GCSE PE - Diet

GCSE PE - Diet for Sport
Dietary Intake and Performance

Learning objective:
To understand the importance of the right timing of dietary intake.
It is important to consider not just what you eat but also WHEN you eat if your diet is going to help your sporting performance
Lets consider a marathon runner
Write down in your books which of the seven factors that we looked at last week will be the most important when running a marathon
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates will be the main source of fuel for marathon runners and there is a plan which they can follow to help them prepare for a race
This is called...
CARBO-LOADING
Carbo-loading is a way of reducing your bodies carbohydrate stores by eating foods high in PROTEIN and FAT in the week leading up to a race
Then, three days before the race, the marathon runner changes their diet to foods high in carbohydrates
This fools the body into taking in very high levels of carbohydrates because it has been starved of them earlier in the week. This means your body will have a higher energy store to use during the race
It is also important to ensure you do not eat a large meal before exercising
Eating a large meal before you exercise can lead to stomach cramps and discomfort
This is because when you exercise blood is sent to the working muscles
This means that less blood is available to the muscles that help digest food in your gut which will lead to cramps and pain
The flow of blood from other areas into the muscles is known as...
Blood shunting
Questions:

1. How will the protein that the marathon runner takes in before he or she begins 'Carbo-loading' also help to prepare them for the race?

2. Why is it important for the runner to take in food - in particular ones high in carbohydrates - during the first two hours after the race?