Particularities of nutrition of women who practice systematic physical activities

Abstract

Introduction. Nowadays, more and more women in search of the best way to lose weight use different methods: diets, diverse meal plans and sports training, without realizing all the significance of maintenance of a healthy meal plan and food hygiene, especially for women who practice systematic physical activities, what can lead to various health disorders in case of non-compliance. Aim of study. Assessment of the diet of women who practice systematic physical activities. Methods and materials. In order to study this topic the questionnaire survey was used. In the survey 51 women participated, who practice systematic physical activities at the gym for a period of 1 month and more. The survey includes women of different age groups: the majority of women (43%) in the age of <25 years, 31% women of 25-35 years, 20% - women of 35-45 years and the lowest percentage (6%) – women >45 years old. Results. According to the results, the majority of women (76,5%) have knowledge about healthy diet, but at the same time only a half of interviewed women (52,9%) consider that their meal plan is really healthy. The survey showed that almost a half of the interviewed women (56,9%) respect the 2-3 main meals per day, 25,5% respect a 4-5-time meals per day and 17,6% 1-2-time meals per day. Almost in equal numbers (25-26%) women during the day consume breakfast, lunch and dinner and only 11-12% try to consume snack in the time between the main meal, meanwhile a half of interviewed women (51%) as a snack prefer to consume fruits, 31% dairy products and 18% of women consume sweets. According to the cooking methods, which also plays an important role in maintaining a healthy meal plan, the majority of women (46%) use baking, in 39% - boiling, 15% - frying. An important component of a healthy meal plan is a diversity of products. The study showed that 80% of interviewed women consume fruits and vegetables daily, 60,8% consume dairy products 1-2 times a week, 31,4% consume meat 1-2 times a week and the same percent consume meat 3-5 times a week, 82,3% consume fish 1-2 times a week. According to the results, almost a half of the women (49,1%) allow in their diet the consumption of sweets 1-2 times a week and 23,5% do not consume sweets at all. Conclusion. Since nutrition plays an important role in maintaining the health, to supply the body necessary nutrients and to provide the energy, especially women who practice intensive physical exercises, it’s necessary to educate and promote the principles of rational and healthy diet, to avoid various diseases and dysfunction of body systems.