Stress, competitive sport and nutrition

Description

A healthy diet ensures that athletes have enough energy for the competition. However, even in well-rested athletes, a suboptimal diet is a common cause of fatigue. Insufficient fluid intake and calorie intake, a suboptimal intake of carbohydrates and also vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be named as possible causes. Knowledge about the right diet is therefore essential for every athlete. Athletes and their nutritionists should also learn to distinguish between scientifically based information on sports nutrition and simple advertising in order to improve the quality of their diet and thus their performance. This section provides in-depth knowledge on this topic.

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Learning objectives

After you have completed this topic...

• know how important nutrition and the supply of vitamins, minerals and trace elements are in terms of athletic performance
• know the various goals of sports nutrition
• are familiar with the energy and fluid requirements of an athlete and can make recommendations regarding a schedule to cover fluid requirements and suitable drinks
• know how to evaluate means of promoting performance in sport