Dietary considerations?

Question

What are dietary considerations for a young athlete competing in the City to Surf fun run?

any suggestions?

Answer 1

Lots of carbs for long term energy.  I dont know the distance you are running but anything that takes longer than an hour would benefit you to consume lots of complex carbs.  60 percent of the calories should come from carbs.  If you are trying to lose some weight to become more competitive, you could restrict your carbs down to 40% of your diet and split the rest between protein and fats.

Consume only healthy fats....but most professional athletes dont really care about nutrition if they are burning so many calories.  And most athletes burn over 1,000 calories an hour during their training.  Michael Phelps would consume 12,000 calories a day.  No, this is not a typo, he consumes 12,000 calories a day.  A normal man would require only 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day.

Depending on your intensity and fitness level you could increase the calorie amount you intake.  Make sure you get enough protein after training because that is what you need to rebuild and recover.  Prior to training or running always make sure you are fully hydrated.

If you are trying to lose weight, minimize the carbs but YOU NEED CARBS for the sustained energy.  You cant go without carbs as an athlete.  Atkins diet or south beach diet doesnt work when you are trying to be competitive.  40-30-30 ratio is good for losing weight (40% of your daily calories from carbs, 30% from fats, 30% from protein).  However for a competitive athlete 60-20-20 ratio might be better.