trained on dried figs (Bakoulis, 1988, 75). Nineteenth century athletes purged their stomachs of "noxious matter" and then ate large amounts of beef and beer (Bakoulis, 75). And, until recently, training foods meant huge portions of protein. Today's athletes are no different in that they will go to tremendous lengths to find foods they think might improve their strength and endurance.
While the foods of choice for an active life continue to change as the knowledge of nutrition increases, coaches, trainers, doctors and nutritionists reveal that the real high performance formula is simple. Beginning with the premise that no single "training diet" works for every athlete in every sport, it is recommended that the same dietary guidelines for all healthy adults be followed. A high carbohydrate, low fat diet meets the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). This diet draws on fresh, unprocessed foods from a variety of sources and limits salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine. "Numerous studies have shown that an athlete who follows this plan (and gets an adequate number of calories) will perform better than one who comes up short" (Bakoulis, 76). A person's nutritional needs are the
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