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One of the things needed to help female athletes stay healthy and get the best out of their matches is to meet their nutritional needs. So what kind of diet will be suitable for female athletes?
1. Causes of undernutrition in athletes
Female athletes have a process of burning energy through daily activities and training. The food will play the role of replacing the lost energy. When the energy burned in a day is close to the energy taken into the body, it will help balance the energy.
It sounds simple, however, there are many contributing factors that prevent many female athletes from achieving energy balance. The cause usually comes from factors such as:
1.1 Increased nutritional needs that are not taken into account
As young girls get older, they need more calories to maintain a simple energy balance, because their body mass is increasing. In addition, if girls play sports, the increase in exercise volume may not be nutritionally accounted for. The longer and harder young athletes train, the more calories they burn, but they don't always eat more to make up for the extra activity. With the body and activities constantly changing, the nutritional habits that were once adequate may no longer exist.
1.2 Lack of knowledge or misinformation about nutrition
Many female athletes are limited in their knowledge and practice of optimal sports nutrition. Some parents may also lack specific nutrition knowledge or advice for their children. This easily leads to a lack of nutrients in young female athletes.
Việc thiếu kiến thức về dinh dưỡng là một nguyên nhân dẫn đến thiếu dinh dưỡng ở các vận động viên
1.3 Difficulty planning ahead for food needs
The ability to plan ahead for nutritional needs during a busy day is difficult for anyone and it's not surprising that female athletes experience this.
1.4 Dietary restrictions
Young athletes can choose to go vegan, limit carbs, or follow a calorie-restricted diet. However, they may not have a plan to make up for lost vital nutrients like protein, iron, calcium or vitamin B12. These restrictions make it difficult to get enough calories and essential nutrients, especially as energy needs increase with participation in sports.
1.5 Obsessed with appearance
In some sports that require high appearance such as dancing, figure skating, ... make athletes always want to be very thin. To be thin, they will follow a strict diet that leads to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. These are serious problems in women's sports and athletics
In short, poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits can harm any female athlete.
2. Being aware of the role of nutrition is key
One of the best ways to ensure a healthy amount of energy and nutrients is to be fully informed about it. Girls can do this with help and advice from a parent, coach, nutritionist, sports nutritionist or healthcare professional. Along with that, girls should learn the basics of a healthy, energy-balanced diet such as:
Insufficient calories can be a threat to health and optimal athletic performance. superior. Nutritional requirements can increase and change with the growth of body size. Creating a scientific diet will help achieve the best results. A healthy diet should be preferred over dieting. It can be seen that maintaining a nutrition regimen for female athletes is very important, so you should not take it lightly and focus on eating and drinking when training so that it is balanced to ensure good health. own health status.
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Reference source: mayoclinic.org
