Nutritional Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Selected Sports Men and Women in Hyderabad

Nutritional status is a criticai determinant of athietic performance'. Maintenance of proper nutrition and meeting the needs of the players with regard to energy, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins are crucial and these nutrient needs are higher for athletes. An athlete's dietary regimen plays a vital part in accomplishing his/her goals because it allows the athlete to reach his/her maximum performance. Though sports nutrition has made rapid progress, information has not percolated to target groups namely the coaches, trainers and athletes themselves. Various studies indicate that as the athletes' knowledge increases, nutritional quality of food choices improves. Athletes are inadequately informed about nutrition and many think about nutrition only during the season of sports, whereas proper nutrition is a year round task. Other common myths, some of which are potentially harmful are disproportionately high intake of proteins especially animal proteins (for weight lifters), vitamins and mineral intake in excess of RDA, poorly designed weight gain or loss programme and various food fads.