Role of nutrition in sports

1. SPORTS AND NUTRITION
Narayani Thapa
Ujjal Rayamajhi
M.Sc. Nutrition and Dietetics
Subject: Applied Food Nutrition

2. Why exercise?
• Better posture,
• Self esteem,
• Weight management,
• Improved energy levels,
• Increased strength in muscles and bones, and
• Reduced risk of heart diseases

3. How much?
• Adults- at least 150 mins. of moderate to
vigorous physical activity each week.
• Everyone can do some form of exercise.
• Although more is better, every little bit counts.
• Becoming more active is easier than you
think!

4. Carbohydrates
• Provides the energy base reqd. to perform,
especially in anaerobic dominated activities such
as 100 meter sprints and basketball.
• Eating a low fat, high carb food like crackers or
low fat fruit yogurt one hour before exercise will
top up your body’s fuel supply for the activity.
• If you exercise for more than 30 mins, eating a
low fat, high carb food like an apple, or low fat
muffin, either right after your workout or within
15 mins, it will help replace the muscle glycogen
used.

5. Protein
• Mostly used to repair muscles and tissues.
• Protein is not an important source of fuel for
exercise.
• While long distance runners and weight lifters
may need a little more protein than the
recreational athlete, most of us will get more
than enough protein from eating regular
meals and a variety of foods.

6. Antioxidants
• When you exercise, you produce a lot of free
radicals, which are electron seeking compds.
that damage cell membrane.
• A diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole
grains will counteract this.
• Foods high in Vit. C and E. for eg.strawberries,
oranges, kiwi, olive oil, wheat germ, nuts

7. Iron
• Runners, particularly female runners may be
low in iron which may be due to less iron
being absorbed, choosing to eat less meat,
restricting calories and the breakdown of
blood as a result of constant food pounding.
• Eating iron rich foods like dried fruits,
enriched cereals, meat is important.

8. Hydrate yourself
• Hydrate yourself half an hour before exercise
with about 2 cups water or juice.
• During physical activity, drink 1 to 2 cups of
fluids every 15 to 20 minutes.
• After, drink plenty of water to replace the fluid
lost through water.

9. Dietary advice for athletes
• Calories :- 3000-5000 Kcal depending on the
intensity and duration of the daily exercise. 20-
25% of the calories through fat to avoid diet
being bulky.
• Carbohydrates: 30% should be in the form of
sucrose and glucose, as they are readily
assimilated to provide energy. Sucrose and
glucose should be given in the form of drinks
once in 2 hrs in quantities of 50g at a time before
and after the athletic practice.

10. • Fat: Vegetables oil rich in EFAs. 50% of the fat. Daily intake:
80-150 g
• Proteins: Misconception of large need of protein. Extra
proteins reqd for the formation of new muscles are met by
the balanced diet.
• Calcium and iron
• Vitamin A
• Ascorbic acid
• Folic acid and Vit. B12
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E and wheat germ oil
• Water

11. • Tea, coffee and alcohol:
• Beverage should be avoided during contest.
• Alcohol may produce depression and in co-
ordination of movements.
• Tea and coffee may have an immediate
stimulating action but have a depressing effect
3-4 hrs later and thus may impair physical
performance.

12. • Thiamine: 2.0-3.0 mg/day
• Riboflavin: 2.2-3.2 mg/day
• Niacin: 26-36 mg/day
• Gelatin, Glycine and Creatine: Muscle contains
Creatine. Glycine is the precursor of creatine.
It has been suggested that diet supplemented
with glycine or gelatin(as it contains 25%
glycine) might increase the concn of creatine
in muscle and hence muscular efficiency.

13. Adaptation to exercise
• Physiological Adaptation
• Acute Adaptation
• Chronic Adaptation

14. Main adaptations
• Heart and circulatory system
• Muscles
• Lungs
• Bones

15. Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
• Viennese physician and endocrinologist Hans
Salye in 1946 paper “the general adaptation
syndrome and the diseases of adaptation”.
• “Stress can eventually lead to a chronic
deleterious adaptation in the form of
infection, illness, disease and death.”

16. Three stages
• Stage one: Alarm
• Stage two: Resistance
• Stage three: Exhaustion
• The study describes the opposite of what
athletes should be aiming for, but provides a
good explanation of the concept of
adaptations, nonetheless.

17. Conclusion
• Physical activity has a great influence on body
composition- on the amount of fat, muscle and
bone tissue.
• Physical activity and food intake are both specific
and mutually interacting behaviors.
• The human body undergoes a series of
adaptations, in response to exercise, that
promote health and well being and underscore
the importance of regular physical activity.

18. THANK YOU