Part 1: Carbohydrates - Recommended Intake of Carbohydrates

Cereals, cookies, candies, breads and cakes provide rich carbohydrate source. Fruits are less valuable as carbohydrate source because of their large water content. However, the dried portion of these foods, sold as dehydrated product, contains almost pure or concentrated carbohydrate.

The typical Malaysian diet contains about 50% of the total calories from carbohydrates. for a sedentary 70kg man this amounts to a daily intake of 300g of carbohydrate. For more physically active and those involved in training, carbohydrates should represent about 60% of daily calories (400-600g), predominately as unrefined, fiber-rich fruits, grains and vegetables. During intense training, one needs to increase to 70% of total calories consumed (9-10 g per kg of body mass).

Carbohydrates - the athlete's fuel

Athletes who regularly eat a varied, carbohydrate-rich diet have sufficient energy stores to fuel their increased activity during a competitive event. Some coaches recommend a special precompetition meal to prevent hunger and to provide the water and additional energy the athlete will need during competition. Most athletes eat 2 - 4 hours before their event. Some athletes perform their best if they eat a small amount 30 minutes before competing, while others eat nothing for 6 hours beforehand.

For many athletes, carbohydrate-rich foods serve as the basis of a precompetition meal. However, to some, there is no magic pre-event diet. They recommend choosing foods and beverages that you enjoy and that don't bother your stomach and suggests experimenting during the weeks before an event to see which foods work best for you.

One source of energy for working muscles is glycogen, which is made from carbohydrates and stored in your muscles. Every time you work out, you use some glycogen. If you don't consume enough carbohydrates, your glycogen stores can become depleted, which can lead to fatigue.

Some trainers and athletes use "carbohydrate loading" to increase the amount of glycogen in muscles. An athlete eats 10 - 12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight for 5 - 7 days before a competitive event and gradually reduces the intensity of the workouts. That's a lot of carbohydrate - 700-800 grams for a 150-pound person. The day before the event, the athlete rests and eats the same high-carbohydrate diet. Those who participate in endurance sports which require 90 minutes or more of non-stop effort use this technique. Most athletes don't need to do this and can get what they need from eating a diet that gets more than half of its calories from carbohydrates.