Essay Example: General Eating Guidelines for Athletes

The right type of nutrition is important to an athlete for several reasons. More specifically, the need for an athlete to have proper diet before a morning exercise is attributed to the fact that when an athlete practices with no glucose in the liver, the body oxidizes the muscles protein to produce the energy needed for the practice. Consequently, the muscles the athlete tries to build through exercise are broken down. Most elite athlete exercises are energy demanding. Because of this, there is a need for athletes to adhere to a diet capable of supplying sufficient energy and fluid. This is aimed at ensuring that the athlete does not become exhausted from the physical exercise. It is also worth noting that low energy at the start of the exercise is linked to early fatigue.

To ensure that enough energy to completes an exercise or a competition, without metabolizing muscles fats, it is recommended that an athlete should consume carbohydrates and a lot of fluids before exercising. This is meant to provide a constant supply of energy and replenish water lost through excessive sweating that characterizes athletes exercises. More specifically, it is recommended that an athlete should consume at least 45 calories of carbohydrates per kilogram of his or her body weight per day if he or she trains for at least 1.5 hours per day. On the other hand, the weather conditions of the environment in which the athlete exercises affect the amount of water lost. When exercising in hot and humid weather, three liters per hour may be lost. However, in cold and dry environment, an athlete may lose 0.5 liters per hour.

Because of the high energy demands and high water loss that characterize physical training, an athletes grocery list should be comprised of the foods shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 shows daily recommended foods and their corresponding calories that need to be consumed by an athlete before an intense exercise or a competition. Noteworthy, all these foods are carbohydrates because they supply higher energy compared to proteins and fats and are also easily oxidized. An athlete is also required to consume approximately 1200 calories during hours preceding practice or competition. It is worth noting that these foods are easily digestible. Therefore, they supply the needed energy within a short time.

In addition to the recommended carbohydrate intake, athletes should also consume fluids prior to competition. The recommended fluid or water intake depends on the amount of carbohydrate consumed. Specifically, an athlete should drink three grams of fluid for every gram of carbohydrate consumed. Based on this recommendation, an athlete should consume 3600 grams 3.6 liters of fluid for every 1200 grams of carbohydrate taken before a competition. Because it is impossible to consume 3.6 liters of fluid at once, an athlete should first drink 16 ounces (approximately half a liter) of fluid 30 minutes before the exercise to keep the body hydrated. After that, the athlete should drink the fluids every 30 minutes to sustain the hydration state.

Table 1

Recommended Foods and Daily Calorie Intake for an Athlete

Specific Foods Grams Calories

5.0 wheat flake breakfast biscuits 50 200

2 slices wholemeal bread 26 104

700mL sports drink 50 200

1 bananas (medium) 22 88

Mixed nuts, oil roasted, with salt added 100 607

Total calories 248 1199

Water 3600 0