Energy intake and expenditure. Nutrition needs of a fooballer and long distance runner.

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Unit 10 – sports nutrition

Energy intake and expenditure

Energy intake is the amount of energy you take in within a certain period of time. The recommended daily energy intake for men is 2500 calories and for women it is 2000 calories. This energy is then expended during exercise or any physical activity. Energy is needed for respiration, keeping your heart beating, keeping the body warm and all other bodily functions needed for survival. Energy is also needed for growth and repair of body tissue. Metabolism is the rate at which chemical reaction occur within the body to keep the body in good health and working order.

Footballer

A footballer’s diet should be high in energy to help muscle gain to do this they should eat 3 meals and regular snacks everyday. There diet should be high in carbohydrates such as breakfast cereal, muffins, crackers, breads, pastas and potatoes.
Protein rich foods are also important this is food such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, beans, peas, lentils and unsalted nuts. Meals should also be low in fat – try to avoid too much margarine, fatty meats, high fat takeaway and snacks, fried food and creamy sauces. There should be at least 5 servings of fruit & vegetables each day – necessary for preventing illness, building muscles and repairing injury.

Pre - Before a match or training a footballer should be eating food that can be broken down easily so energy requirement can be met. Extra carbohydrates and fluids should be taken on 24 hours prior to the match. The last meal should be eaten 3-4 hours before the match and this should be a meal such as pasta with a tomato-based sauce with chicken. Before the match the player should have a snack 2 hours before the match.  Carbohydrates are important before a match as it is the athlete’s primary energy fuel. Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen but the amount that can be stored is limited and therefore regular refueling is needed.

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During – during a match footballers need to ensure they are taking on enough water to replace the fluids that they are loosing.

Post - a footballer should eat carbohydrate rich foods as soon as possible after the game this will increase the speed of recovery. Snacks such as:

  • Sandwich with low fat cheese, beef, chicken, tuna, boiled egg, or jam and peanut butter
  • Bananas
  • Fruit muffins, or pancakes
  • Bowl of cereal with low fat milk
  • Low fat yoghurt
  • Fresh fruit
  • Dried fruit
  • Low fat cereal bar
  • Sports ...

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