Kids&Science Diet Sport and Nutrition Sport and Nutrition	Index
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Sport and Nutrition

A proper diet is of advantage for an athlete, but also for every citizen.
Advantage of a healthy diet:

• Prevents illnesses like cancer, for example
• No fat deposition in the body
• Light food
• Contains many vitamins, which keep nails, teeth and hair healthy

Fruits, vegetables, potatoes, cereals, milk (products) and lean meat contain particularly many vitamins, since they have a high nutrient density.

Vegetables and fruits are the most important supplier of nutrients. Many families almost only fall back on ready-made meals, which, on average, contain more fat and salt than fresh food.

We carried out a survey, and got the following results:

The teenagers questioned between 14 and 17 years either consume fast food two times a week on average or very rarely.

To compensate for it, most of them do sport regularly. A great number declared themselves in favour of plain cooking, but approx. 30-40% prefer fast food.

A balanced diet is important for health. A balanced diet contains foodstuffs from all groups of foods..

The essential components of food are: carbohydrates, fibres, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances.

The wrong diet may lead to the following illnesses: cavities, obesity and damaging after-effects like high blood pressure, bad circulation, gallstones, etc.

In countries with insufficient food supply, vitamin deficiency diseases may occur.

Food supplies the energy we need for doing sport. An appropriate intake of fluids is very important for our health as well.

BWhen doing (competitive) sport, you should make sure to eat a carbohydrate-rich and fat-reduced diet.

Result: A balanced diet (hardly ever fast food) and regular sport are the best prerequisites for a long, healthy life.

Article by Alice Waltenberger et al., Gymnasium Laaerbergstraße, Vienna, Austria

Material courtesy of Kids&Science Foundation

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Last Update: 2004-Feb-29