A healthy balanced diet is vital for good health both from the perspective of an elite athlete and for those who enjoy working out to keep fit. Training can be optimised to help athletes and exercisers to reach their goals by making informed dietary choices. The key to making the diet healthy and balanced is to ensure it provides adequate energy from the con- sumption of a wide variety of commonly available foods, to meet the carbohydrate, protein and fat requirements for both health and exercise. The food we eat provides the nutrients required by the body. However, no one food or food group can provide all the essential nutrients the body requires. Athletes and exercisers should eat a variety of foods to provide all the essential nutrients to support the preparation for, the participation in, and the recovery from sports and exercise.

The body`s energy supply is derived from the nutri- ents in the diet. Nutrients are found in differing amounts in foods and are broken down in the body to 

provide a certain quantity of energy, commonly expressed as kilocalories (kcal) per gram (g).