PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING - NUTRIENTS

1. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING - NUTRIENTS Khoo Chun Yuet 3S306 Tan Hong You 3S320

2. THE TARGET GROUP • Hwa Chong Cross Country team • We will be analysing their dietary needs based on • Age Group (13 – 16 years old) • Level of Activity • Specific Nutrition needed

3. INTRODUCTION • Students in EP3 that involve long-term activities such as long distance running requires aerobic energy sources. • Caloric requirements may be as high as 2400 to 4500 calories daily for the high school athletes. A normal teenager has an average calorie intake per day of 2000 calories. • A balanced diet with adequate calories and fluids to prevent dehydration and electrolyte imbalances as well as to fuel their muscles can optimize performance.

4. INTRODUCTION • Training programme for cross-country runners • Monday: Soccer and Sprints/Distance training • Tuesday: Rest and recover • Wednesday: Time trials or endurance training • Thursday: Weights training • Friday: Jumps training • Saturday/Sunday: Rest and recover • The cross-country runner in our school goes through intense training. Hence there is a need for them to have a suitable diet that enables them to obtain sufficient energy for their training and preventing them from suffering from burn-outs.

5. LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS DIETARY NEEDS • The body requires at least 40 nutrients that are classified into six nutritional components: • Carbohydrates • Proteins • Fats • Vitamins • Minerals • Water • A recommended healthy and balanced diet for suggests 15 to 20 percent proteins, 30 percent fats and 50-55 percent carbohydrates.

6. CARBOHYDRATES • Classified into monosaccharides (single sugars), disaccharides (double sugars) and polysaccharides (complex sugars) • Complex sugars which include the starch in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread and pasta are more important for us than double sugars and single sugars. • For long-distance runners, due to the extra calories burned everyday, they benefit more from fuel-efficient complex carbohydrates.

7. PROTEINS • Proteins in our body are continuously degraded and synthesized by processes that require energy from our body. • During long-distance running, when muscle glycogen becomes low or if initial glycogen stores are low, protein can contribute up to 10 percent of the energy. • The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

8. FATS • The functions of fats are: • To act as an insulator to preserve body heat and to protect organs in the body; • To absorb and transport fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in the body; • To serve as an energy reserve for daily activities • Saturated fats and trans fats increase our blood cholesterol level. Unsaturated fats brings many benefits to our heart such as lowering our blood cholesterol level. • Increasing dietary fat has been shown to increase endurance capacity in athletes.

9. VITAMINS AND NUTRIENTS • Vitamins are organic compounds that help regulate fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism in the body. They help in releasing the energy stored in the other foods we eat. • Endurance athletes should pay more attention on B vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin E. • Minerals are the nutrients that exist in the body and are as essential as our need for oxygen. • Endurance athletes usually pay more attention to iron, calcium, sodium and potassium.

10. THE STALL IN THE SCHOOL CANTEEN • We have decided to choose the western food stall and evaluate two of the dishes served by them, specifically the spaghetti bolognaise and the chicken chop

11. SPAGHETTI BOLOGNAISE The amount of calories and carbohydrates the spaghetti gives is not enough for them. Supplies more than enough proteins. Supplies nutrients such as sodium and potassium which is good. The amount of total fat fits a balanced diet.

12. CHICKEN CHOP There is more than enough proteins. The amount of fats and carbohydrates supplied is not enough

13. DESIGNED MEAL • Consist of Brown rice, stewed chicken (medium portion), salmon fillet (small piece), spinach, stewed potato with gravy (large portion) • Ideal drink: Milk tea; Cost: $1.20 • Cost: • Brown rice—80cents • Stewed chicken—50cents • Stewed potato--50cents • Spinach--50cents • Salmon fillet--$1.20 • Total cost: $3.50 • Preparation: • Preparation of brown rice is same as polished rice. • Stewed chicken and stewed potato is simple to cook and is healthier. • Salmon fillet is prepared by frying a piece of salmon.

14. DESIGNED MEAL - BENEFITS • Rich in vitamins which can help regulate fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism in the athlete’s body to improve their performance or speed recovery. • Spinach to provide vitamin A, C, calcium and iron for the athlete. • Contains more calories than the current meals served by the western food stall • Contains just enough fats, 13.6g, for the distance runner which includes omega 3 fatty acids. • Milk tea contains caffeine which delays fatigue by reducing the athlete’s perception of effort.

15. BIBLIOGRAPHY • http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/Diet.htm • http://books.google.com/books?id=wSTISCdSIosC&pg=PP1&dq=Nutrition+in+Pediatrics • http://www.enotalone.com/article/5749.html • http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni29a5.htm • http://books.google.com/books?id=6UymxRxhX1AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=advanced+sports+nutrition • http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/sport/fat.html • http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/healthy_living/lifestyle/exercise/diet_exercise/vitamins.html • http://books.google.com/books?id=yAtR8L_qT0MC