DIETARY ANALYSIS

A Dietary Analysis Of A Fellow Student With Specific Reference To Carbohydrates, Fats And Proteins



Introduction3

Discussion4

Diet Plan5

Physical Data Of The Athlete5

Breakfast6

Lunch6

Dinner6

Snacks7

Fluids7

Importance of cabohydrates for football athelete8

Importance of fats for football athelete8

Importance of proteins for football athelete9

Conclusion & recommendations9

References12

Appendices14

A Dietary Analysis Of A Fellow Student With Specific Reference To Carbohydrates, Fats And Proteins

Introduction

O ver the past 20 years, research has clearly documented the beneficial effects of nutrition on exercise performance(Mcmartin 2013, pp. 85-96). There is no doubt that what an athlete eats and drinks can affect health, body weight and composition, substrate availability during exercise, recovery time after exercise, and, ultimately, exercise performance. As the research and interest in sport nutrition has increased, so has the sale of ergogenic aids, supplements, herbal preparations, and diet aids, all aimed at improving sports performance. The manufacturers of these products frequently make unsubstantiated claims to entice the athlete to use their products. The athlete who wants to optimize exercise performance needs to follow good nutrition and hydration practices, use supplements and ergogenic aids carefully, minimize severe weight loss practices, and eat a variety of foods in adequate amounts(Mcconnell, 2012, pp. 1300-1304).

Football was, for a long time, classed as an endurance sport due largely to the fact that a football match lasted at least 90 minutes. As a result, the nutritional requirements of football players were extrapolated from early scientific research carried out in relation to other 'endurance sports' such as running and cycling. Yes, it is true that the duration of a football match is normally 90 minutes; however, the training loads associated with these sports are vastly different. On closer inspection it becomes clear that daily energy expenditure of professional football players may not be particularly high. Football players are generally inactive when not training and training load will vary, depending on factors such as the stage of the season, or whether tactical or fitness drills predominate in training. (Clarkson, 2010, pp. 179-195)

Discussion

If football players were to consume 7-10g of carbohydrate per kg body weight each day (a recommendation found in many a textbook) then a quick calculation that included reasonable amounts of protein and fat would generate a daily energy intake closer to 4,200kcal(Dueck, 2008, pp. 165-190). In Scandinavia this may be closer to the truth (Table 1). Once the playing season gets underway the Scandinavian subjects typically train seven times per week compared with roughly four sessions in this country. So it is not surprising that energy intakes will exceed 4,000kcal in a country like Sweden.

Table 1. Energy and macronutrient intakes of élite international football players

Nationality

Sample Size

Energy (kcal)

Carbohydrate (%)

Fat (%)

Protein (%)

Senior

Swedish

15

4,929

47.0

29.2

13.6

Danish

7

3,738

46.3

38.0

15.7

Italian (1)

33

3,066

56.0

28.0

14.0

Italian (2)

20

3,650

55.8

28.3

15.9

Junior

Canadian

5

3,619

48.0

39.0

13.0

Puerto Rican

8

3,952

53.2

32.4

14.4

Total

88

3,682

52.9

30.1

14.5

Not only were early dietary recommendations for professional football players slightly misjudged; a number of other problems existed in the delivery of nutritional support. Football was flooded with science and its analytical techniques, and experts employed by clubs exploited the 'measure everything' approach(Ball, 2009, pp. 151-158). Blood, saliva, urine, lactate and expired air were all being indiscriminately extracted from players, often with very little feedback offered in ...