Nutrition is known to play a key role in exercise performance and endurance during extensive periods of exercise. It is the single most important complimentary factor to any sport or exercise “fanatic.”

Why is sports nutrition important?

In all sport, the main goal of nutritional strategies is to target and eliminate the factors that lead to fatigue and impair performance; factors affecting the latter include hyperthermia, hypoglycaemia, dehydration, muscle glycogen depletion, gastro‐intestinal disturbances and electrolyte imbalances.

Sports nutrition differs based on the type of exercise you do, whether you do strength based training or more endurance training. It is of importance to get the type, quantity and timing of the nutrition perfect in order to get the desired effect.

Supplements?

It is important to know which supplements on the market are safe to use as the sport supplements available, and used locally, are a mixture of products imported, bought on internet and those locally produced (which may/may not contain ingredients imported from overseas manufacturers). The lack of legislation and laws governing local and global supplement manufacturing and marketing are major reasons for the lack of efficacy and safety standards of the products available on the market. Even in established and sophisticated countries such as the USA and UK the lack of supplement legislation, governance and enforcement are problematic and a source of concern.

Who whould see a dieitian?

Whether you are a competing athlete or just do exercise as a leisurely activity to stay fit and healthy, seeing a dietitian will make the difference between where you are now and where you want to be.