Food and Beverages

Good nutrition choices can support the optimal sports performance of elite canoe sprinters during important international competitions. The choice of food intake, quantity and timing, fluids and certain supplements, can positively infl uence performance and recovery of athletes during competitions. However, differing eating arrangements when away from home may had a negatively impact on athlete’s food choice and potentially their performance. Although total calorie recommendations exist for athletes based on competition loads to ensure that they consume sufficient Total Energy(TE) to meet those requirements, little data is available to ascertain if canoe sprinters meet these recommendations during important international competitions especially during extreme environmental (hot, cold, altitude) conditions. Unsupervised use of various dietary supplements showed the necessity for evaluation of their intake during various international competitions during 2018 season. In this study 20 elite junior canoe sprinters (10 M and 10 F) recorded their dietary and supplements intake during 96 h at three diff erent international canoe events in order to quantify dietary intake in regard to energy and macronutrient content. All the athletes had at least 3 meals per day. Similar dietary supplements were consumed by all the athletes, among which whey proteins, vitamins and minerals, creatine, β-alanine were the most utilized, respectively. Th e results of macro and micronutrient intake suggested that athletes were consuming on average 400 g of carbohydrate (40% TE), 250 g of protein (30% TE) and 120 g of fat (30% TE) daily. Th e increased in energy derived from protein was caused because of the excessive use of protein supplements, followed by inadequate energy intake from carbohydrates. Th e recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals was mostly overreached (B6, B12, C, E, K, K, Na), especially in case of liposoluble vitamins arising the necessity for the professional dietetic guidance.