The diet and nutritional status of girls practicing football professionally

Abstract

Introduction: Women’s football is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Proper diet is a very important part of the training cycle in girls practicing football.Aim of the study: The purpose of the study is the evaluation of selected aspects of the diet and nutritional status of girls professionally involved in football.Materials and methods: A survey was conducted in 2013 among 12 girls involved in practicing football. The methods used to assess the diet were divided into quantitative and qualitative ones. The questionnaire concerned the eating habits (the number, type and times of daily meals) and the frequency of the consumption of selected groups of food products. The assessment of physical development (as an indicator of nutritional status) was carried out on the basis of quantifying and comparing research results of anthropometric characteristics. With the help of Statistica 6.0, the influence of the period of training or competition on nutritional status was analyzed.Results: The observed energy value of food rations was not high enough to fully cover the daily needs for the studied group of athletes. The players often ate too few meals throughout the day and their meals were eaten irregularly. What is more, an insufficient intake of milk, dairy products, fruit, vegetables was revealed. Most respondents might be characterized by underweight (50%), which is a worrying phenomenon. The abnormal proportion of energy from different nutrients was also observed. The energy content of fat origin was greater than 35% and exceeded the standard, and from carbohydrates less than 50%. Only the percentage of energy from proteins referred to the normal range. At various times of sports activities these important indicators of nutrition did not differ.Conclusions: The results of this study indicate the validity of nutritional education for athletes.