COMPONENT 2: Energy Use, Diet, Nutrition & Hydration (SOC 24) Flashcards
What is a balanced diet?
having a properly balanced diet is important for all of us, but is especially important for sportspeople wanting to perform as well as possible.
When balancing your diet, there are seven elements you need to consider:
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Water
- Fibre
What are Macronutrients?
Macronutrients are the types of food that you need in large amounts in your diet: carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
What are the two sources of carbohydrates?
Complex & simple
What examples of complex carbohydrate (starch) foods are there?
Brown rice, bananas etc.
What examples of simple carbohydrate foods (sugars) are there?
Fruit, vegetables etc.
Where are carbohydrates stored in our body?
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and the liver as glycogen, which is quickly converted into glucose and used to provide energy.
What could be an example of a small burst of carbohydrates (sugars) during a football match?
Half-time during a football match someone could have a slice of a banana or a sport specific gel which give out a small burst of energy which is packed full of carbohydrates which have a large amount of sugar in them which last you about 10 minutes but only a matter of minutes to kick in.
Where does our body look to find extra energy /carbohydrates (sugars) /(starch) for our muscles so they do not fatigue?
Our body is very clever and realises when we do not have any more carbohydrates or oxygenated blood to spare for our muscles to feed the body searches the body to see if there are any spare lipids (fats) so that we could use as a source of energy to provide our muscles with.
Why is it not good for an athlete to eat anything within 2 hours before a competitive sporting occasion?
Eating especially something which will fill you up is not great before a sporting ocassion. This is because it will cause your body to focus on digesting the food instead of playing the match your supposed too. It could also cause stitches during the game which will effect your overall performance.
What are lipids (fats)?
Fats are important because they provide energy and, together with glycogen, help muscles to work. Fats are found in butter, margarine and cooking oils. The daily intake of fats to provide energy should be about 30 per cent of the total diet.
What are proteins?
Proteins are important to help build muscles and to repair damaged tissue. Proteins are particularly important to strength athletes, such as rugby players and shot and hammer throwers. Proteins of foods are things such as meat, fish etc which are found in animal proteins.
What are some examples of sport where you need a different balanced diet?
People doing different sports require a different balance of the three macronutrients. For example:
- Sumo wrestlers need more fat, for weight.
- Sprinters need more protein, for explosive strength and muscle.
- Marathon runners need more carbohydrates to allow them to run further and faster.
Define the term carbohydrate loading?
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver. However carbohydrate loading is when you feed your body to the limit full of carbohydrates so you will have enough energy to store and provide your muscles with when competing.
