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Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition is a specialized field that caters to the dietary needs of the athlete. Because the nature of sports requires the expenditure of vast amounts of energy, an athlete’s diet can be somewhat different then for the average person. For instance, an athlete usually requires a much higher caloric intake, and more proteins than does the man on the street.

Sports nutrition is largely concerned with how the body uses protein, carbohydrates and fats to fuel itself during exercise. Carbohydrates are burned by the body during medium to high intensity workouts, while fats are primarily burned during low-intensity exercise. Proteins are needed to repair damage to muscles that occur during athletic activities.

The timing of food intake is another important aspect of sports nutrition. It is important that plenty of fluids are taken in before, during, and after exercise. The timing of carbohydrate and protein consumption can have an impact on the performance of the athlete.

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