Nutrition Case Study

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Samantha is a thirty year old woman. She is a veteran triathlete who has raced in a numerous amount of long distance events. She has been focusing mainly on preparing her body physically for her races but may have been overlooking the nutrition part of the preparation. She believes her pre-during-post diet is hindering her optimal performance. To better prepare herself, she is seeking out nutritional advice to better herself.
As an athlete, it is important to remember that every athlete has different dietary requirements. Each diet must be personalized according to the training event, height, weight, and body type of the athlete. To determine the amount needed by each of the major foods, we must first determine how many calories are needed …show more content…

Since Samantha has a very active lifestyle, we will be assigning her the coefficient 1.45. Our equation will now be complete. EER = 354 -6.91 X 30 + [1.45 X (9.361 X (59.02 + 726 X 1.651)].
Step 1: EER = 354 – 207.3 + [1.45 X (9.361 X 59.02 + 726 X 1.651)].
Step 2: EER = 354 – 207.3 + [1.45 X (552.48622 + …show more content…

For optimal performance, she may want to consider carbohydrate loading. Carbohydrates provide the most readily available source of energy for muscles to use in both moderate and high intensity exercise, (“Triathlon Training Diet – Endurance Sports Nutrition”). The purpose of carbohydrate loading is to delay fatigue during the event and enable to body to be able to maintain a high intensity for longer periods of time. By loading up on carbohydrates, we are increasing the amount of stored glycogen by 200-300%; therefore giving the body that extra boost it may need during this triathlon. Samantha should begin carbohydrate loading three to four days before the event. In order for it to work correctly, exercise should be tapered while increasing her carbohydrate intake. For most athletes, five to seven grams of carbohydrates are usually acceptable during carbohydrate loading. However, for endurance runners and triathlon competitors, the amount of grams should be increased to between ten and twelve grams of carbohydrates should be consumed per kilograms of body weight, (Mayo Clinic, “Carbohydrate-Loading Diet”). To figure this, let’s multiply ten by her body weight of 59.02. This method of preparation training would require Samantha to begin consuming 590.20 grams of carbohydrates a day three to four days before the event. The best way to do this is to replace most of the fat in her diet with carbohydrates. This

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