   5. Fat is the athlete’s enemy, most of us must look to cut down on fat content in our diet, rather than make an effort to consume it.  It is abundant in many “foods of choice”.

CALORIC DISTRIBUTION

Your caloric distribution should be spread out over the course of the day, with no meal consisting of more than 30%-35% of your caloric intake.  The following is a guide which you can use to displace your caloric intake:

1.      Breakfast= 25%

2.      Lunch= 30%

3.      Dinner= 30%

4.      Snacks= 15%

Your snacks can be set up around your exercise program, taking them immediately after exercise to replace carbohydrates (glycogen) stores depleted through exercise.  You should avoid binging (i.e. not eating breakfast or lunch, and eating a huge dinner).  That has an effect on weight control and energy production.

PROPER DIET

A proper diet consists of the following nutrient percentage breakdown:

1.      65% carbohydrates

2.      15% protein

3.      20% fat

It is extremely important to balance your diet, eating a wide variety of foods from the Four Food Groups (Milk, Meat, Fruit-Vegetables, and Grain).  The recommended servings from the 4 Food Groups are: Grain Products (4), Fruit and Vegetables (4), Dairy Products (3), and Meat, Poultry, and Fish (2).  As you can see, by taking in (8) total servings of grain products and fruit and vegetables your diet will consist of a high percentage of carbohydrates.  This will help to maintain muscle tissue, promote body fat reduction, and reduce muscle fatigue.

Do not skip meals in an attempt to reduce weight.  You need to maintain an even distribution of calorie intake throughout the day.  The meals should be balanced in caloric value as indicated above.

Reducing the amount of fat and increasing the amount of complex carbohydrates is very important.  Below are examples of foods high in fat (minimize) and high in complex carbohydrates (maximize).

FATS                                                   COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

                        Red Meats                                            Breads

                        Bacon/Sausage                                     Rolls

                        Whole Milk/Ice Cream                            Cereals

                        Cheese and Cheese Sauce                    Pancakes

                        Butter/Margarine                                    French Toast

                        Oils of all Kinds                                    Waffles

                        Deep Fried Foods                                  Pasta

                        Salad Dressings                                    Potatoes

SUPPLEMENTS (Yes or No?)

If you eat a proper diet the use of vitamin, mineral, or energy packed nutrient supplements are not needed.  There are certain times when a deficiency in your diet can produce the need to supplement your diet, however a physician should prescribe and supervise their use. Proper training complimented by a nutritionally balanced diet will provide the ingredients necessary for enhanced athletic performance.  IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE A CREATINE SUPPLEMENT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU DISCONTINUE USE OF CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES.  CAFFEINE HAS A COUNTERACTING EFFECT ON CREATINE AND YOU WILL SIMPLY BE WASTING YOUR MONEY TAKING THE SUPPLEMENT BECAUSE OF THE CAFFEINE INTAKE.

FLUID REPLACEMENT

Sweating is your bodies effort to cool itself down.  Fluids must be replaced during exercise to keep the cooling system working efficiently.  About 60% of your body weight is water, and even moderate losses impairs performance.  Ideally, your fluid intake should be equal to your water loss.  Also, during exercise plain water is the most readily absorbed fluid.  Try to avoid fluids with sugar as the sugar slows the absorption rate of water from the stomach.

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