List of Headings
- i A sensible pattern for athletes' daily nutritional intake
- ii People's resistance to changing their eating patterns
- iii The questions under discussion
- iv A shift of opinion about carbohydrate intake
- v The best time of day to eat
- vi A consideration of short- and long-term effects
- vii A lack of reliable data
- viii The importance of carbohydrate intake before becoming tired
Questions 1-7
Drag a heading into each box.
1. An international panel of nutrition experts considered the effects of the timing and frequency of our eating on variables such as obesity (excessive body weight), blood glucose (sugar), blood lipids (fats), tooth decay, energy expenditure, mental performance, and sports performance.
2. It was noted that dietary survey work is fraught with errors. For example, people tend to under-report intakes, particularly when they want to appear to eat 'better' than they really do.
3. In reviewing clinical studies and epidemiological literature, the workshop participants noted that the frequency of eating may have a number of physiological and psychological effects, including an immediate temporary impact on blood glucose and blood lipid concentrations and the impact over a more extended period of time, particularly in the management of diabetes and hyperlipidemias.
4. Participants agreed that it seemed practical for athletes to adopt a way of eating known as 'grazing', that is, consuming small to moderate-size meals and snacks over the day.
5. Fueling up before the event is essential. Advising people to avoid sugar or other carbohydrates in the hour prior to exercise is now seen to be misguided.
6. The main advice for athletes is to eat sufficient carbohydrate as soon as possible during exercise rather than wait for the onset of fatigue.
7. Most of us choose the way we eat to meet a variety of social, emotional, physiological, cultural, and practical needs. We tend to be creatures of habit and inflexible when it comes to long-term modification to those habits.