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Nutrition for athletes is an important social issue today because many athletes feel pressure from society to change their eating habits in order to look a certain way based on the sports they play. According to Dr. Sarah Gibson, “Athletes in sports where weight is emphasized — such as wrestling, swimming, dance, or gymnastics — might feel pressure to lose weight, but they need to balance that choice with the possible negative side effects”. Also, many athletes, especially teenage athletes, are not educated as to what they should be eating in order to stay healthy.

The nutrition of an athlete can determine how well he or she performs in his or her sport. I think that athletes should follow good eating habits to achieve proper nutrition, and I feel that they need the help of coaches and physicians to educate them about this issue. In the article “A Guide to Eating for Sports,” Dr. Gibson first discusses problems caused by teen athletes dieting and following myths about certain things they think they should eat, and then she explains how to solve these problems by obtaining proper nutrients and the proper times to intake them.

First, Dr. Gibson explains that teen athletes need more calories than non-athletes because they need to use energy for both performing a sport and for growth. Their bodies could break down, be at a risk for fractures and injuries, and have growth problems if they do not choose a healthy diet with proper nutrients that will sustain their bodies (Gibson 1). As a solution, Dr. Gibson suggests that an athlete should talk to his or her doctor or a dietitian to create a plan for the athlete to take in enough nutrients to achieve high performance while still losing weight. Another problem that the article highlights is that many athletes believe in false ideas regarding what they should put into their bodies and need better education (Gibson 1-3).

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In the second half of her article, Dr. Gibson argues against claims regarding certain things athletes think they should eat because of nutrition trends, but are not necessarily true like “carb-loading”. She also explains that “It’s a myth that athletes need a huge daily intake of protein to build large, strong muscles” (Gibson 1). Instead, Dr. Gibson informs athletes that they need a variety of foods, not just protein and carbohydrates to build a strong body.

Athletes should be eating healthy fats like those in fish, calcium found in dairy products, and natural carbohydrates from things like fruits and whole grains (Gibson 2). Dr. Gibson also makes a point that the timing of eating these items is important for an athlete. An athlete should eat a meal of protein and carbohydrates about two to four hours before physical activity, but not eat right before such activity because digestion uses up energy (Gibson 3). Also, water is equally important so that an athlete does not become dehydrated; however, an athlete should not drink more than needed because it will be too heavy in his or her stomach (Gibson 2).

Overall, after reading this article, I learned how complicated maintaining proper nutrition for an athlete might be. As Dr. Gibson states, “Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you’ve eaten over the past several days and weeks”. As a basketball player myself, I will try to be more conscious about what nutrients my body needs and not let social forces tell me what I should eat or what my body should look like. In conclusion, this article should be read by teen athletes and used as a source to develop their nutrition plans.

Nutrition for Athletes

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