Te painga a miraka mo nga mahi

Tu Tangata, Issue 26, 1 October 1985, Page 53

Te painga a miraka mo nga mahi

FOOD PLAYS A PART IN FITNESS

Sportsmen have one thing in common fitness. “And an essential ingredient of being fit is the right diet,” says Dr Hugh Barry, Medical Controller of the Accident Compensation Corporation, and a member of an advisory committee to the Council for Recreation and Sport. He says there is no magical potion which will make a person win his or her race. “But, interestingly, it is still the traditional basics such as milk and cereals which give us the best balance of energy and nutrients, according to recent American scientific research.” Dr Burry points out that some foods are better at providing those vital nutrients than others. While it has had its critics in the past, milk is such a food. It is again finding favour overseas on scientific grounds. “For anyone, whether he or she is training at sport or not, milk provides a better range of essential nutrients when compared with most other foods. “The calcium in milk is especially important for strong bones; the protein for firm muscles; and the natural milk sugar lactose along with the milk fat provides energy. Milk also provides a good selection of most vitamins and other trace minerals.” Dr Burry says for people such as jockeys, who are concerned about their weight, non-fat milk provides all the nutrients of whole milk with only half the calories. Milk is also not as high in cholesterol as many people imagine. A 250 ml glass of whole milk has half the cholestrol of

a skinless chicken breast, or IOOg of fresh flounder. “Add to your diet a selection of fruit and vegetables daily, preferably fresh or lightly cooked, some meat or meat alternatives, plus some cereals and you are building up an excellent diet for your everyday needs as well as sporting activities,” Dr Burry says. He warns that it is also important for parents to watch the diets of their children if they are involved in lots of active sport. “Children and especially adolescents need energy and nutrients for growth as well as for heightened physical activity.” Building up for the sporting season requires a carefully planned programme of diet and exercise for months “not weeks” before the season starts, Dr Burry says. “You can’t expect any miracles from crash courses of good food before your big event either,” he notes. “Success requires both the right balance of foods and the right training programme mapped out well ahead of time.”

The bottle of milk in your refrigerator provides the average person with: one fifth of his energy needs one third of the protein nearly all of the calcium and phosphorous one quarter of the vitamin A most of the B vitamin riboflavin one fifth of the vitamin thiamin