Young Girl Golfers Need to Give Extra Attention to Iron and Water:Dietician Sonia Gandhi

By 121 News

Chandigarh 16^th December:- Young girl golfers need to give extra attention to iron and water in their diet to avoid dehydration that can severely affect their performance. This was one of the tips given by Dietician Sonia Gandhi, Head,Dietetics & Nutrition at Fortis Mohali, to budding female golfers in a special session focused on good nutrition for sportspersons and the appropriate diet before, during and after training and competition organized by the Chandigarh Golf Club in association with the hospital on Tuesday.

Sonia Gandhi said that though every sportsperson has a different nutrition and energy requirement, it's important to identify the key nutritional goals. In case of girls, nutrition becomes more vital because of their different body metabolism, body structure and ability to metabolize nutrients that varies. She added that women in sports need to give extra attention to iron and water in their diet to avoid dehydration that can severely affect performance. When a sports person exercises, the body's temperature is elevated and the body sweats to cool itself down. During this process, body fluid as well as critical electrolytes is lost. If the body isn't replenished with fluids and electrolytes, dehydration may occur and increase the risk of a heat illness such as heat stroke.

Sonia Gandhi  said that exercise performance is impaired when an individual is dehydrated by as little as 2% of body weight. Losses in excess of 5% of body weight can decrease the capacity for work by about 30%. She further said that professional golfers usually burn close to 2000-2500 calories during a round, and thus they must ensure a few things before they get onto the golf course for instance, the pre-game diet needs to be high in carbohydrates, low in fat and fiber (to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress) and moderate in protein.

Talking about pre and post workout diet, she said while before the game, the carbohydrates need to be paired with fruit, after sweating out the carbohydrates need to be taken with protein.

Clarifying on the varying views on usage of energy drinks, she said that an energy drink is a type of beverage containing stimulant drugs, chiefly caffeine, which is marketed as providing mental and physical stimulation. Excessive or repeated consumption of energy drinks can lead to cardiac problems, such as arrhythmias and heart attacks, and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and phobias. These, like any supplements, must be had in consultation with a nutritionist.