Comparison of nutrition of swimmers and triathletes in childhood

1 Abstract This diploma thesis is aimed to find out and compare nutrition indicators of young swimmers and triathletes. This thesis is divided into two parts, a theoretical part and a practical one. Main nutrients of the children diet are described in the theoretical part. This first part contains the most important principles of the proper diet of the child during the given phases of a child development. Moreover, the correct timing of nutrition and drinking regime during the sport are mentioned in this second part. Based on those theoretical foundation is built the practical part. Results obtained from an analysis of the diet of 18 young swimmers and 18 triathletes at the similar age are interpreted in the practical part. A range of the respondents' age was between 10 and 15 years. The results show differences between those two groups in their diet. Both groups have problems to follow the nutritional recommendations. The differences were found in total energy, protein and iron intake. Both groups showed similar characteristics in vitamin C intake. Key words: children, swimming, triathlon, sports nutrition, drinking regim