On extreme cases, Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps needs to consume 12,000 calories a day (Jacobs 2013). The average man needs to consume between 2,700 to 2,900 calories on a daily basis, and an average woman needs about 2,000 to 2,100 calories. However, athletes need to consume between 3,000 to 4,000 calories because they are much more active. These calories come from the foods and liquids the athletes ingest throughout the days before and after competition, also known as sports nutrition. Most people do not know that sports nutrition is equally, if not more, important than the physical training because neglecting to provide the body with sufficient nutrition, causes the body to perform insufficiently. Pre-game nutrition is a specific part of sports nutrition. Pre-game nutrition, specifically, is defined as the nutrients that are consumed before exercise; this can mean the day before or even within several hours before a competition. Although all nutrients are important, there are four nutrients that are considered essential: carbohydrates, protein, fats and water. If athletes consumed a pre-game meal that is rich in carbohydrates, then their ability to perform long durations of exercise will improve.

Sports nutrition serves several purposes; one being that it prepares an athlete for future competition by supplying his or her body with an adequate amount of nutrients. In order to achieve the necessary amount of nutrients, the athlete has to consume a well-balanced meal. Sports nutrition also allows the athlete to maintain the highest possible level during performance. The last purpose of sports nutrition is that it helps the athlete’s body recover from intense completion or training (Frey). As mentioned previously, an athlete should be consuming more than three thousand calories every day, sixty-five percent of which should be from carbohydrates, ten percent from protein, and twenty-five percent from fat. Each one of these nutrients has certain serving sizes that are recommended for consuming (see table 1).

Carbohydrates are composed of grains, such as bread and pasta, vegetables, and fruits, so these foods should be the majority of an athlete’s diet. The main purpose of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex (Dugdale 2013) (Davis). Simple carbohydrates can be obtained from soft drinks, jams and jellies, candy, and most importantly, sports drinks (Dugdale). Simple sugars give the body quick, usable energy; therefore, this type of carbohydrate would be most effective immediately before competition. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates provide long term energy that takes the body at least an hour to fully digest into usable energy. Some examples of complex carbohydrates are pasta, bagels, whole grain breads, and rice.

As opposed to carbohydrates, proteins are found in different types of foods, such as fish, chicken, and beef. There are also other alternative sources of protein that are just as efficient in supplying the body with adequate amounts of protein. For example, neither tofu nor beans are considered to be meat, but they are both exceptional sources of protein. Protein’s main purpose in the body is to build and reconstruct muscles (Clark). This is the reason why proteins are so crucial when it comes to athlete’s sports nutrition because the muscles need to be repaired after competition. In addition, proteins help carry out bodily functions. For example, enzymes, possibly one of the most important parts of the body, are proteins that help speed reactions that need to occur in the body.

Although fat is said to be avoided in order to stay healthy, there are numerous beneficial reasons why fat should be consumed on a daily basis. The main purpose of fat is to supply usable, long term sources of energy, insulate the body, and protect vital organs (Frey). Fat can be obtained from nearly all groups of food that are on the food pyramid; however, some sources have higher fat content than others. For instance, vegetables and fruits have extremely minimal amounts of fat; whereas, protein and dairy can supply sufficient amounts, but if too much is consumed, then there are detrimental results. Fats are categorized into two types: saturated and unsaturated, and it is important to find the correct balance between the two. Saturated fats are considered the “bad” fats (Sports Nutrition: Health Secrets). The reason why it is considered so bad is because consuming too much of saturated fat can lead to higher risks of contracting dangerous conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat causes cholesterol to attach to the walls of the arteries, blood vessels used to distribute blood, within the human body. If too much of cholesterol builds up, then the artery becomes narrow, limiting the distribution of blood. This will tremendously affect an athlete’s ability to perform because the blood will not travel to its designated places quick enough, causing the athlete to fatigue quickly. Examples of foods that are high in saturated fat include pork, steak, pizza, and pastries. On the other hand, the “good” fat is classified as unsaturated fat. This specific type of fat assists in lowering the cholesterol levels within the body (Sports Nutrition: Health Secrets); it not only helps lower cholesterol levels, but it also has very important roles, such as supporting healthy growth of the brain and protecting against many diseases (Sports Nutrition: Health Secrets). However, even though unsaturated fat is considered to be healthier than saturated fat, this does not mean that unsaturated fats can be consumed in large quantities. The amounts of unsaturated fats still have to be limited to a healthy number. Excellent sources of unsaturated fat are nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish, and most plant based oils, such as olive oil (Sports Nutrition: Health Secrets).

Pre-game nutrition is exactly what it appears to be; it is the nutrients that are consumed before an exercise. The timing of consumption is pivotal when an athlete is striving for optimum ability. There are two ways of describing pre-game nutrition, and the first is called pre-game day nutrition (Jakubczak). This is the nutrition consumed within twenty-four hours before the competition. According to nutritionists, this type of pre-game nutrition should be composed of mostly complex carbohydrates, water, protein, and some unsaturated fat. The second form of pre-game nutrition is within hours of competition. The types of nutrients that should be consumed during this period should be simple carbohydrates so that the body can absorb and utilize the quick energy that is needed. Being easily digestible, sports drinks are great sources of simple carbohydrates. The reason why the timing of the consumption of the pre-game meal is so important is because all types of food have different ways in which they are digested in the body. Sufficient amounts of time should be given to digest these foods. For example, complex carbohydrates take up to two hours to be completely broken down into a usable state for the body. If exercises were to be carried out shortly after consumption, the body would have to divert the blood from the digestive system to the muscles now that the body is exercising. Therefore, the nutrients will not be absorbed fully (Anderson) (Brown University: Health Extension). The difference in the timing can affect the performance. It takes at the very least two hours for the body to completely digest and absorb the foods that have been ingested. Therefore, timing of consumption is crucial. However, some foods and liquids can be digested much faster. For example, the reason why sports drinks are affective in athletic events is because they contain simple carbohydrates that can be broken down easily and absorbed swiftly, thus supplying the body with quick, usable energy. Timing is just as crucial as the types and amounts of food one consumes.

Most athletes forget to stay hydrated before competition. One of the most important aspects of sports nutrition that cannot be neglected is the hydration of the athlete. Hydration means that the athlete has a sufficient amount of water in his or her system so that the body can fully utilize the water by carrying out its functions. The effects hydration has on the body can be observed simply through the way the person behaves. This includes the physical and mental indications (Brown University: Health Extension). Physical indications include the muscles fatiguing faster than normal. The muscles fatigue quicker because blood is mainly made of water, so if there is not enough water in the body, the blood will not move the muscles as fast (Jakubczak). Although most athletes make a common mistake of not hydrating, water has innumerous important functions in the body. For example, it cushions muscle and joints, regulates body temperature, brings nutrients to the cells, and removes waster products from the system (Brown University: Health Extension). An indicator of how hydrated someone is that if he or she realizes that they are thirsty, then he or she is already thirty minutes behind in the amount of fluid that should have been drank. Many athletes prefer to drink sports drinks, such as Gatorade, rather than water. Each one has its own benefits when it comes to which one an athlete chooses to drink. As stated before, sports drinks are excellent for hydrating when it comes to drinking during the game or competition and hydrating within hours of the competition. For example, if an athlete is about to start a game, then he or she should be drinking some type of sports drink in order to obtain the necessary simple carbohydrates. In addition, if the game lasts longer than ninety minutes, the athlete should be drinking sports drinks so that the nutrients that were lost during the exercise can be replenished (Jakubczak). Although it does not hinder the athlete’s performance, sports drinks are not recommended to drink for long term preparations. The ideal fluid to drink would be water because the body is not in need of replenishment. It just needs to stay hydrated so that when game time does come around, the athlete is well hydrated and ready to play. Athletes cannot afford to dismiss the fact that hydration is equally important to the consumption of food.

In conclusion, sports nutrition can be viewed as one of the most important aspects of athletics. Without it, the athletes would not have the energy to perform. While eating food is very important, the timing of the consumption can determine whether the nutrients are going to be beneficial. Hydration cannot be forgotten either because hydration is one of the most crucial factors in an effective sports nutrition diet. Finally, pre-game meals are the most important part of having the ability to perform long durations of exercise. If athletes were to consume a pre-game meal, then their ability to perform long durations of exercise will improve. Pre-game nutrition can be viewed as irrelevant by some, but it clearly is not irrelevant to how well an athlete performs






Table 1
Shows the recommended servings of food a non-athlete should consume and athletes should consume

Females
Non-athletes
Female Athletes,
Male non-athletes
Male Athletes
Bread/grains group
6 to 11
9 to 15
11 to 18
Vegetable group
3+
3+
3+
Fruit group
2 to 4
3 to 5
4 to 8+
Dairy group
3+**
3+**
3 to 4+**
Protein/meat group
2(=5oz)
2(=6 oz)
3 (=7 to 11 oz)
Fats/lipids***
20-35% of calories
20-35% of calories
20-35% of calories


Source: Brown University: Health Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.


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