‘Compare and contrast the dietary requirements of a sedentary person to that of an elite athlete’.

Write a 2000 word (± 10%) literature review on ‘Compare and contrast the dietary requirements of a sedentary person to that of an elite athlete’. The type of athlete must be specified. The report must be supported by scientific literature. While the content will vary from sport to sport you would need a clear reason not to include the following:

 

• An overview of a ‘normal’, balanced recommended diet for general health including macro and micro nutrients.
• How do your chosen athlete’s dietary requirements differ from the ‘normal’ recommendations?
• Relate these similarities and differences to the demands of the specific sport (e.g. in terms of intensity and duration of training and competition and energy substrates used).
• Discuss any relevant nutritional techniques or strategies that may be used by your athlete to increase performance.
• Use scientific evidence from literature (journals and books) to support your work.

 

The literature review should follow the general structure of an essay which you are familiar with (i.e. should contain an introduction, main body of text and conclusion).

 

Marking criteria

Content

Identification of nutrients and their balance in the diet of both ‘normal’ people and elite athletes.

To be able to contrast the two diets and explain why the differences prevail.  Reference to specific demands of sport.

Demonstrate a knowledge of dietary practices which can enhance the athlete’s performance.

To be able to make dietary adjustments to meet the specific demands of a sport.