The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- April 12, 1999

Sports Science Newsletter -- Women and nutrition

Messages from the American Dietetic Association

By Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D.Good nutrition is important for everyone, especially active women. The following information offers a taste of some of the messages presented at the 1998 annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association.

IRON: Iron deficiency anemia is a common problem among women, and is detrimental to the performance of female athletes. Because iron helps carry oxygen to working muscles, lack of iron results in early fatigue. The best sources of iron are red meats. But cast iron skillets are a good alternative source, particularly when used to cook acidic foods such as apple sauce.

The iron content of applesauce cooked in an iron pot was 22 milligrams per half-cup, far greater than the 0.2 milligrams when the apples were cooked in a glass pot. In comparison, the iron content of a hamburger, a non-acidic food, increased slightly from about 2 to 2.5 milligrams per four ounces of cooked meat.

The iron changed the color of the apple sauce (a little browner) and the flavor. Nevertheless, if you want to boost your iron intake to the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 15 milligrams, your cookware can become a good source of iron.

WOMEN and WEIGHT: Whether you are a gymnast, runner or soccer player, a survey of 425 female student-athletes from seven universities suggests weight is an issue for most active women. On average, these active, fit women reported weighing 5 to 7 pounds more than desired. Weight was of equal concern to women in aesthetic sports (such as gymnastics), endurance sports (such as running) and team sports (such as soccer).

Outright eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia) affected about 3 to 5 percent of all the female athletes. But 79 percent of the women in aesthetic sports reported experiencing pressure to maintain a certain body weight. The figure dropped to 55 percent of endurance athletes and 36 percent of team athletes. The authors believe subclinical eating disorders are prevalent among these athletes as they struggle to achieve a perfect weight.

If you find yourself struggling with weight, remember the thinnest athlete is not always the best athlete. I commonly counsel women who undereat and are chronically tired. They think abnormal thinness will help them be better athletes. The truth is, better fueling can give them the energy they need to excel and achieve athletic success.

MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS and WEIGHT: Dieting seems to be the norm for women. On any given day, about 70 percent of women report being on a diet. A survey of 197 mothers with an average age of 35 years and daughters with an average age of 5 years suggests 62 percent of the moms used unhealthy dieting practices. The mothers' weight concerns and self-esteem issues were passed along to their daughters. That is, if a mom was discontent with her body and had low self-esteem, the daughter was likely to feel the same way about her body and herself--even at such a tender age!

Clearly, the time has come for women to stop judging themselves from the outside in and start loving themselves from the inside out. This must occur if for no other reason than to raise a new generation of girls who can focus on being fit and healthy, not just sleek and slim at any price.

MOTHERS, CHILDREN and CALCIUM: Mothers' eating habits and food choices get passed along to their kids. A survey about milk drinking indicates the amount of milk a mother drinks strongly influences the amount her child drinks. This helps explain why most children underconsume this calcium-rich food. Yet, a strong calcium intake during the developing years can help children acquire a higher bone density and reduce their risk of future osteoporosis. Women need to be better role models for drinking milk.

Unfortunately for the health of our children, too many women consider milk to be a fattening fluid or an optional beverage. The truth is milk is not fattening; research suggests milk drinkers are not fatter than those who abstain from drinking it. Plus, active women can consume plenty of calories and can easily spend at least 100 calories per meal on a calcium-rich food. Women need to think of milk as a fundamental fluid--not just an optional beverage.

WOMEN, WEIGHT and HEALTH: Among female athletes, regular menstruation is a sign of good bone and overall health. The hormones involved with menstruation enhance bone density.

A survey of 28 high-school cross country runners suggests 59 percent failed to menstruate regularly. More than half of these had either a stress fracture or shin splints, two signs of poor bone health at a very early age. Among 44 collegiate runners, 52 percent had either no menstrual period or irregular menstrual periods. Their average calcium intake was only 300 milligrams, the equivalent of one glass (eight ounces) of milk per day and far below the recommended 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams that assists in optimal bone development and health.

The college students reported an intake of about 1,800 calories per day. Given a glass of lowfat milk is appoximately 100 calories, the students could have wisely consumed 300 to 400 of their calories on three to four servings of lowfat milk or yogurt.

Women need good nutrition to be good athletes. After all, you cannot perform well when you are injured needlessly due to poor food choices. And yes, you can eat wisely and well, and also be lean.

Nancy Clark is a nutrition counselor at SportsMedicine Brookline in the Boston area. She also is the author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook 2nd Edition, which may be ordered via her Web site at www.nancyclarkrd.com.