Athlete nutrition and nutrients

Introduction:

Proper nutrition is an essential and vital part of athletes seeking a way to enhance their performance. Eating the right thing directly affects how the body’s systems work, like the use of gasoline, oil, or refrigerated liquid which affects the vehicle.

A proper diet will provide the body with the right nutrients and also provide it with the energy needed for athletic performance, training, and recovery. Several factors affect nutritional needs and availability of nutrients, including:

1. Physical Condition
2. Nutritional Status
3. Lifetime
4. Genetic components

These dietary factors necessarily personalize each athlete.

Nutrition Goals:

• Good nutrition improves the body and a healthy mind.
• Good nutrition contributes to the body’s resistance to diseases.
• Good nutrition helps in the energy supply.
• The right food helps the athlete to feel better, well-being, sleep better and speed up healing mechanisms and recovery.

The goals of sports nutrition are to emphasize.

1. Get enough energy to replenish energy stores during exercise.
2. Adequate replacement of glycogen in the liver and muscles with a carbohydrate diet.
3. Consume enough proteins to allow tissues, particularly muscles, to grow and repair.
4. A well-balanced diet is sufficient to maintain a healthy immune system.
5. Adequate hydration (maintaining an appropriate amount of water in the body).
6. Postpone overstresses during workouts and competitions.
7. Avoid fluid deficiency or dehydration while exercising.
8. Use diet strategies known to help improve performance, such as pre-competition meals and loading the body with the right amount of carbohydrates.

Nutrition Pyramid:

It is necessary to discuss the food pyramid, which is tailored toward good health. The food pyramid is a visual guide to the types and proportions of foods we should eat on a daily basis in order to maintain good health. The food pyramid is a pyramid-shaped diagram that contains the overall nutritional components. Each of these components forms a location that equalizes the body’s requirement for these substances.

The importance of the food pyramid:

• The food pyramid contains the five major food groups that everyone should consume.
• This pyramid serves as a guide for eating healthy amounts of food each day, and we’ve discovered that these five food groups provide the body with the nutrients it needs for construction and growth.
• Each of these five groups provides a unique benefit, and they are as follows:

Carbohydrate group (starches):

The foods at the base of the food pyramid consist mostly of cereals and are found in bread, cereals, rice, and pasta. This group is an important source of energy, vitamins, fiber, and minerals, containing approximately 4 calories per gram. Therefore, it is one of three nutrients that give energy to the body

It is best to choose foods that are low in fat and sugar, such as pasta, rice, and bread.

The body converts starch and carbohydrates into glucose for energy or into glycogen in order to store energy in the liver and muscles, when glycogen is stored in a way that its stores become full, the excess carbohydrates are converted into fat.

Carbohydrates tend to be rich in fiber and fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot absorb, but it is important and essential in digestive function. So, a diet rich in carbohydrates is important for good health in normal people and is more important for athletes. People can get as much fiber as possible by choosing foods that contain whole grains as much as possible, including whole wheat bread.

50 to 60% of an athlete’s calorie intake should be carbohydrates to keep glycogen stores full.

Athletes are advised to eat from 5 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight every day and this varies depending on the type of sport and the sex of the player, for example, if the athlete weighs 70 kg, he is required from 350 g to 700 g of carbohydrates on a daily basis within his multiple meals.

Daily Serving 6-11 Servings

Vegetable group:

The importance of vegetable is that it provides the body with vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate. It also provides the body with minerals such as iron and magnesium, and the content of this group of fats is low while it is an important source of fiber. There are several types of vegetables:

• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn.
• Legumes including beans, chickpeas, and beans.
• Leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli.
• Dark yellow vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.

Tips to follow when eating vegetables:

• Eat a lot of green leafy vegetables and legumes more than once a week because they are a source of vitamins and minerals, and legumes provide the body with proteins and replace meat.
• Reduce the use of fatty substances that are added to vegetables on the table or during cooking.

Daily Serving 3-5 Servings

Fruit Group:

The importance of fruits is that they provide the body with a large amount of vitamins A – C, and it is low in fat and salts.

Tips to follow when eating fruits:

• Eating fruit, is more beneficial than eating its juices because its fiber content is higher.
• Fruit juice should be 100% natural without adding any other elements such as sugar and preservatives.
• Beware of eating frozen or canned fruits and juices with sweeteners (sugar).

Daily Serving 2-4 Servings

Group of proteins:

Proteins play an important role in muscle and bone development. Most people consider protein to be one of the most important nutrients, but no diet is superior to another in terms of health. Proteins serve primarily in the body as enzymes that exhibit chemical reactions.  Proteins are considered the building blocks of many hormones. Also, proteins are a source of energy, and each gram of protein contains four kilocalories. Proteins are used as an energy source when carbohydrates or fat are unavailable in the body, such as during starvation situations, and they are also produced naturally during long-term exercise. Proteins are usually derived from animals such as meat, milk, eggs, fish, cheese, and poultry meat, and other sources of proteins are soybeans, beans, hazelnuts, and whole grain ingredients.

During digestion, proteins are broken down into amino acids, eight of which are essential amino acids that build and repair body tissues. These acids cannot be synthesized in the body like other amino acids, so they must be supplied through food and diet. The term indispensable is currently used to describe this type of amino acid in more than one way.

Proteins can be used for cellular energy in the body, but they are less effective as an energy source in general.

Because the body cannot store proteins, excess proteins are converted into fat.

Protein should account for 10 to 12% of the total daily calorie intake.

Adults should consume 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, while athletes should consume 1 g. Protein intake should range between 2 and 1.7% of body weight. Proteins in the food pyramid are classified into two mugs: Proteins within the food pyramid  can be divided into two subgroups:

Egg, Meat, Poultry, and Fish:

This group is from animal sources and is an important source of proteins, calcium, iron, and zinc. And the tips to follow when eating meat:

• Eat lean meat. Remove the skin of poultry when eating their meat.
• Eat a lot of fish meat because it contains little fat.
• Do not overeat egg yolk because it contains high cholesterol and it is enough to eat one egg yolk and there is no fear of eating too much egg white.

Daily Serving 2-3 Servings

Milk, yogurt, and cheese group:

This group is an important source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it also provides us with calcium. And the tips to follow when eating dairy:

• • Choose low-fat cheeses and dairy products.

Daily Serving 2-3 Servings or less.

Fat Group:

It is the third source of energy for the human body, and one gram contains 9 kilocalories,  which constitutes twice as many carbohydrates and proteins. The primary sources of fat are meat, eggs, cheeses, fried food, butter, ghee and salad supplements, oils, and mayonnaise.  Fat carries DEKA vitamins to cells and is essential for the normal growth and development of the human body.

Fat insulates the body from excessive ambient heat or cold, protects the body from the impact of trauma injuries,  forms the housing for body organs, and adds flavor to food. Fat is actually important and necessary for the daily diet, although many people consider it a harmful food, the problem is that fat is eaten in much larger quantities than the daily need for it, which is About 30% of calories.  Most people in America eat 50% or more of their calories through fat.

• It is recommended in athletes from 1 to 2 grams of fat per kilo of body weight
• A high-fat diet is usually associated with heart disease, hypertension, and cancers.
• Fat is not digested as quickly as other food, and fat is the primary source of muscle energy because it is used when carbohydrate sources from muscles are depleted.

Also added to food:

Vitamins:

Do not provide energy, whereas carbohydrates, proteins, and fats do, and vitamins are necessary for good health. Vitamin deficiencies can be expressed or manifested in a variety of ways. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body and must be obtained through diet or supplementation. No single food group can provide all of the ingredients that the human body requires, that’s why you should include a variety of foods in your daily diet. Remember that vitamins are better absorbed through food than through pills.

• Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K, and are encapsulated or absorbed in the small intestine; these vitamins are stored in the cells of the body, particularly the liver cells.
• Water-soluble vitamins are primarily B complex vitamins, and vitamin C is generally absorbed with water along the gut and dissolved in body fluids. These vitamins are poorly stored by the body, and an excess of them is excreted through urine.

The need for vitamins does not usually increase with exercise, and there is no evidence that athletes’ diets should be supplemented with vitamins to improve their physical performance unless there is a pre-existing case of vitamin deficiency. Many athletes do not eat a diverse and dense diet, so they must be supplemented with vitamins.

Minerals and salts:

It does not give energy either, and it is either inorganic substance and is known to have important functions for life, and some examples of these minerals include calcium, which is necessary for bone strength and muscle contraction functions, as well as potassium, which regulates the heart rhythm, iron helps in the formation of hemoglobin and in the delivery of oxygen to the tissues of the body, sodium is important in maintaining fluid balance, and we need a thousand and a svor for strong bones and teeth.

Exercise appears to have no effect on the need for most of these minerals in the diet. The effect of sweating can cause a significant loss of sodium, chlorine, and potassium, and the loss of these minerals can affect the athlete’s performance.

Athletes who participate in prolonged sports activities, particularly those with sweaty salt sweat, should increase their salt intake before and after the activity. This salt is commonly added easily during eating and not by cereals because there are no salt grains if salts are added to food.

Water:

The main component is water, and it is considered the most important nutrient because when unable to consume the rest of the food, it will have a harmful effect after several weeks or even more, but a person cannot survive without water for more than a few days.

Water provides the aqueous medium for chemical reactions and provides the medium for the transport of oxygen,  hormones, nutrients, etc. through the body, for example, blood, facilitates thermoregulation in the body, and for example, sweating facilitates thermoregulation, lubricates joints, and forms a cushion on organs and tissues, while in secretions in the stomach, digestive system and saliva, water facilitates the digestion of food.    

It is noted that the lack of fluids during exercise can have an impact on these functions that affect the performance of this athlete. Water has been added to the food pyramid in some modifications to be at the bottom under carbohydrates, due to their great importance.

The most important characteristics of the new food pyramid:

• All food groups are of one degree of importance and the individual must take from all groups daily so they appear in the new food pyramid at one level.
• The color display in groups shows what proportion to eat relative to other groups. The width of the color in the same group at the base and its narrowness at the top indicates that not all foods in the same group are of the same quality, in the cereal group indicates that whole grains are the best and in the skimmed and low-fat dairy milk group is the best.
• Specificity appears in the man who climbs the ladder that is, the amount of what you eat is related to the daily activity exerted and that movement and sport are also necessary with good food to achieve health.

Violet color, meat and legume group.  One serving is 2-3 ounces of meat, a quarter of a chicken, one egg, half a cup of legumes, or a third of a cup of nuts. The recommended daily amount is 3-4 servings per day.  It benefits the selection of low-fat meat and its use alternately with fish, legumes, and nuts.

Blue, dairy group.  One serving is a cup of milk, milk, half a cup of condensed milk or one ounce of cheese. The recommended daily amount is 2-3 servings per day.  Skimmed or low-fat dairy.

Yellow color, the group of oils and fats.   One serving is a spoonful of oil 5 g. The recommended daily intake is 25-35% of daily calories. It is recommended to obtain them from fish, legumes, and vegetable oils and limit the intake of solid fats, such as butter and margarine.

Green, Vegetable group: One serving is a cup of uncooked vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables. The recommended daily amount is 3-5 servings per day. It is recommended to eat vegetables that are dark green, as well as orange, in addition to dry beans and beans.

Red color,Fruit group: One serving is a medium-sized fruit, half a cup of fruit, or three-quarters of a cup of fruit juice. The recommended daily amount is 2 4 servings per day.   It is advisable to eat all kinds of fruit.

Orange color,  Bread and cereals group:  This group includes bread, cereals, rice, and pasta, and the cereal group provides the individual mainly with carbohydrates, some vitamins, minerals, and fiber. One serving is a slice of toast bread, a quarter loaf, half a cup of rice, pasta, or any other cereal.  The recommended daily amount is 5 to 10 servings per day.

Dr. Faeyz F. Orabi MD. PMR