Nutrition for Sport Performance Protein

What is Protein? Myths Body Building Protein Needs for Athletes Meeting Protein Needs

Protein Protein is a vital part of every cell in the body. The main function of protein is to maintain and repair all body tissues. Protein is essential to the overall health, growth and development of the young athlete (Gillanders et al 2000)

What is Protein? Protein is composed of chains of amino acids Foods such as meat, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, yoghurt and eggs provide all of the indispensable amino acids (= those that can’t be made in the body) About 1/3 of our protein is from cereal foods (bread, rice etc), legumes, fruits and vegetables

Myth Eating a large amount of protein (including powders, tablets etc) does NOT boost athletic performance or lead to the development of larger, stronger muscles. The body shelves excess protein as fat (Gillanders et al 2000)

Body Building Muscle definition is a tribute to his total gym hours training combined with a well designed nutrition plan. What famous body builders can you think of? (Cardwell 1999)

Protein Needs for Athletes Athletes need more protein than sofa-bound people. However the average NZer gets plenty of protein through meat and dairy products. Each day, young people (up to 18yrs) need about one gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight (Gillanders, Lloyd, McIlroy, Wallmark 2000)

Meeting Protein Needs 2-3 servings a day of milk and milk products 1-2 servings per day of lean meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, dried peas, beans, lentils 2 servings per day of fruit 3 servings per day of vegetables 5-6 servings per day of breads and cereals