Nutrition Topics > General Sports Nutrition

The Athlete's Diet:
The athlete's diet should be about 55-65% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein and 20-25% fat. This breakdown of carbohydrate, protein, and fat will occur naturally by following the recommended servings from the Food Guide Pyramid daily. The following are the categories from the pyramid:

• Fluid: Need a minimum of 2.5-3 quarts per day. Any non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverage will count into this total.
• Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta: Need a minimum of 6 servings per day. Servings equal 1 slice bread or _ bun or bagel, _ cup cooked rice or pasta, 1 cup dry cereal.
• Vegetables: Need a minimum of 3 servings per day. Servings equal _ cup cooked vegetables, 1 cup raw vegetables or _ cup vegetable juice.
• Fruit: Need a minimum of 2 servings per day. Servings equal 1 medium piece of fruit, _ cup juice or canned fruit or _ cup dried fruit.
• Milk: Need a minimum of 3 servings per day. Servings equal 1 cup yogurt or milk or 2 ounces of cheese.
• Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Nuts, Dry Beans: Need a minimum of 2 servings per day. Servings equal 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish, 2 eggs, 1 cup cooked beans or 4 tablespoons peanut butter.
• Fats, oils, and sweets: Need a minimum of 20 grams of fat from all sources per day. Servings equal 1 tsp oil, butter or margarine (5 grams of fat), 2 tbs salad dressing (16 grams fat). Calories from this category should be limited.

Please Note: The amount you eat may be more than one serving. For example, a dinner portion of spaghetti would count as two or three servings of pasta

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