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Correlation Between Proper Nutrition That Enhances Performance And The Nutrition Of Athletes Essay, Research Paper

Currently, I believe that many of the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes do not adjust their diets to enhance performance, which can come about with proper nutrition. The nutrition of athletes is extremely important affect on their performance. At some period in an athlete s career they will find a decrease in performance as a result of nutrition related difficulties. By choosing sound eating habits problems such as decreased endurance, reduced speed and impaired concentration may be prevented and will promote optimal performance. (Coleman & Steen 11) `Making the proper nutrition choices is as important as the choosing the right training program . (Coleman & Steen 1). For such a reason I carried out this research project to find what adjustments, if any, are made by the athletes of this college. Generally, I went about my research project by handing out 50 surveys to athletes from sports varying from Basketball, Tennis, Cross-Country, Rodeo, Golf, Baseball and Volleyball. Each of these surveys required the athletes to write down what they ate over a 5-day period and also asked various questions regarding their nutritional habits. Overall, the results tended to support my hypothesis (as there were many factors of the diet that were analyzed) that various improvements could be made to the diet of athletes to enhance their performance.

This research project is one that brought great interest to me, as I am a student athlete myself and I also hold a strong interest in the field of Nutrition. After I graduate I hope to complete further study and gain my masters in Nutrition. This topic also runs into strong correlation with Kinesiology. Kinesiology refers to the movement patterns of the human body and thus runs into a strong tie with energy demands of the body. It is important that these energy demands are met especially in exercise. The main reason is that what we eat and the energy that is metabolized from this food is responsible for our everyday activities. Especially, for those athletes that are involved in rigorous training on a regular basis.

First, I will discuss the research methods that I used in finding the relevant raw data. I will then go onto discuss how I collected, organized and analyzed the data and how I gained these results. The methods that I used included handing out surveys to 50 (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes. Each survey consisted of a daily nutrient intake form, which covered 5 days. This enabled me to analyze the average intake of various nutrients by the sample of the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes. It also contained various questions regarding alcohol, skipping meals and their intake of fast food.

The sample that I chose was random, I did this by handing out the surveys to athletes from different sports and I also handed them out at different places. This enabled each student-athlete to hold an equal chance of being selected. After 6 weeks I chose to analyze the surveys that I had received back. There were 21 surveys returned which meant that sample chosen made up 14% of the total student athlete population.

The next step was analyzing the surveys, the 5 day nutrient intake from each athlete was analyzed by using a Nutrition program on one of the library s computers. This provided an analysis of the average intake over 5 days. Included in this was a wide variety of information ranging from total caloric intake to whether particular vitamins met the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Out of the information provided I chose those nutritional areas that play an important role in athletic performance. From this I was able to gain a mean (average) from the 21 athletes for each area. The standard deviation was then calculated, which enabled me to determine the Level of Confidence for each statement that was made regarding the various areas of nutrition. The calculations for this involved the mean as well as the Standard Deviation. After this I referred to Table 6.1 (Vincent, P.81), to determine which level of confidence would be most appropriate for each nutritional area.

After analyzing the intake of nutrients over 5 days I also analyzed the replies to other questions included in the survey. This enabled me to calculate percentages regarding alcohol consumption, fast food intake and the skipping of meals.

I will now discuss exactly what makes up proper nutrition and what enhances athletic performance. The results from this study will also be tied in with this discussion. This will enable contrasts and comparisons to be made between ideal nutrition for enhancing athletic performance and that of the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes.

The first class that I will discuss is Carbohydrates. This class of nutrients are the most readily available source of food energy. This is because all carbohydrates are gradually broken down to simple sugar glucose through digestion and metabolism, and are used as the body s primary energy source. Glucose in its stored form is called glycogen and is found in the liver and muscles. The main fuel for most sports is muscle glycogen and a diet high in Carbohydrates is necessary to maintain this. Complex Carbohydrates are the main emphasis of a high performance diet. These can be found in foods such as beans, pasta, rice, vegetables, bread and cereal. These food types also provide other essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins, and hold four calories per gram.

Carbohydrates play a major role in performance and almost all athletes will come across problems in their performance as a result of inadequate carbohydrate intake. Their performance may be affected in a `reduction in speed, impaired endurance and difficulties concentrating. ( Coleman & Steen 6). `Depending upon the intensity and duration of the sport that the athlete is involved in there

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