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Food and Sports Essay

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Food and Sports



Billions of people around the world enjoy playing or watching sports as a great recreational activity. The object of almost any sport is to be the best at something. To be the best, an athlete must practice and train and consistently perform at the highest level possible. An athlete must push the body to the limit. If an athlete is to gain the best possible results from training and practice, the value of food and well balanced diet is of the utmost importance.



Food becomes the main component of the human body. Even as food is being savored, it is meeting nutritional needs. Every humans life relies on food to provide daily energy. Food is the tissue in bodies, and is the regulator of …show more content…

At least twenty-one different minerals are necessary for a healthy person. Examples include sodium and fluorine. Sodium is found in very large amounts in areas such as extracellular fluid and perspiration. Fluorine is used by the body in dental and bone formations. Many times minerals are not kept in proper balance, and this causes the body to not perform at peak levels. Eventually lack of minerals can cause severe harm against a person. Vitamins are organic substances that function as chemical regulators. Vitamins are necessary in life for growth and maintenance. Since vitamins are needed in such small quantity, even a poor diet usually provides all the required vitamins needed by a person. The important aspect of vitamins for an athlete is that an athlete needs the same amount of vitamins as an average person. Many people, including non-athletes, take vitamins everyday. Vitamins; however, do not contribute to body structure. Vitamins are also not an energy source. In fact excess vitamins can cause damage. Vitamins that are soluble are simply excreted, but insoluble vitamins are eventually stored liver. These vitamins can have toxic effects if taken for extended periods of time.



Fats, carbohydrates, and proteins fuel an athlete. Fats are the most concentrated source of food energy available. Because of this fats are used to store excess energy. The American Heart Association has stated that thirty to

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