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A diet should provide the right proportions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and dietary fiber.

Vitamins and minerals are also crucial in energy metabolism. In order to obtain vitamins and minerals, athletes need to eat a wide assortment of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone.

As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. High in vitamins are fruits and vegetables. High-color food choices mean high vitamin content thus high energy storage. Grains also contain both vitamins and minerals.

Supplements should never be replacements for food. While many sports supplements contain the antioxidant beta carotene, at least 450 carotenoids are only found in food. Minerals for injury prevention

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are especially important for athletes.

Recommendations of calcium intake are based on levels than can promote calcium retention, maximize bone mineral density, and inhibit bone loss. Lower calcium intake subjects the athlete to increased risk of stress fracture. Iron depletion, the first stage of iron deficiency is the most common type of iron deficiency among athletes.

sports nutrition and exercise have been part of man’s life and his culture since the ancient times. Earliest forms of athletics, however, were part of man’s basic need for survival, either to gather food or protect his family from physical harm.

Eventually, cave man regular hunting activities had developed into some form of physical acts, without so much need to hunt.

History of athletics was born. Athletics eventually developed into a contest of strength, speed, and other skills. Sports would later developed out of this, with the simple contest developing into a more complicated form of physical activity, and with it the need for sustenance, completing the equation of sports nutrition and exercise.

In the earliest time, athletics or sports was never a monopoly of the male sex. In the Heraen Games for instance, women raced in honor of the goddess Hera. The Egyptians had their acrobatic gymnastics for their temple related activities. And, of course, the sports dance had evolved from religious related dance performed in every major temple in antiquity.

Nutrition patterns of the Greek Wariors

In the Mediterranean world, Greeks particularly, goats is the most common source of meat, and occasionally, beef from sacrificed cattle. Just like in the modern day, milk was also considered as a must for a good meal, especially for the warior. Sports nutrition and exercise among the Greek Wariors meant also the inclusion of other source of protein, fish for instance, which the seas of Mediterranean is known for in the ancient times.

The Romans, Persians, just like the Greeks, used vegetables such as cabbage not only as food, but also as antidote for their drunken soldiers. Beets, turnips, artichokes, and radishes also form the long list of edible vegetables cultivated and used during this period.

The ancient knight’s, warior’s, athlete’s  diet

From the foods that consisted the regular diet of the ancient athletes, such as cheese, figs, and meal cakes, the attempt of the ancient trainers to developed special meal for their athletes were apparent.

Though meat was not consumed in large quantities by the athletes during originally, it was observed later that athletes who are given regular dosage of meat for protein source, had more long lasting strength. It was in the fifth century BC, when meat became a craze among the ancient athletes.

During this time, Slymphalos, an Olympic champion in the in the long-distance race, introduced the meat diet to help athletes in their exercises. It was the earliest attempt of a professional athlete to come up with a systematized sports nutrition and exercise. Milo of Croton, won five Olympic awards from 536 to 520 B.C., was reputed to have consumed 9 kilogram of meat during his training period.

The role of food in total health care is something we should realize. More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, considered as the father of medicine, said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” It is this principle that eventually led to the explosion of the nutraceutical industry.

The nutraceutical is, “ food or part of a food that offers medical and/or health benefits including prevention or treatment of disease.”

The benefits area  such as anti arthritic , pain killers , cold and cough, digestion, sleeping disorders, blood pressure, cholesterol, prevention of certain cancers, osteoporosis, depression and diabetes are covered by nutraceuticals.

Products range from herbal dietary supplements, actual food components in dosage form such as capsules or tablets to beverages fortified with vitamins and genetically engineered designer foods, functional foods, processed foods such as cereal, soup and beverages.

Nutraceuticals is widely popular in the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe and has garnered $80 billion dollars in revenues. The demand for nutraceuticals has been growing worldwide due to consumer awareness of the links of diet and disease, aging population, rising health care cost and innovations in food technology and nutrition.

Sports and Food

In the last decade, sports and fitness nutrition has emerged as one large distinct category in the nutraceutical industry. Three main products contributed to the market’s growth in year 2004:

•             low carbohydrate products – which grew by as much as 154%

•             sports energy beverages – which grew by 18%;

•             sports supplements – which grew by 6%.

Now, billions dollar-worth sports nutrition industry has shifted from the plain-tasting protein powders into a bigger pool of choices for customers. Available in almost any drug stores or supermarkets are energy bars, meal replacement products, protein powders, individual items (e.g., creatine, L-carnitine), amino acids, herbs, prohormones (hormone precursors); vitamins; minerals; and combination products. Because of this the sports nutrition nutraceutical industry is considered a ‘niche’ market and an offshoot of the mainstream food industry.

Competition factors for the Sports Nutrition Market

1. Product/brand differentiation

Because of greater saturation and competition in the marketplace sports nutrition products look alike and sound the same. Building a brand images that stands apart from the other  is difficult but a thing to strive for.

2. Core products and strategies

A good strategy now is to focus development of core products or integrating with large food and pharmaceutical concerns (e.g., Powerbar, BalanceBar).

3. Research-substantiated claims.

Consumers’ ability to make intelligent choices should never be underestimated. People place more faith endorsements by university professors and doctors and claims backed by independent research than by endorsements by celebrities.

4. E-commerce

e-commerce is an increasingly attractive option For companies will not rely on strong distribution relationships.

5. Something New

Retailers and consumers clamor for “new,” whether it means new forms of delivery (gels, effervescent tablets, functional beverages), new applications of or combinations with existing products, or all-natural sports nutrition products that are free of artificial ingredients and solvents.

6. Great taste

Taste is a major feature that can either make or break a product. The hunt is on for manufacturers to come up with better and new flavors.

7. High quality and safe products

The responsibility of product manufacturers to undertake sound research and prove the efficacy and safety of their nutraceutical products. Products that are based on false or misleading marketing should be and are banned and condemned.

Through product sales and advances in research and development, the Sports Nutrition Nutraceutical Industry is now validating what was proven, early on, by the fitness and nutrition pioneers . sports nutrition products provide easier access to a healthier way of performing and living.