Sports Nutrition?
I’ve got to say I was pretty astounded by this article. Australian multiple Olympic champion Grant Hackett has just been diagnosed with asthma but it’s the admission that at least a third of the current Australian swim team are asthmatics which is really shocking. Is anyone asking why?
Unfortunately a vast gap has developed between modern sports nutrition and that required to sustain and build optimal health. A calorie counting approach towards protein, carbohydrates and fats pays little heed to the quality of such foods and the damaging effects of refined processed foods on our health. A quick perusal of the AIS website nutrition page reveals sponsorship by major food processors recommending such training and competition foods as chocolate covered toffee “Power Bars” and energy drinks of which the entire carbohydrate content is simple sugars. Health food manufacturer Sanitarium provides this research linking red meat with Cancer yet the institute’s own cook books are littered with recipes including red meat and other harmful ingredients such as packaged stocks, trans fats, refined wheat and dairy products- all known to aggravate athma.
The Australian Institute of Sport has built a world beating program over the past 3 decades with facilities and services that have taken Australia to the top of the sporting world. However could they do better? Current mainstream sports nutrition world wide needs to be seriously looked at if we are to preserve the long term health of our athletes and strive towards even greater performances. Check out these guys for a look to the future.
Paul Harper
Filed under: health, raw food, milk, red meat, Sports Nutrition, Australian Institute of Sport, Asthma, Swimming, wheat, Grant Hackett on November 26th, 2007
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