Fat Fat is a critical part of the diet for every player. While things like fried foods, oils, and cheeses contain a large amount of fat and can be harmful to an athlete, fat also serves very important roles for the body and is a necessary part of the diet. There are good fat choices and poor ones, which we will detail in the macronutrient handout… In most cases with the players we train, both NBA guys and youth players, the amount of fat in their diets is too high and from the wrong sources; deep fried french fries or buffalo wings, and other fried food, should not be a main part of anyone’s diet, let alone a player aspiring to be great. Key Functions of Fat: * Fat can be burned as very efficient energy if carbohydrate energy is being burned simultaneously; increased fitness levels will allow the body to burn fat more efficiently as energy * Transport essential vitamins and minerals * Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts, avocados, olive oil, and fish are beneficial to energy burning and overall health * Fat should be limited in meals prior to a high-intensity workout or training session Vitamins and Minerals Vitamins and minerals help the body to work properly in a variety of ways. While we cannot provide a complete course on the uses of each vitamin and mineral, we can provide all of our players with the best information to make their bodies run at top efficiently. A few top resources to refer to are WebMD and the USDA: URL(“http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/vit...mineral-sources”) URL(“http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-composi...and-minerals”)
