A smart food selection for athletes is necessary for obtaining all the essential nutrients, at the correct amounts and times. For an athlete, a fast food diet, although filling, is not good for them. Eating greasy foods, such as McDonalds does not benefit an athlete's need of staying lean and maintaining a peak form for competition or health. However, there are other alternatives while eating ate fast food restaurants, which can benefit an athlete. .
Food nutrition in athletes is very important to their health as a performer, but it is especially important to college athletes. "College athletes need to maintain a diet of regular servings of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and bread as prescribed by the Food Guide Pyramid" (Maughan, 2002, p. 29). College athletes need to eat more servings of food rather than the recommended 5 meals a day. The reason for this is that they must replenish the nutrients they used, as well as reenergizing there body for the physical demands of the next day. Proper nutrition for all athletes depends upon the timing and their sporting event. Athletes should have breakfast, lunch, dinner, a pre-meal before the event, and also a post-event meal. "A pre-event meal should consist of bread, rice, spaghetti, potatoes, bananas, raisins, or a high fiber meal of shredded wheat, or oatmeal" (Maughan, 2002, p. 93). To eat a proper post-event meal, an athlete should consume foods that will replenish their glycogen levels, such as carbohydrates. Foods that athletes should avoid are ones that are high in fatty acids and that conserve glycogen. These meals generally also contain much grease. Grease causes a slow in digestion, which as a pre-competition meal is not good. Meals that contain grease are not nutritious, though they may fill you up, they are not healthy. With the slowing of digestion, prior to a competition, it primarily leads to possible cramping, stomach aches and possible vomiting under warm weather conditions.
