Fats and Training
Completion requirements
Fats and Training
Fats should be avoided when training...
During competition, fats are not a good choice. After eating fatty foods, many athletes in training or during activities experience gastro intestinal issues or feel ‘weighed down’. Fats might be hidden in many foods, and checking food labels is important. How can we have less fat in our diets?
Tips:
- Eat your toast "dry" - no butter or margarine.
- Use fat-reduced and non-fat salad dressings.
- Use small amounts of any high-fat toppings, such as only 1 tsp of butter.
- Choose non-fat or lower fat dairy products, such as skim milk or 0% Greek yogurt.
- Eat french fries or other fried foods for special occasions only.
- Remove all fat from meat and skin from poultry.
- Use low-fat cooking methods, such as grill, steam, bake, or poach.
Example Athletes
Sarah has a basketball game at 9 a.m. Saturday. At 6:30 a.m., she has two scrambled eggs, one piece of dry toast, and orange juice.
Is this an appropriate meal for Sarah?
Is this an appropriate meal for Sarah?
This is an appropriate low-fat pre-game meal.
Ryan had a wrestling match after school on Tuesday. After the match, Ryan and his friends picked up hamburgers and french fries on their way home.
Is this an appropriate meal for Ryan?
Is this an appropriate meal for Ryan?
Deep fried foods, such as french fries, contain much fat, and they should be avoided after competitions.
Before his football game on Saturday afternoon, Marc decides to eat a piece of toast with 1 tsp of peanut butter.
Is this an appropriate snack for Marc?
Is this an appropriate snack for Marc?
High fat toppings should be avoided; however, a small quantity such as 1 tsp peanut butter is appropriate for this situation.