Nutrient Balance

Not just sportspersons, everyone needs a balanced diet to stay hale & healthy.

Carefully planned nutrition must provide an energy balance and a nutrient balance. The nutrients are:

• Proteins – These are necessary for the growth of muscles. They also help in the repair of muscle and other body tissues.
• Fats – It is essential when taken as a source of energy and important in relation to fat soluble vitamins.
• Carbohydrates – Remember this is our biggest source of energy.
• Minerals – They are those inorganic elements occurring in the body and which are critical to its normal functions.
• Vitamins –The water and fat soluble vitamins play important roles in many chemical processes in the body.
• Water – Liquids, especially water is life to most sportsmen. Its essential for normal body function. Used as a vehicle for carrying other nutrients as 60% of the human body is filled with water.
• Roughage - The fibrous indigestible portion of our diet is essential to keep the digestive system healthy.

What are the daily energy requirements?

Personal energy requirement=basic energy requirements + extra energy requirements (especially for sports)

Basic energy requirements (BER)

• For every Kg of body weight 1.3 kcal is required every hour.

(An athlete weighing 60Kg would require 1.3 × 24hrs × 60Kg=1872 kcal/day)

Extra energy requirements (EER)

• For each hours training you require an additional 8.5 kcal for each Kg of body weight. (For a two hour training session our 50Kg athlete would require 8.5 × 2hrs × 60Kg=1020 kcal)

An athlete weighing 50Kg who trains for two hours would require an intake of approx. 2892 kcal (BER+EER=1872 + 1020)

source: http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk | pic: igd.com

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