To identify what one needs to take sports nutrition supplements for, he must watch what he eats. He must record what he craves for before, during, and after the workout. From there, he will see the trend of what nutrients he normally gets because of the food he eats and what he does not get at all. He will then be able to identify what needs sports nutrition supplements. You need to remind yourself that being an athlete, particularly if you decide to climb the next higher level of fitness, is a fulltime job. What's the reason why electricity is a simple matter if you're an electrician? Because that's what you do on a daily basis. Your mind reacts automatically to support every work or problem that you encounter, as long at it's a work related situation. So, don't forget to eat a light to moderate meal before you race. Sports nutrition experts recommend one to four hours before the assembly time and then nibble 50 grams of carbohydrate every hour before the game starts. Instant oatmeal, bananas, low fat milk and energy bars are good sources of carbohydrates. Sports nutrition has been changing through the years around the world. It s not just that the topics are different the emphasis and approach have also changed. Today, go into almost any supermarket, convenience stores and even school cafeterias and you ll find a ready supply of sports drinks aimed at maintaining hydration just like glucose solutions. Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher (as is among male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers) is actually easy. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone. As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. Hydration Obviously, the most important thing in natural sports nutrition is water. The significance of water can never be discounted because the human body is composed of sixty percent of it, and every bodily function cannot work without water. The good old eight-cups-of-water-a-day recommendation is essential because the body must replace the water it eliminates, like sweat and urine.