1. Guidance sports diet
2. Different types of sport
3. Energy
4. Water

1. Guidance sports diet

a) Individual support of athletes

As an athlete or intensive recreational athlete you demand a lot from your body. That is why your dietary pattern must be adapted to your physical exertion. That means adapted to your type of sport, the intensity of the training schedule and your lifestyle.

We offer you dietary advice on the basis of:

• Personal requirements.
• Personal energy calculation and screening of deficiencies.
• Body weight and investigation of fat percentage.

Our offer comprises:

• Basic pack
o General diet recommendations.
o Practical information and tips.
o Advice adapted to training and matches.

• Extensive pack
o Basic pack.
o Support with weight checks, any deficiencies or others.

• Full pack
o Extensive pack.
o Diet schedule adapted to different periods.
o Guidance and information about food supplements.

b) Team support

A group or team of athletes is guided with their diet during a certain period (1 season, preparation phase, trips abroad, tournaments, training camps…). The content, duration and intensity of the guidance on the requirements of the group or team.

We offer teams or groups:

• Personal energy calculation and screening of deficiencies.
• Body weight and investigation of percentage of fat.
• Individual guidance of each player/athlete: Basic pack, Extensive pack or Full pack.
• Information sessions about sports diet.
• Information about specific topics.

c) Information session on request

If you would rather not have individual diet advice but want to know more about which dietary pattern goes best with your sport? On request an information session can be given on a topic of your choosing. For example, for your entire team or club. We will teach you in general terms how to better gear your dietary habits better to your sports performance.

• Healthy diet.
• Vitamins and minerals.
• Food supplements such as creatine, amino acids, etc.
• Sports drinks.
• Match preparation.
• Etc.

2. Different types of sport

In the world of sport we distinguish three main types of sport. Each sport has its own disciplines and its individual diet requirements.

Endurance sports
With endurance sports the body is exerted for a longer period of time. Examples are skating, triathlon, cycling, cross-country skiing, rowing, speed-walking, mountain climbing and swimming (more than 400m). For an optimum energy supply, endurance athletes above all need carbohydrates.

Strength sports
With strength sports such as bodybuilding, shot-put and weight lifting, the development of muscle plays a central role. In addition to great muscle power, in so-called fast strength sports such as skating (short-track), swimming (short distances), sprinting, skiing, boxing and gymnastics high demands are made on speed. Compared to other athletes, these athletes need a greater muscle mass thus also more proteins.

Match sports
In team and match sports, the intensity of the training and matches can vary greatly. One moment speed is required, the next jumping strength. Examples are football, tennis, volleyball, hockey, squash, table tennis and water polo but also fighting sports also fall into this category. Just like endurance athletes, team and match athletes must have sufficient carbohydrates in their diet.

3. Energy

Athletes often have a negative energy balance. The muscle mass is broken down and nutrient deficiencies can occur, which have a negative effect on the ability to perform.

Where does the athlete get his energy from?

The body primarily uses two types of fuel, namely carbohydrates and fats. If there is a lack of carbohydrates, protein can also be used as a fuel.

The higher the intensity of the exertion, the higher the burning of carbohydrates and the lower the burning of fatty acids.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are very important as sports energy. After all, carbohydrates are a fast and efficient source of energy.

If the glycogen stock is exhausted, the body has to fully switch to burning fats (fatty acids) and proteins (amino acids). The energy supply becomes slower, which means that exertion with a high intensity is no longer possible. For sports with over 45 minutes’ intensive sport the glycogen stock must be topped up.

The lower the glycogen stocks the more amino acids are used to provide energy. This at the expense of the build-up/recovery of muscular tissue.
These problems can be prevented by using a diet rich in carbohydrates (60 % energy) so that it is possible to top up the loss of carbohydrates. Sufficient carbohydrates in the diet have a protein-saving function.

Fats

Fat is often avoided as much as possible by athletes.

Fat is a ‘slow’ fuel, which is primarily used during rest and during extensive duration exertion. During intensive duration exertion, burning fat only makes up 50% of the energy supply. At the acidification limit or above it, fat burning stops almost completely and above all carbohydrates will provide the energy that is necessary for the exertion.

So for the final sports performance, fat intake via food is less important. For intensive exertion, the glycogen stocks in the muscles are more important.
The fat supply in the body is usually more than sufficient for the energy source. Too much intake of fat is furthermore accompanied by low carbohydrate intake. In that respect taking in too many fats with the food is not desirable.

Proteins

Proteins are in the first place an important building block for the body but can also be used as a source of energy.

During a period of weight loss, the body tends to burn protein (so muscle protein) more than in normal circumstances if there is a lack of carbohydrates.
Sufficient protein but above all also sufficient carbohydrates in the diet help to prevent this break-down.

Alcohol

Alcohol provides empty calories and is of no use to the body.

4. Water

A human body is made up of ± 55% water; the fat-free body mass even of 75%.
Water is an important means of transport in our bodies. It is the main component of blood, urine and sweat. The water is 'kept in place' by various minerals. Sodium (outside the cell) and potassium (inside the cell) play a role in this.

Water is also important to keep the body temperature constant (thermal regulation). Exertion makes the body temperature rise. So a good water balance is essential for an athlete.

Water balance/Fluid balance

There is a good balance of water if the secretion and intake are balanced. In an athlete, the excretion of water through sweat is higher than of a person who does not do any sports.

The water loss during exertion depends on the following factors:

• the temperature;
• the humidity;
• the duration of the exertion;
• the intensity of the exertion;
• the sports clothes; for example by wearing insulating sports clothes the water loss can increase.

Sweat is not only made up of water but amongst other things also contains a number of minerals in solution. The most important minerals present in sweat are sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).

Another name for sodium chloride is (kitchen) salt. The sweat of trained athletes contains less salt than that of untrained people. Sweat contains more water than salt compared with bodily fluids (=hypotonic).

The need to top up water during the exertion will therefore be greater than the need to top up salt. It is only advisable to top up the salt in case of heavy sweating (>4 litres) during the exertion since the body loses too much water.

Loss of performance

Sweat loss % of the body weight Effect on performance 1% Negative effect on the metabolism 2% Reduced thermal regulation Reduction of endurance capacity 3% Drastic reduction of endurance capacity 4-6% Reduced strength Drastic reduction of endurance capacity > 6% Drastic dehydration - Cramp - Exhaustion - Loss of consciousness - Coma - Death

Water loss of more than 2% of the body weight reduces the sports performance. For most athletes this is less than 2 litre loss of sweat.

The only correct solution to prevent these negative changes is to drink as much as possible so that the losses can be compensated. It is easy to determine the amount of water that has been lost during the exertion by determining the body weight before and immediately after the exertion. Every kilo of weight loss is approximately equal to one litre of water. To measure the liberal water loss during the exertion, of course the amount of water that was drunk during the exertion has to be added. Thus the athlete can check whether he has drunk enough during the sport and he can estimate how much water is needed during the exertion.

Thirst

Thirst is a warning to prevent the body losing too much water. Thirst occurs when the water loss is approximately 2% of the body weight. When thirst occurs it is actually already too late to keep the performance level at par. That is why athletes must learn to drink before they are thirsty. What is more, during intensive training, the stimulus of thirst sometimes disappears altogether.