CHAPTER THREE

MAKING WELL-INFORMED FOOD CHOICES

 What is Food?
 Food is anything that we eat and which nourishes
our body.
 It is essential because it contains substances which
perform important functions in our body.
Physiological Function:-
 Energy giving
 Body building
 Regulating body processes
 Providing protection against
diseases.
 What is nutrition?
 Nutrition is the scientific way of eating which
means what we eat and what we are not eat.
 Is the science that studies the interactions
between living organisms and food.
 Is the process by which food is taken in and
utilized by the body.
 Is the science of the action of food, beverages,
and their components in biological systems.
 Cont.

 It built upon how nutrients such as

carbohydrate, fat, and protein contribute to the
fuel supply needed by the body to perform
exercise.
 Focuses on;- what you need to be fueled and
hydrated during exercise, and to promote
recovery after exercise.
 Sports nutrition is the practical science of
hydrating and fueling before, during, and after
exercise
 Cont.
 We all know that food helps in the nourishment
and health of our body. The nourishment is
brought about by small units called nutrients
present in food.
 Nutrients:- are the chemical substance found in
the food that we eat.
 A nutrient is a compound that provides a needed
function in the body.
 An important aspect of nutrition is the daily
intake of nutrients.
 Types of nutrients:-

Nutrients can be further classified based on the

amount needed in the body.
 Macro nutrients: - they are presented in
large quantities in food and are also required
in large amounts by the body:-
 Carbohydrates.
 Proteins.
 Fats and
 Water
 Cont.
 Micro nutrients: - are nutrients they
are presented in small quantities in
food but they are essential for our
body.
 Are required in very small quantity:-
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 THE THREE FUNCTIONS OF
NUTRIENTS
 Provide Energy:- Carbohydrates, Proteins
and fats
 Regulate body functions: - Proteins and fats

 Promote growth and development: -

Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water.
 Benefits of Proper Nutrition for sport performance

 Enables you to train efficiently

 Helps provide energy you need to compete
 Helps you prepare for high performance
activities
 Injury prevention
 Helps improve body composition
 Cont.
Helps provide carbohydrate to working muscles
Helps provide the necessary protein for muscle
building and repair
Helps keep the body hydrated and replace
critical minerals lost to sweat
Helps support the maintenance of good health
 Measurement of Energy
 Food energy is measured in kilocalories (kcals),
commonly referred to as calories.
 A kilocalorie is the amount of energy needed to
raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Centigrade
 Knowing the number of calories in each nutrient
allows a person to calculate/estimate the amount
of calories contained in any food consumed.
 Energy = Measurement of Heat Produced.
 Amount of calories obtained from nutrients

Nutrient Energy (kcal/g)

Carbohydrate 4kcal/g
Protein 4kcal/g
Fats 9kcal/g
Water 0
Vitamins 0
Minerals 0
 However, there is another dietary energy source that is
alcohol is not a nutrient, but it does provide 7
kilocalories of energy per gram.
 Your daily calorie needs will depend on
 Your genetic make-up
 Age
 Weight
 Body composition
 Your daily activity
 Your training program.

 It is possible to estimate the number of calories

you need daily from your body weight (BW) and
your level of daily physical activity.
 Step 1. Basal metabolic Rate(BMR)
 BMR is the number of calories you burn at
rest (to keep your heart beating, your lungs
breathing, to maintain your body temperature,
etc).
 Is the amount of energy that must be used to
simply stay alive in the absence of any
physical activity.
 Age, nutrition and Activities are factors that
influence basal metabolic rate.
 Cont.
 It accounts for 60–75% of the calories you burn daily.
Generally,
 Men have a higher BMR than women.
•BMR uses 22 calories for every kg of a woman’s body
weight and 24 calories per kg of a man’s body weight.
Estimate Basal Metabolism

 Female: Wt (kg) x 0.9 kcals/hour x 24= 21.6 ≈ 22

 Male: Wt (kg) x 1 kcal/hour x 24 = 24

 Step 2: Work out your Physical Activity Level (PAL)
 Physical activity includes all activities from doing the
housework to walking and working out in the gym.
This is the ratio of your overall daily energy expenditure to
your BMR; a rough measure of your lifestyle activity.
 physical activity level (PAL) according to standard values
(1.2 to 1.9, depending on lifestyle)
 Mostly inactive or sedentary (mainly sitting): 1.2
 Fairly active (include walking and exercise 1–2 x week): 1.3
 Moderately active (exercise 2–3 x weekly): 1.4
 Active (exercise hard more than 3 x weekly): 1.5
 Very active (exercise hard daily 6-7d/w): 1.7
 If you are super active/very hard exercise &physical job/ 1.9
Step:3 Multiply your BMR by your PAL to work
out your Daily Calorie Needs
This figure gives you a rough idea of your daily
calorie requirement to maintain your weight.
If you eat fewer calories, you will lose weight;
if you eat more then you will gain weight.
 CARBOHYDRATE
 The word carbohydrate literally means "hydrated
carbon," or carbon with water.
 Thus, it is no surprise that carbohydrates are made up
of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
 The presence of these three atoms also gives the word
carbohydrate its common abbreviation—CHO.
 Are found in a wide variety of foods including grain,
fruits, and vegetables, as sugars, starches, and cellulose.
 It is an important fuel for exercise and energy release
from CHO is up to three times as fast as from fat.
 Cont.
 It is stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles,
and must be re-stocked each day.

 Glycogen, which is bundles of glucose stored in the

liver and muscles.

 The largest amount of carbohydrate in the body is

stored in the form of muscle glycogen. It ranges up to

→400g glycogen (equivalent to1600 kc)

 Cont.
 Smaller amounts are stored as liver glycogen, which
helps to maintain normal concentrations of glucose (a
sugar) in the blood.
 →Approximately 100g glycogen (equivalent to
400 kc) stored in the liver

 CHO has other specific functions in the body including

fueling the central nervous system (CNS) and brain.
 The brain and the central nervous system are dependent
on the constant supply of glucose from the blood to
meet their energy needs.
 Guidelines for daily intakes
 Are about 5 –7 g per kg of body weight per day for
moderate duration/low intensity daily training.
 Those who do moderate–heavy endurance training should
consume 7–10 g per kg body weight per day; and
 Those training more than 4 hours per day are advised to
consume 10 g or more per kg body weight per day.
 During exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes,
consuming 20–60 g carbohydrate per hour helps maintain
your blood glucose level, delay fatigue and increase your
endurance.
 Cont..
 Choose high GI carbohydrates (e.g. sports drinks, energy
gels and energy bars, bananas, fruit bars, cereal or
breakfast bars), which convert into blood sugar rapidly.
 To promote post-exercise recovery, the 2003 IOC
Consensus conference recommends consuming 1 g per kg
BW per hour during the first four hours following
exercise.
 To avoid running out of energy during exercise, start with
full glycogen stores, replenish them during exercise and
refill them after exercise to be ready for the next workout
 Well-trained muscles store 20-50% more glycogen than
untrained muscles.
 Types of Carbohydrate

1. Simple sugars: (carbs) are absorbed and

converted to energy very quickly and provide a
rapid source of energy.
• Fruit and energy drinks are a good source of simple
carbohydrates.
2. Complex carbohydrates: take a bit longer to be
digested and absorbed into the body.
• They also take longer to breakdown and therefore
provide energy at a slower rate than simple
sugars.
 Cont..
 Eg. of complex carbohydrates are breads, rice
and pasta.
 Starch and fiber are also considered complex
carbohydrates but fiber can not be digested or
used for energy.
 Starch is probably the most important energy
source in an athlete’s diet because it is broken
down and stored as glycogen.

Foods high in starch include whole grain
breads, cereals, pasta, and grains.
 Protein
 Protein is another major macronutrient that consists
of small repeating units called amino acids.
 Proteins are made up of amino acids, which contain
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
 Amino acids are the building blocks for making
proteins.
 That combine in various ways to make muscles,
bone, tendons, skin, hair, and other tissues.
 Types of Amino acids

 Essential amino acids: are those which our

body cannot manufacture and hence have to be

supplied through the diet.

 Non essential amino acids: are those amino

acids which our body can manufacture.

 A primary function of protein
 To build and maintain tissues.
 They provides a (small) fuel source for exercising muscles.
 Proteins are found in both plant and animal sources like Fish,
poultry, lean meats, seeds, nuts, beans, and eggs
 Provides amino acids, the building blocks for making proteins
 Proteins form the building blocks for new tissues and the repair
of body cells.
 They are also used for making enzymes, hormones and
antibodies.
 Protein helps in the building and repair of muscle tissue, and
works with carbs to boost(enhance) the rate of recovery after
exercise
 Cont..

 Athletes have higher protein requirements than non-active

people.
 The IOC and IAAF both recommend between 1.2 and 1.7
g protein/kg BW/day for athletes of 70 kg person. And
 For sedentary person is 0.75 g of protein/kg BW daily
 Several studies have found that carbohydrate and protein
eaten together immediately after exercise enhances
recovery and promotes muscle building.
 FAT
 Fats are energy-containing nutrients found in food.
 Dietary fat is often blamed for many health problems
however, fat is an essential nutrient for optimal health.
 Some fat is essential, it makes up part of the structure of
all cell membranes, your brain tissue, nerve sheaths, bone
marrow and it cushions your organs.
 Fat in food also provides essential fatty acids, the fat-
soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and is an important
source of energy for exercise.
 It is the largest reserve of stored energy available for
activity.
 Cont…
 The largest amount of fat in the body is stored in adipose
tissue in the form of triglycerides, while smaller amounts
are stored as muscle triglycerides.
 The process of triglyceride formation is called
esterification.
 The major part of adipose tissue can be found under the
skin; it is called subcutaneous fat tissue.
 In addition, fat is stored around the abdominal organs.
 In highly trained athletes the total amount of fat that is
stored in adipose tissue may range from 10 to 25% in
females and 5 to 15% in males.
 cont..

• This is considerably less than that in sedentary subjects

who have a fat content that ranges from 20 to 35% in
females to 10 to 20% in males.

• Fat provides the highest concentration of energy of all the

nutrients. 1g of fat gives 9kcal. This calorie density,
makes fat our largest reserve of energy.

• Fat provides the main fuel source for long duration, low
to moderate intensity exercise( marathons, and ultra
marathons).
 Cont..
Using fat for fuel for exercise, however, is Dependent
upon these important factors:
 Fat is slow to digest and be converted into a usable form
of energy (it can take up to 6 hours).
 Converting stored body fat into energy takes time.
 Converting stored body fat into energy takes a great deal of
oxygen, so exercise intensity must decrease for this process
to occur.
 For these reasons, athletes need to carefully time when
they eat fat, how much they eat and the type of fat they eat.
 It’s not a great idea to eat fat immediately before, during
and after intense exercise.
 Types of Dietary Fat

Saturated fats:
 Found primarily in animal sources like meat, egg
yolks, cheese, butter, milk, ice cream and Fatty meats.
 Too much saturated fat has been linked to health
problems such as high cholesterol and heart disease.
 Because of this, saturated fat should be limited to no
more than 10% of total daily calorie intake.
 Do not melt until the temperature is higher and
 Are solid at room temperature.
 Unsaturated fats
 Are typically found in plant food sources
 They are usually liquid at room temperature.
 Unsaturated fats have health benefits such as
lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of
heart disease.
 Common food sources include, Olive and
canola oil, avocados, fish, almonds, soybeans
and flaxseed.
 Unsaturated fats have a lot of calories, so you
still need to limit them.
 Vitamins
 Vitamins are organic compounds found in foods and are
a necessary part of the biochemical reactions in the
body.

 They are involved in a number of processes, including

 Mineral and bone metabolism

 Cell and tissue growth

 They act as cofactors for energy metabolism.

 Classification of VITAMINS
They are often classified based on their solubility.
1. Fat-soluble vitamins
 Are absorbed and transported in the same way as fat.
include vitamins:- A, D, E, and K.
 Vitamin D is also synthesized in the skin through
exposure to sunlight.
 Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in liver and adipose (fat)
cells.
 If excess vitamins are retained in the lipid stores in the
body, hypervitaminosis can result.
 2. Water-soluble vitamins
 Including the eight B vitamins and vitamin C
 Are absorbed with water in the gastrointestinal
tract.
 These vitamins move easily through bodily
fluids, which are water based
 They are not stored in the body.
 Excess water-soluble vitamins are excreted in
the urine.
 Minerals
 Minerals in food are inorganic compounds that work with
other nutrients to ensure the body functions properly.

 They cannot be made in the body; they come from the diet.

 The amount of minerals in the body is small, only 4 percent of

the total body mass and most of that consists of the minerals
that the body requires in moderate quantities: potassium,
sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and chloride.
 Classification of minerals
 Based on the amount found in the body, Minerals are often
divided into two categories .
 Macro minerals:- are those found in relatively large
amounts (about 5 g in a 60-kg person).
 Include calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium,
potassium, chloride, and sulfur.
 Micro-minerals, also known as trace minerals, are
found in comparatively smaller amounts in the body.
 These include well-known minerals, such as iron, as well
as lesser-known ones, such as manganese and
molybdenum.
 Cont..
Another classification method for minerals is based on
function.
 Minerals critical to proper bone formation includes
calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and fluoride.
 Several minerals are electrolytes and have either a
positive or negative charge.
 Sodium and chloride ions are electrolytes in the
blood and extracellular tissues, and
 Iron ions are critical to the formation of
hemoglobin and help to maintain body fluid
balance.
 Cont..
 Many enzymes contain minerals such as zinc,
selenium, or copper and some of these minerals
are necessary for the proper functioning of the
immune system.
 Most minerals can be stored in tissues, and high
or low storage levels alter the amount absorbed or
excreted.
 Calcium is also an example of a mineral that has
a large storage site—bone.
 water

 Water is the largest component of the human body,

representing 70% of total body weight.
 Normal physiologic function depends on a proper water and
electrolyte balance.
 You should ensure you are hydrated before starting training
competition and aim to minimize dehydration during
exercise.
 Dehydration can result in reduced endurance and strength,
and heat related illness. Also it caused early fatigue.
 Dehydration is defined as excessive loss of body fluid.
 Cont..
 The IOC advises matching your fluid intake to your fluid
losses as closely as possible and limiting dehydration to
no more than 2% loss of body weight
 Consuming too much plain water during exercise leads
to overhydrating, potentially resulting in hyponatremia,
which also impairs performance and can have serious
health consequences
 Stay within your hydration zone during exercise:
 That means avoid gaining weight during exercise due to
over consuming fluid
 And don’t lose any more than 2% of your body weight
due to fluid loss
 Cont..
 To be confident that you are well hydrated before
workouts, drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before exercise.
 During your workout, drink 1 cups every 15 to 20min.
 After exercise, replace any further fluid losses with 16
ounces of water.
 If you want to be accurate, you can weigh yourself before
and after workouts.
 For each pound lost during exercise, you should be
drink 16 ounces of fluid.
 Sports drinks are better than water during intense exercise
lasting more than 60 minutes because their sodium content
will promote water retention and prevent hyponatremia.
 Nutrition and Physical Performance
 There is universal scientific consensus that diet
affects performance.
 A well-planned eating strategy will help support
any training programme, whether you are training
for fitness or for competition;
 Promote efficient recovery between workouts;
 Reduce the risk of illness or overtraining, and
 Help you to achieve your best performance.
 Cont.
 Of course, everyone has different nutritional
needs and there is no single diet that fits all.

 Some athletes require more calories, protein or

vitamins than others; and each sport has its
unique nutritional demands.
 Nutrition before Training Exercise
 What you eat and drink the day before and during the
several hours before your workout dictates how much
energy you’ll have for training and how well you will
perform.
 It also affects how much body fat, glycogen or even
muscle tissue you burn.
The main purpose of your pre-workout meal is to:
 Stabilize your blood sugar levels during exercise.
 Staves off hunger
 Minimizes the risk of problems such as stitch and
 To avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).
 Cont.
 Get your pre-exercise nutrition right and you’ll
have plenty of energy to train hard and perform at
your best.
 Eating the right amount and type of carbohydrate
as well as timing your pre-exercise meal correctly
will help avoid common problems such as
 Fatigue,
 Dizziness,
 Fainting and
 Stitch.
 Cont.
 Don’t expect your pre-workout meal to fuel your
muscles.

 There isn’t enough time for your body to turn the

food into glycogen – the muscles’ main fuel
supply – so your body must rely on existing
glycogen (and fat) stores.

 It takes 24 hours to refill muscle glycogen stores,
so what you’ve consumed the previous day
matters.
 Cont.
 For most regular exercisers, a daily diet providing

carbohydrates of around 280–350 g for a 70 kg person.

The exact amount you should eat before Training depends on your:
 Body weight (heavier people need more) and

 How hard the exercise

 How long you plan to exercise (eat more for longer, harder

workouts).
 Cont.
 If you plan to workout for less than 2 hours, aim to eat

around 1 g carbohydrate per kg of body weight (or 70 g for

a 70 kg person) or 400–600 calories.

 For longer workouts or endurance events eat around 2 g

carbohydrate per kg of body weight (or 600–800 calories).

 Don’t eat a big meal just before a workout otherwise you will

feel uncomfortable, sluggish and ‘heavy’.

 Cont.
 Ideally, you should aim to have a meal 2–4
hours before a workout.
 In practice, the exact timing of your pre-
workout meal may depend on your daily
schedule.
 According to a study at the University of
North Carolina, United States, eating a
moderately-high Carbohydrate, low fat meal 3
hours before exercise allows you to exercise
longer and perform better.
 Cont.

 It is important to ensure that you are properly hydrated

before training to minimize the risk of dehydration

during exercise.
 Even mild dehydration can result in early fatigue as

your body is unable to cool itself efficiently, which puts

extra stress on the heart and lungs.
 Exercise feels tougher when you are dehydrated and

you cannot train as hard.

 Cont.
 The best strategy is to keep hydrated throughout the

day rather than load up with fluid just before your

workout.

 Aim for at least 8 glasses (11⁄2–2) daily, and more in hot

weather or workout days.

 It’s better to drink little and often rather than drinking

large amounts in one go, which promotes urination and

a greater loss of fluid.
 Cont.
 Drink before you get thirsty. By the time your
thirst mechanism kicks in you may have lost
around 2 per cent of your body weight as water.
 If you relied on your thirst alone, you would
replace only 50–75 per cent of the amount you
need.
 The American College of Sports Medicine
Drink recommends drinking 2–4 glasses of
water (400–600 ml) during the 2–3 hours before
you workout.
 Nutrition During Exercise
Everyone exercising for longer than 30 minutes

will certainly benefit from drinking something

during exercise.
If you plan to exercise longer than 60 minutes,

you may also benefit from additional

carbohydrate.
You should take carbohydrates in liquid form.
 Cont.
 Carbohydrate ingestion during exercise lasting
60 min or longer has been shown to:
Improve exercise performance
Maintaining high plasma glucose levels and
High carbohydrate oxidation rates.
 It has recently been shown that ingestion of
carbohydrate throughout exercise improves
performance more than when an identical
amount of carbohydrate is consumed late in
the exercise period.
 Nutrition after Exercise
 The quicker you can begin refueling after exercise, the

quicker your body will recover.

Any workout will:

 Depletes your Stores of glycogen

 The readily available fuel stored in your muscles

 Breaks down muscle tissue.

 The aim is to rebuild the fuel stores and repair

damaged muscle fibers as soon as possible.

 Cont.
 It is during this post-exercise period that your body gets stronger

and fitter.

 Wait too long and you’ll feel sluggish; get it right and you’ll

recover faster.

 Start drinking before you even get showered and changed.

 The sooner you begin replacing the fluid you have lost through

sweat, the sooner you will recover and cut the risk of post-

workout dehydration.
 Cont.
 Fail to drink enough and you will feel listless
with a risk of headache and nausea.

 If you have exercised for less than an hour,

plain water is a good choice followed by a
carbohydrate-rich snack within 2 hours.

 For longer or particularly intense workouts, a

drink containing carbohydrate (sugar) and
sodium may further speed your recovery.
Any Questions?