Introduction
An athlete needs to ensure that they consume enough fuel to complete activities undertaken. The amount of energy required depends on many factors including size and weight of the athlete, level and intensity of the training, and due to this the amount of energy required varies from person to person. However if more energy is consumed than required, the excess is stored as fat and weight will increase, on the other hand if insufficient energy is consumed the body calls upon its stores to meet the demand and weight will be lost.
To consume a balanced diet we need to consume items from the macro and micro nutrient groups. Macronutrients comprise of carbohydrates, lipids and protein. Carbohydrates are quickly accessible and thus the body utilises them first, lipids are the body’s secondary source, and protein is the body’s last energy source to be used. While the micronutrients comprise of vitamins and minerals. Water is also an essential part of the human diet.

Female 400m Runner
Firstly the athlete’s calorie requirements need to be worked out to find out what is needed each day before any training is undertaken. To do this the following calculation is made – BMR = (8.7 x 56(kg)) + 829 x 2.2, so BMR = 2895.64 calories a day.
Now the activity requirement needs to be taken into account, at 1075 calories p/h. As exact training figures are not available it has been estimated that 6 hours are completed each week, which works out as an extra 6450 calories a week. This figure is then divided by 7 to give the extra calories needed each day, which gives 921 calories. This is then added onto our BMR to give 3817 calories required a day. Once the daily calorie allowance has been calculated, the division of macronutrients needs to be worked out. In this case they have been worked out as carbohydrates 60%, lipids 25% and protein 15% (National Institute of Nutrition, 2007). The finally calculation to be made is converting calories into grams (as some athletes find this easier to understand), see Appendix 1.
Using this information there is a deficit in each area, see Appendix 2.
When dissecting the food diary one good point found is that no alcohol was consumed. Unfortunately there are many bad points, there is not much water/fluids over this period (only 1.25 litres), the only fruit and vegetables consumed were bananas & broccoli, however she did have some frozen vegetables. There was a lot of processed food that is generally high in salt. The breakfast was very high in sugar, which is not the best start to the day. The athlete only had 3 meals a day; with long periods between each meal, this could have an effect on performance. The CHO:Lipids:Protein spilt was okay, 56:24:20 (%).
Due to the deficit of nutrients, she was lacking in the required vitamins and minerals. The main concerns were retinol was far to low, over the 3 days she should of consumed 1800mcg but only consumed 644.25mcg. Retinol is essential for normal colour vision & healthy skin. Another concern was over the amount of vitamin c, she consumed nearly double the RDA; excessive intake can result

in kidney reabsorption efficiency. The last major concern is the amount of sodium that she consumed; again she had nearly double the RDA An excess in sodium can result in excessive sodium can lead to fluid retention, which in turn can turn into high blood pressure (McArdle et al. 2013). Hence supplements might be needed here. It is also questionable as to whether she could be counted as a female triad, due to high training levels and low food intake.

Female Tennis Player
The athletes calorie requirements need to be worked out what is required every day before any training is added in. To do this the same calculation was made as the female runner, except instead of 8.7 x kg it is 14.7 x kg and 496 is added instead of 829, this is because this athlete is in a different age group. Again activity requirement is taken into consideration, at 450 calories an hour, and as exact training figures are not available it has been estimated at 6 hours training a week, which then works out as an extra 2700 calories a week. This figure is then divided by 7 to give the extra calories needed each day. So this athlete needs a total of 3384 calories a day to maintain her current stature. Again the daily allowance needs to be divided between the macronutrients. According to National Institute of Nutrition (2007) this athlete needs CHO:Lipids:Protein at 60:25:15. Once again the calories are converted into grams. See Appendix 1.
Using this information there was a deficit across the board, see Appendix 2.
When analysing her food diary it has been noted that very little water had been consumed, she only had 3 litres over the 3 days but she did consume a bottle of lucozade on 2 of the 3 days. However she did have a bottle of wine, which took up a massive 9% of her 3 days allowance. Alcohol is not good for you as it dehydrates the body, which in turn makes it harder to train the following day. Very little fresh fruit and vegetables were consumed, and there is a lot of processed food of which some has come from retail shops (fast food places). She did start her day with brown bread, which would provide some good fibre but it is to be seen if this amount was substantial. Her CHO:Lipids:Protein spilt was not very good, with 51:30:10 (%), this is mainly due to the alcohol consumed.
Due to the deficit of nutrients, she was lacking in the needed vitamins and minerals. The main concerns were again for retinol, which should have been 1800mcg for 3 days but was only 624.25mcg. Another concern is B12, for 3 days it should have been 4.5mcg but only 2.08mcg was consumed. B12 is essential for CHO, Lipids & Protein metabolism. Iron was also very low with only 33.27mg when 49.2mg should have been consumed over the 3 days. However due to the high volume of processed food consumed her sodium levels were nearly doubled. Vitamin E was also over consumed to just the double the RDA. Supplements of specific vitamins and minerals may be required due to the low amounts of certain micronutrients being consumed.

Male Boxer
Once again the athletes calorie requirements before any training has been included needs to be worked out. To do this the same calculation before, this time however it is 17.5 x kg + 651, this is because this athlete is in a different age & gender group. Next the activity requirement is taken into consideration, at 930 calories an hour. Again as exact training figures are not available it has been estimated at 6 hours training a week, which then works out as an extra 5580 calories a week. This is divided by 7 to give the extra calories needed each day. This athlete needs a total of 5593 calories a day to maintain his current physique. Next the division of macronutrients needs to be worked out. In this case they have been worked out as carbohydrates 55%, lipids 15% and protein 30% (Morton et al. 2010). Calories are then converted into grams. See Appendix 1.
Using this information, there was a deficit for each category, see Appendix 2.
When evaluating his food diary you can see straight away that he has a lot more meals/snacks a day, he drinks a lot of water/fruit squash/lucozade/tea, so he is well hydrated each day. The athlete starts his day with a good breakfast containing wholemeal bread and water, but not a large amount of fresh fruit and vegetables have been consumed throughout the 3 days. Despite his age he has not consumed any alcohol, which is beneficial for him. His CHO:Lipids:Protein spilt was fairly good.
The only real issues with regards to vitamins and minerals were for retinol, which should have been 2100mcg for 3 days but was only 1522.75mcg, and the sodium levels were nearly triple the RDA at 14.03mcg for 3 days.

Nutritional recommendations
Having chosen the female 400m runner, it is important to see what aspects best suit their chosen sport. In this case the power to weight ratio is important. Sprinters need to consume sufficient CHO to fuel training needs, but it is important to remember that these levels are not as high as endurance athletes.
The athlete needs to consume enough fluid each day to prevent fatigue and to assist them to sustain the intensity of the training session. This can include a drink when they immediately wake up and 1-2 hours before training approximately 500ml. During activity she should consume 150-300ml every 15-20 minutes ( Ward, 2004). A another way of working out how much too drink, is for every 1000 calories consumed, 1 litre of fluid should be ingested (Shepherd, 2006).
It is also important that lipids do not fall below 20-25% as this promotes higher fat oxidation and conserve muscle glycogen during training (Broad et al. 2008), also protein should be kept at the optimal level to help her body recover from the training session and repair muscles used.
The diet should be specific to the athlete’s for her training, preferences and any social events. However consuming carbs-rich high glycaemic foods immediately following intense training can speed up glycogen replenishment (McArdle et al. 2010).

Food recommendations –
Breakfast – Wholegrain bread, scrambled/boiled eggs or porridge, seeds and a piece of fruit and fluids
Snack – Fluids, piece of fruit, toast (wholegrain bread)
Lunch – Pasta, tuna, salad or granary bread sandwich with ham/turkey/chicken, fluids, yoghurt/cheese
Snack – Fluids, nuts & seeds, fruit
Dinner – Fluids, Chicken Breast/Steak/Fish, Potatoes/Basmati Rice/Sweet Potatoes/Whole-wheat Pasta, lots of vegetables,
Snack – Fluids, unsweetened muesli and skimmed milk
Snack – Skimmed milk
If a balanced diet is achieved then supplements should not be needed for this athlete.