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Boost and Recover: Sports Nutrition

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Boost and Recover: Sports Nutrition

Help a young athlete make informed choices before, during and after training. Use the information on this sheet. There is no single perfect product: needs vary with the person, activity, weather and duration. Water and ordinary foods are suitable for many everyday training sessions. For personal nutrition advice, talk with a qualified health professional.

Scenario: training day

Ari is a healthy, active teenager who has a 60-minute after-school training session. It is a typical day, not unusually hot. Ari has eaten lunch and can drink water when thirsty. The coach has not asked the team to follow a special diet.

Read the label information

The following figures are fictional examples for practice. Values are per container as sold; they are not recommendations. Check the serving size on real products because packages can contain more than one serving.

Product (one container)

Energy

Sugars

Protein

Water

0 kJ

0 g

Sports drink

480 kJ

28 g

0 g

Flavoured milk drink

700 kJ

18 g

8 g

Banana

440 kJ

14 g

1 g

Yoghurt tub

520 kJ

12 g

7 g

Boost and recover

Carbohydrate is an important fuel for exercise. Protein supports growth and repair, but most active teenagers can get enough from a balanced range of everyday foods. Water is usually a suitable drink for shorter, ordinary sessions. Sports drinks can provide fluid and carbohydrate, but are not needed for every workout. After activity, a meal or snack with carbohydrate and protein can support recovery.

1.For Ari’s typical 60-minute session, which is the most sensible default drink choice, and why?

Water, because it is usually enough for a shorter, ordinary session.
A sports drink, because everyone exercising needs extra sugar.
A protein drink, because protein is the main fuel during exercise.
No drink, because stopping to drink always reduces performance.

2.According to the grid, which product has the most sugars per container? State the amount.

3.According to the grid, the flavoured milk drink contains 18 g of sugars and 8 g of protein per container. Give one reason it could be a convenient recovery option after exercise, and one reason Ari should not assume it is automatically the best choice for every day.

4.Ari must buy a protein snack immediately after every training session or the session will be wasted. Decide whether this claim is true or false, then explain briefly.

5.Match each nutrient or drink with the description that best fits it.

Carbohydrate
Protein
Water

B. An important source of fuel for exercise
C. Supports growth and repair
A. A practical fluid choice for many ordinary, shorter sessions

6.A teammate says, “The drink with the most sugar must be the healthiest sports choice.” Use one detail from the label grid to explain why that conclusion does not follow.

7.Suggest one realistic after-training snack for Ari that includes a source of carbohydrate and a source of protein. Explain which food provides each.

8.Rewrite this advice so it is more balanced: “Every athlete should drink a sports drink and eat a protein bar after exercise.”

9.Why is it important to check the serving size as well as the nutrition numbers when comparing real products?

10.Write a two-part plan for Ari: one sensible choice during the usual training session and one suitable recovery choice afterwards. Give a reason for each choice.