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Nutrition to boost performance in sports

                       (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, October 22, 2007)

I am 19 years old and play competitive tennis. Please guide me as to how much carbohydrate, protein and fat I should consume. At my gym each person says a different balance. Can you clear this confusion for me
Most sports people are confused about the balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat in their diet. The latest research says high carbohydrate 50-60 per cent, low fat 10-15 per cent and adequate protein 25-30 per cent is the ideal diet. Eating plenty of carbohydrate is very important so that there is plenty of energy for your day-to-day training as well as energy stored in the muscles as glycogen, which can be used when needed. This should be supplied by good quantities of cereal, bread, rice or chapati, at each meal and plenty of fruits daily, at least three like banana, apple, pear, guava, oranges, etc.
There is a tendency to consume excess protein with the concept of muscle building. Protein is very important in a sportsman’s diet but it should not be excess as it can cause uric acid levels to rise and this can result in joint pain and kidney problems. Many young people tend to eat very large amounts of nonveg with the belief that they will build muscles. This can result in high cholesterol and high urea and uric acid levels in the blood, which are very harmful for a player.
A normal person requires 1gm/kg ideal body weight of protein per day. An athlete can take 1.2 to 1.5gm protein per kg body weight per day. So if you are 70 kgs you need 85-90gm protein per day. The dangerous thing is that most protein foods are high in their fat content so we need to be careful with our protein choice. Good sources of protein, which are low in fat, are skimmed or low fat milk (cream removed) dhals and pulses like channa, rajma, moong, etc. Young athletes may consume a whole egg daily and also eat one or two extra egg whites boiled daily, as they are a very good source of high quality protein. Whole egg should not be more than one per day. Raw egg should not be consumed as it cannot be digested and is just excreted in the bowels.
Fish and chicken without skin are better then beef, mutton and pork, as they are low in fat. Two to three pieces per day, not more, and preferably at lunch rather than dinner. Dhal/pulse should be eaten twice a day, one cup at least at lunchtime and dinner too. Three to four cups of skimmed milk is needed daily for the protein and calcium. Fat that comes in the seasonings should meet the fat need for the day. Apart from this, fatty foods like fried foods, chips, chocolates, ice creams, etc., should be consumed to a minimum extent, only once or twice a week. Eating large amounts of these fatty foods to gain weight is a wrong idea. Weight gain must be achieved only by increasing carbohydrate and protein at each meal and by ensuring every meal is eaten daily. Missing meals is very harmful for a sportsman’s body. 

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