Woohoo, I summarised that sports nutrition guidebook I was reading into 7 pages to share some stuff with you guys! :D But it'll be posted in stages. 7 pages at one shot is still a bit FWAH!

Boosting Your Calcium Intake

Here are some tips to help you boost your calcium intake to build and maintain strong bones:

• For breakfast, eat cereal with one cup of low-fat milk or skim milk (or soy milk)
• With crunchy cereal, like granola, use yogurt in place of milk
• With hot cereal cook the cereal in milk or mix in one-third cup of powdered milk
• When grabbing a quick meal, choose pizza (no kidding!) with low-fat mozzarella cheese or sandwiches with low-fat cheese
• Make calcium-rich salads by adding low-fat grated chest, cottage cheese, or tofu cubes
• Blenderize soft tofu or plain yogurt with salad seasonings for a calcium-rich dressing. Read the labels on the tofu containers, being sure to choose the brands processed with calcium sulphate; otherwise the tofu will be calcium poor.
• Drink low-fat, skim, or soy milk with lunch, snacks, or dinner
• Add extra milk (instead of cream) to coffee and enjoy lattes (J)
• Drink milk-based hot cocoa in place of coffee
• Snack on fruit-flavoured yogurt rather than ice cream
• Enjoy frozen yogurt or pudding made with low-fat milk for a taste low-fat calcium treat
• Chow down on dark green, leafy vegetables (yech)
  

Milk Myths

Myths abound regarding milk for athletes. The following stories highlight common concerns and questions about milk in a sports diet.

• A high school swimmer who drank A LOT of milk was concerned that this much milk would lead to calcium deposits. For most healthy people this is unlikely. When you consume more calcium than your body needs, your body excretes the excess.
• One football player thought that milk causes cotton mouth. It doesn’t. They dryness he experiences before competition was caused by nervousness and anxiety, not milk.
• A runner had heard that milk is hard to digest and causes stomach cramping. It doesn’t unless you’re lactose intolerant. Low-fat milk and dairy products are comfort foods that tend to digest easily, but some people have trouble digesting milk because they lack an enzyme (lactase) that digests milk sugar (lactose). They need to find alternative calcium sources such as yogurt, hard cheeses, or even small amounts of milk taken with a meal.
• Drinking extra milk does not hasten healing processes. Time and a balanced diet, in general, do.

Better Diets Begin With Breakfast

Don’t Skip Breakfast
Of all the nutritional mistakes that you might make, skipping breakfast is the worst. Skipping breakfast can hinder your workouts and leave you drained for the rest of the day. In comparison, a high-energy breakfast sets the stage for a high-energy day. Nevertheless, many active people come up with familiar (and lame) excuses for skipping the morning meal: I don’t have time… I’m not hungry in the morning… I don’t like breakfast foods… I’m on a diet… If I eat breakfast, I feel hungrier all day.

Excuses, excuses. If you skip breakfast, you’re likely to concentrate less effectively in the late morning, study less efficiently, feel irritable and short-tempered, or fall short of energy for your AFTERNOON WORKOUT. For every flimsy excuse to skip breakfast, there’s an even better reason to eat it.

You Do Have Time for Breakfast
Breakfast doesn’t have to be a sit-down, cooked meal. It can be a substantial snack while riding to school. Plan and prepare a breakfast-to-go the night before. Make the effort to do one of the following every day:

• Take a sandwich to work to eat within 4 hours of waking.
• Buy a bagel, yogurt, and orange juice at the coffee shop.
• Take an early break and enjoy a hot breakfast at the cafeteria
• Keep emergency food in your bag, e.g. granola bars, crackers, peanuts, and dried fruits.

No Morning Appetite?
If you are not hungry for breakfast, you probably ate too many calories the night before. Late night snacks such as chips while watching TV or a 0200 pint of ice cream can curb a morning appetite, contribute to weight gain, and even result in an inadequate diet if too many MUNCHIES replace wholesome meals.

Breakfast for Dieters
Everyone knows that diets start at breakfast, right? Wrong! Skipping breakfast to save calories is an unsuccessful approach to weight loss. If you are tempted to save calories by skimping on breakfast, remember that you don’t gain weight eating this meal. You do gain weight if you skip breakfast, get too hungry, and then overindulge at night. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SKIP ANY MEAL, SKIP DINNER BUT NOT BREAKFAST. You goal should be to fuel by day and eat a little less at night (applies even if you’re not dieting)