I have been asked to produce an A4 booklet describing the components of a healthy diet and the factors that affect weight management. As well as describing the components of a healthy diet for maintaining and improving sports performance

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Nutrition in sport- Healthy diet and

Nutrition professionals.

In this assignment I will give nutritional advice by looking at the six components of a healthy diet and the factors that affect weight management. I have been asked to produce an A4 booklet describing the components of a healthy diet and the factors that affect weight management. As well as describing the components of a healthy diet for maintaining and improving sports performance I will describe the dietary issues that affect sports performance and the role of different professionals who give advice and support.

Task)

. Produce a 6 page booklet describing components of a healthy diet

2. Produce a handout that provides information on dietary issues that affect sports performance

3. Looking at the Case study discuss the role of different nutrition professionals in giving advice to sports performers.

Components of a healthy diet

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are an ideal source of energy for the body as they can be converted easily into glucose, which is the sugar that is transported round the body and used for energy. A diet too high in Carbohydrates though can upset the delicate balance of your body's blood sugar level, which results in fluctuations in energy and mood leaving you tired and irritated so you must balance your diet with proteins a little fat and fibre. We are advised that we should get half of our energy needs from carbohydrates. The British nutrition foundation states that the average adults diet should have 47.7% of their daily energy from carbohydrates for women and 48.5% for men. The average amount that a child intakes is 16%, which is very low, and this is down too fizzy drinks and sweets and cakes and not enough healthier foods.

There are two types of carbohydrates they are complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates are often referred to as starchy foods and are found naturally in foods and also refined in process foods. Simple carbohydrates are known as sugar foods and can cause tooth decay.

Complex Carbohydrates are naturally found in-

* Bananas

* Beans

* Nuts

* Oats

* Potatoes

* Sweet corn

* Wholemeal foods

* Lentils

Complex Carbohydrates as refined starch are found in-

* Pizzas

* Pastries

* Biscuits

* White bread

* White rice and pasta

Simple Carbohydrates are found in-

* Biscuits

* Chocolate

* Honey and jam

* Jellies

* Sweets and snacks

* Soft drinks

* Pastries

But natural sugar is found in fruits and vegetables.

All carbohydrates form glucose when digested and are transported round the body via blood and taken into cells to be converted into energy. The Pancreas gland in your abdomen secretes the hormone insulin, which controls the uptake of glucose by your cells. If any excess glucose is converted it will be stored in the liver or in the fat around the body. When the body needs more energy a second hormone called Glucagon this converts glycogen back into glucose and then released back into the bloodstream for cells to use.

Vitamins

Vitamins serve crucial functions in almost all bodily processes (immune, hormonal and nervous systems) and must be obtained from food or supplements, as our bodies are unable to make vitamins. There are thirteen vitamins classified as either water-soluble vitamins (C and B complex) or fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).

Fat Soluble Vitamins- are absorbed, together with fat from the intestine, into the circulation. Any disease or disorder that affects the absorption of fat, such as coeliac disease, could lead to a deficiency of these vitamins. Once absorbed into the circulation these vitamins are carried to the liver where they are stored. Vitamins A, D, E and K make up the fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamins A, D and K are stored in the liver and vitamin E is distributed throughout the body's fatty tissues.

Water Soluble Vitamins- such as Vitamin C and the B vitamins are stored in the body for only a brief period of time and are then excreted by the kidneys. The one exception to this is vitamin B12, which is stored in the liver. Water-soluble vitamins need to be taken daily. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and the B complex group make up the nine water-soluble vitamins.

Vitamin sources, uses and deficiency problems

Vitamin A (fat-soluble)

Sources: Dairy products, eggs, liver. Can be converted by the body from the beta-carotene found in green vegetables, carrots and liver.

Uses: Maintains the health of the epithelium and acts on the retina's dark adaptation mechanism.

Deficiency leads to: Keratinisation of the nasal and respiratory passage epithelium, night blindness

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) (water-soluble)

Sources: Yeast, egg yolk, liver, nuts, red meat and cereals

Uses: Carbohydrate metabolism

Deficiency leads to: Fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite; severe deficiency can lead to beri-beri

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (water-soluble)

Sources: Dairy products, liver, vegetables, eggs, cereals, fruit, yeast

Uses: Intracellular metabolism

Deficiency leads to: Painful tongue and fissures to the corners of the mouth, chapped lips

Vitamin B12 (water-soluble)

Sources: Liver, red meat, dairy products and fish

Uses: Essential for manufacturing of genetic material in cells. Involved in the production of erythrocytes

Deficiency leads to: pernicious anaemia

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (water-soluble)

Sources: Green vegetables and fruit

Uses: Essential for the maintenance of bones, teeth and gums, ligaments and blood vessels. It is also necessary for ensuring a normal immune response to infection

Deficiency leads to: Scurvy

Vitamin D (fat-soluble)

Sources: Fish liver oils, dairy produce. Vitamin D is formed in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight

Uses: Has a role in the absorption of calcium, which is essential for the maintenance of healthy bones

Deficiency leads to: Rickets

Vitamin E (fat-soluble)

Sources: Pure vegetable oils; wholemeal bread and cereals, egg yolk, nuts and sunflower seeds

Uses: Protects tissues against damage; promotes normal growth and development; helps in normal red blood cell formation

Deficiency leads to: May cause muscular dystrophy
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Vitamin K (fat-soluble)

Sources: Green vegetables

Uses: Used by the liver for the formation of prothrombin

Deficiency leads to: Bleeding due to delayed clotting times caused by lack of clotting factors. Patients may show signs of bruising easily and have nosebleeds.

Daily Requirements

Vitamins contain no useful energy for the body but they do link and regulate the sequence of metabolic reactions that release energy within the food we consume. Vitamins cannot be made in the body and must be obtained in our diet. A well balanced diet provides an ...

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