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Fuelling Fitness for Sports Performance Samantha Stear. The Sugar Bureau/BOA, 2004. 176 pages paperback, £14.99. isbn 0-9501443-1-2 This relatively small book contains everything any athlete or coach needs to know about food for training and competition, presented in a clear and very attractive way. We start from the basics: what macronutrients are, and how the body uses energy. Carbohydrate, which is properly emphasised as the base of the athlete's diet, and protein each get a chapter. What 50 grams of CHO means in terms of real food (3 Jaffa cakes = 30 gm), how much athletes need by weight and training intensity and how to get your daily requirement, are all presented in clear tables, and there are actual photos of what it would look like. Many of us eat more than enough protein – 1.4 gms per kg of bodyweight is enough for an endurance athlete – and it's doubtful if anyone needs supplements. Amino acid supplements are just a very expensive way of buying what chicken, fish and eggs do at a fraction of the cost. The same is true of vitamins and minerals. Supplements are no substitute for an inadequate diet, and your body does better by getting its needs from actual food. Food is important but fluid is vital. It's right to warn people about excess, but hyponatraemia is relatively rare: most people don't drink enough. Commercial sports drinks are convenient, but you can make your own at a fraction of the cost, and it's just as effective. All you need is glucose, fruit juice, a pinch of sodium, and water. The salt doesn't replace what you've lost – it speeds up absorption. A dozen experts contribute advice on special areas: endurance, team, power and winter sports; sport for the disabled, the young, the diabetic, women and vegetarians; and how to eat well when travelling. Finally, more useful and realistic tables which tell you things you really want to know, some references, and a little further reading. On the down side, it's a bit expensive (you'd normally expect to pay no more than £11.99) but the profits go to the British Olympic Association, it's a very good quality book, on heavy paper with terrific full-colour pictures of food, and unless you want to read for a sports science degree, this book gives you everything you need.
Ramin Minovi
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