Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are probably the most important macronutrients for a teenage athlete to have.
Carbohydrates are a source for energy for a certain period of time. Simple carbohydrates are the ones that can give you a short burst of energy, becoming hyper, such as a lollipop, or other candies. However, most fruits contain simple carbohydrates, just not as much but they are a better choice because they contain more vitamins, fiber, and other important nutrients. Complex carbohydrates are also starches. Starches work well as a source for energy but it can give and sustain energy in your body for a longer period of time. For example, before I have an early tennis match the next morning, I'll eat pasta or spaghetti because it has a lot of carbs and it will give me energy for the next morning. Other starches are bread, crackers, rice, cheese, yogurt, waffles, and granola bars. When you eat carbohydrates, the body breaks them down into simple carbohydrates, where it is used in your bloodstream, creating a hormone called insulin, which is needed to provide energy to the rest of your body. The more carbs you have, the more insulin you have. However, simpler sugars from candy will give way faster and you will notice a significant drop in your energy level after a short period of time, which is why it is better to eat the complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates give you lots of energy for a longer period of time than simple carbohydrates will, but carbohydrates are important for an athlete because he or she will want to have a lot of energy so they will be conditioned well before, during, and after the match.
 |
| Spaghetti is a good source of carbohydrates |
Proteins
Proteins are as equally important for teenage athletes, as they maintain and control your body. Proteins build up, maintain, and replace the tissues and organs in your body. For example, they take care of your muscles and your immune system. Some parts of the body protein makes up are ligaments, tendons, muscles, hair, nails, skin, teeth, tissue, and the bones. Proteins also produce hemoglobin, a part of red blood cells to be able to carry oxygen to every part of the body. Proteins also help your heart and protect you from viruses or diseases. The best sources for protein are beef, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and beans. Proteins also provide amino acids, which are necessary to stay healthy, and you can find them in beef, because they contain a lot of amino acids. Your body by itself can produce 14 of 22 amino acids, but the other eight come from protein.
In order to figure out how much protein you should have daily, take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2. For example if you're 100 pounds, you should be eating around 50 grams of proteins a day. According to the American Dietetic Association, athletes who do strength and resistance training need to eat more than twice the amount of average proteins to rebuild and repair their bodies. Children also need a lot of protein so they can keep constantly grow. Proteins help our muscles to grow, and stay healthy all around which is important for athletes who train tirelessly everyday and need to condition their muscles.
 |
| Steak is a good source of Protein |
Fats
Fat is another important nutrient in food. Fat helps our bodies to grow, fuel our body, and absorb vitamins. They are building blocks for hormones and help our nervous system. Fat is especially important for little kids and babies. They need fat so their brain and nervous system develops correctly. This is why kids drink whole milk, because it has more fat than low fat or skim milk, which is fine for anyone when they're older. Experts say that kids should get about 30% of their daily calories from fat. There are also many different kinds of fats. There are unsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans fats.
Unsaturated fats are found in plant foods and fish. The best-unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, peanut oil, tuna, and salmon. Saturated fats are found in meat and other animal products, like butter or cheese. Too much of these fats can result in high cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease. Trans fats are mainly found in margarine. They are also found in baked goods and fried foods. Trans fats have the same pros and cons of saturated fats.
 |
| Salmon is a good source of fat |
Sources:
Bibliography Sources
By Zander Kim
No comments:
Post a Comment