Nutrition for sportsmen and women has become a highly specialized field with particular emphasis on the stimulation of muscle growth. One only has to look at all the high protein shakes and bulk-building supplements advertised by health shops and chemists everywhere to appreciate this aspect of our preoccupation with fitness and body beautiful.

I approach sports nutrition however from four other angles.

The first is the supply of natural high energy whole-food supplementation to the cells.

The second is the delivery of oxygen to the working tissues.

The third, and possibly most important aspect of sports nutrition is the repair and restoration of cells and tissues from all the subtle and insidious damage done to the system when one indulges in heavy (often inappropriate) exercise. This third aspect to sports nutrition is often overlooked or not even known about, but the truth is much damage can be done at the cellular and sub-cellular level by tiny unbalanced molecules called free radicals which are generated as a by-product from the energy supply systems of the cell. The more energy you cause the cells to generate eg by exercising, the more free radicals are made. If you exercise in the sun or exercise and sunbathe and if you smoke or enjoy certain kinds of foods, then you will be putting an inordinate free radical load on your body. Very often one finds that individuals who indulge in a daily exercise routine may well be incredibly fit and healthy looking but they seem to be quite prone to getting sick with colds and so-called flu.

Finally there is the physical damage which occurs and women who exercise have their own unique problems too.

It is the intention of this section on sports nutrition to address the above with an emphasis on averting free radical damage.

The products mentioned in association with this topic will be discussed in the light of their role as sports nutrients.