Have you changed
your diet since the
beginning of your
involvement in this
sport? If so, why?
Do you regularly I dink vitamin waters or zero
include any vitamins,sugar Powerade’s and
protein drinks or Gatorade protein bars
bars, herbs, or any
other type of
supplements in your
diet? If so, why?
Not really, I just change it I tend to eat more calories
during my season, I am not on days that I train more
the best about eating since I am maintaining my
breakfast daily but when it weight. I also avoid going to
comes to my season, I know Ifast food places and limit
will need the energy and that Ialcohol intake to 1-2 beers
can’t eat very heavy mealsor equivalent
weekly/monthly to avoid
calorically dense food.
I take a daily greens powder
as a vitamin supplement. I
eat or drink the occasional
protein shake/bar if I know
my meal has less protein.
Interviewee #1Interviewee #2
What sport do you TennisRunning and rock climbing
play?
At what level?CollegeAmateur
How often do play orAt least one match a week I run on a weekly basis but
practice?mostly everyday or 3 times if rock climbing is less
nursing school conflictsfrequent due to current gym
access
Do you eat a plannedI plan a diet for the morning I haven’t planned a specific
or special diet of an event. I have two boileddiet however I have tracked
regularly or prior to eggs and a bagel or corn macros before. It was
your event? If so, flakes. Between matches I eatdifficult for me to hit my
why, and what do a banana or protein bar to protein goals but overall, I
you eat?keep my energy up.felt like the plan worked.
Amatuer
3 days per week
Interviewee #3
Weightlighting
Drink protein shake for
breakfast to limit calorie
intake at breakfast.
Prior to an event I will
drink pre workout to give
me energy to get through
my workout. Eats more
lean protein on a regular
basis and ensures fruits
and vegetables are in
lunch and dinner. Focuses
on grains and dairy during
breakfast.
Yes, I changed to eat
more lean protein to
reduce weight gain.
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D : N K S T
ISCUSSION UTRITION NOWLEDGE URVEY EMPLATE
Where did you get
your knowledge
about your diet?
Do you feel this diet
has altered your
performance? If so,
how?
Just growing around the sport Previous coaches or online
and learning from what my research
old coaches would bring to
tennis matches and what they
say is a good meal before you
play.
I do because if I eat I feel more energized for the
something that doesn’t have aday based on what I eat the
lot of protein or is too heavy day prior. I notice I feel
on my stomach, I feel slower sluggish/ lethargic if I eat
and have less energy. heavy meals the day before.
My peers who I workout
with and a nutritionist I
met with once
I feel like I have more
energy as compared to my
previously protein heavy
diet.
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Summary:
Interviewee number one is a college tennis player who practices daily unless her class schedule
conflicts. She prioritizes her breakfast on days when she must participate in an event in order to
ensure she has enough energy to perform her best. Interviewee number two is a more casual
athlete with less structure. She practices when she wants to rather than when she must go. She
also addresses her protein intake and tries to ensure she consumes enough in order to maintain
her energy during a run or a rock climbing session. Both interviewees supplement their nutrition
with protein bars or shakes to maintain their energy. Interviewee number three lifts three times
per week. He drinks pre workout before he workouts out to increase his energy before and during
his lift. He also focuses on having balanced meals with fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.
Interpretation:
Two interviewees expressed that they supplement their food intake with protein. Protein as
athletes is very important for muscle recovery. Protein intake needs to be at an even distribution
throughout the day as explained in the article by B. Egan. This means that there is a consistent
amount of protein eaten at each meal. This isn’t customary for athletes considering the skewed
graph depicted in the article. 1 Many athletes are informed to eat protein post workout to recover.
This is true but getting a total protein intake for the day will ensure that the athlete will have a
steady amount of energy. This optimizes muscle protein synthesis. Interviewee number three also
doesn’t participate in a sport the increases his aerobic activity on a regular basis. He uses caffeine
to increase his motivation to do aerobic activities and increase performance. This is also
applicable for interviewee number one and can help her increase her performance. Caffeine helps
many increase their energy levels and their focus for athletes. In tennis, an individual sport requiring
concentration and skill, caffeine increased hitting accuracy, running speed, agility, and overall playing
success, possibly because it improved reaction time and mental alertness. Tennis players also reported
higher “energetic drive” during the last hours of play. 2 All three athletes want to work on maintaining or
increasing energy levels before or during exercises. They talked about protein and caffeine which was
great for them to work on. However, I think all three athletes also need to increase their carbohydrate
intake. All three athletes were unaware that carbohydrate is the first macronutrient that is burned for
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energy. Maintaining a balanced macronutrient diet and using caffeine in moderate doses can improve all
three athletes’ performance.
References:
1.Protein intake for athletes and active adults ... - Wiley Online Library.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nbu.12215. Accessed March 25, 2023.
2.Sökmen, Bülent; Armstrong, Lawrence E; Kraemer, William J; Casa, Douglas J; Dias,
Joao C; Judelson, Daniel A; Maresh, Carl M. Caffeine Use in Sports: Considerations for
the Athlete. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22(3):p 978-986, May 2008. |
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181660cec
