NUTRITIONAL ABSOLUTES

1. Carbohydrates:

• 4 calories per gram
• Main source of fuel
• Spares the breakdown of proteins
• Fuel for the central nervous system and brain

• 9 calories per gram
• Protect major organs
• Provide essential fatty acids
• Absorb the fat soluble vitamins
• Energy source and reserve

• 4 calories per gram
• Build, repair, and maintain all body tissue, red blood cells, and hair
• Help form antibodies to fight infection
• Form amino acids

• Catalysts which regulate metabolic processes
• Micro-nutrients (needed in small amounts)

• Elements which help form structures of the body i.e. calcium in the bones
• Major minerals
• Trace minerals

• Essential substance which comprises 50-60% of body weight
• Transports nutrients
• Stabilizes body temperature

PROPER PERCENTAGES

Every nutritional expert agrees that we need these absolutes. So why are there so many different programs and so much conflicting information? The confusion comes into play over the right balance of these nutrients. In the past few decades we have seen the emergence of many new revolutionary diets and diet theories guaranteed to produce outstanding results. The area of sports nutrition is no exception.

We have seen the proverbial pendulum swing from telling athletes to eat very high protein to encouraging athletes to eat very high carbohydrate. If we were to examine each theory behind the various diets we would find that all of them give us certain insights and may contain some substantial merit. However they are missing a key ingredient: balance. Any time you take balance out of the picture, you are interfering with your body's ability to function at it's optimal level.

It is beyond the scope of this chapter to delve into the research behind the conflicting information or to address the needs of athletes in different sports. Let’s stick to our goal: outlining an optimal nutritional program for the baseball player.

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