Diet and Nutrition Flashcards
Balanced diet
Daily intake of food containing the right amounts and types of nutrition.
What is food needed for?
Energy
Growth
Repair
Components of a balanced diet
Carbohydrates Proteins Fats/lipids Vitamins Minerals Fibre Water
Carbohydrate
Also known as sugars
- Simple, provides quick energy and will be the first ones used when exercising
- Complex, release energy slowly due to time needed to break down the sugar into simple sugars
- Broken down into glucose and used in aerobic respiration, if not used then converted into glycogen and stored in the he liver and muscles. If still not consumed it is converted and stored as fat
- 60% of diet recommended
Sources of ‘carbohydrates’ and use in sport
Potatoes, pasta and rice
Marathon runners will eat more carbohydrates in a process called carbohydrate loading in order to maximise the amount of energy stored in their body before an event. Often three days prior an event of relaxing and eating carbohydrates.
Fats/lipids
- Broken down into fatty acids and glycerol
- Provides slow release of energy
- 25% of diet recommended
Saturated fat- is the unhealthy fat that often leads to health problems such as high cholesterol
Unsaturated fat- is found in plants and fish and are essential to regular body function, such as omega 3
Sources of ‘fats’ and the use in sports
Oils, dairy products, nuts and fish
Walking and low impact exercise since it produces energy too slowly for cases of higher intensity exercises.
Proteins
- Broken down into amino acids
- Builds and repairs muscle
- 15% of diet recommended
Sources of ‘protein’ and use in sport
Meat, soy and eggs
Used to build up muscles and recover from an injury faster. Weightlifters eat more protein to increase the efficiency of their workout.
Vitamins
Helps the body to function.
A- essential for vision
B- energy production and controlling moods
C- promotes a healthy immune system and heals wounds
D- strengthen bones
Sources of ‘vitamins’ and the use in sports
Generally found in fruits and vegetables
Ex. Vitamin C is found mainly in citrus fruits.
Helps the body to function. Also helps athletes to stay calm and make quick decisions.
Minerals
Helps release energy from food.
Iodine- needed by the thyroid glands to make essential hormones to set body temperature, growth and metabolism.
Calcium- helps growth of bones, blood clotting and muscle contractions and movement.
Iron- needed to produce haemoglobin in red blood cells to transport oxygen
Sources of ‘minerals’ and use in sports
Iodine- seafood
Calcium- dairy products, salmon and leafy green vegetables
Iron- red meats, eggs, poultry and green vegetables
Iron helps prevent onset of fatigue and prevents anaemia, allowing an athlete to perform at their best for longer.
Fibre
Insoluble- also known as roughage, contains no nutritional value, aids in digestion by adding bulk, therefore reducing constipation
Soluble- reduce level of cholesterol and weight control
Sources of ‘fibre’ and the use in sports
Whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables
For healthy digestion and helps an athlete control their weight for a particular sport.
Water
Maintains fluid levels to stay hydrated.
Allows body to function by regulating body temperature.
Replenishes fluids lost in sweat and urine, prevents dehydration.
Sources of ‘water’ and use in sports
Tap, fluids, juices
Helps lubricate joints, sweating to control body temperature.
Energy requirements
The energy the body takes from food is measured in joules or calories. You need enough energy to meet the demand of your BMR and PAL.
BMR/ basic metabolic rate- is how much energy you require to simply exist or stay alive every day.
PAL/ physical activity level- is the amount of energy you use to fuel all of your physical activity.
BMR+PAL= daily energy requirement
Big people have a higher BMR while athletes in endurance events or high intensity training have higher a PAL.
If you consume more energy than used, it is stored and you gain weight. If you consume less than you lose then you lose weight. People who under eat cannot perform effectively.
BMI/ body mass index
A general guide to whether someone is under, normal or overweight by comparing their height to their weight.
Height (cm^2) / weight (kg)
The BMI is often inaccurate to athletes since they are designed to be as efficient as possible given their size.
Iron deficiency
Fatigue, anaemia, slow cognitive and social development, inflamed tongue and decreased immunity.
Vitamin C deficiency
Scurvy, poor healing of wounds, fatigue, inflammation of gums.
Vitamin D deficiency
Causes rickets which causes bones to soften and bend.
Obesity
Defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.
More than 20% over standard weight for their height.
Anorexia
Lack or loss of appetite for food from an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat, they have a distorted body image, thinking they are fat. Often, the problem lies in a mental disorder.
Causes depression, kidney problems, liver problems, sometimes death
Bulimia
When a person has episodes of excessive ‘binge’ eating followed by episodes of inappropriate weight loss, such as self induced vomiting or abuse of laxatives.
Causes depression, kidney problems, liver problems, sometimes death
Calcium
Mineral found in dairy. Needed for bone growth and healthy teeth.
Iron
Mineral found in red meat and green vegetables. Needed to make RBCs.
Carbohydrate loading
The building up of carbohydrates prior to an endurance event to boost glycogen stores in muscles.
Glycogen
The way excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles for later use.
Malnutrition
When you are physically weak, because you are not eating enough or the right foods.
Dehydration
Rapid loss of water from the body.
