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By HELEN W. SMITH
Extension Agent, Home Economics
As the spring sports season arrives many parents as well as athletes are concerned about what to eat prior to a game and general nutrition for athletes, so I would like to address that topics in my nutrition column this week.
Eating is pleasure for athletes. They can eat large amounts of the food they like, especially grain products such as pasta, bread, bagels, pizza, pretzels, cereal, crackers and tortillas. These foods are high in complex carbohydrates, the body’s best source of energy.
Carbohydrates are the most essential nutrient in an athlete’s diet because they are the only fuel that can sustain intense exercise for extended durations. Low carbohydrate intake can hurt performance, but high carbohydrate intake can improve it.
Whether a persons runs marathons or simply takes daily walks to keep in shape, eating a diet high in carbohydrates will help improve personal bests. Sports nutritionists recommend athletes eat as much as 60 to 70 percent of their total calories in the form of carbohydrates.
Definition
Simple carbohydrates are found in fruits, most vegetables, milk table sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses and honey. They digest faster than complex carbohydrates, proteins or fats and provide short bursts of energy.
Complex carbohydrates are found in starchy foods such as pasta, bagels, bread, rice, legumes, other grain products and some vegetables. Complex carbohydrates are digested at a slower rate, giving the time-released form of energy athletes need.
Carbohydrates are stored in your muscles as glycogen, the most efficient and readily available energy for
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