The Army Training System - AskTOP

Avoiding an excessiveintake of fats is animportant fundamentalof nutrition.Carbohydrates are theprimary fuel source formuscles during shortterm,high-intensityactivities.Avoiding an excessive intake of fatsis another fundamental dietary guideline.A high intake of fats, especiallysaturated fats and cholesterol, has beenassociated with high levels of bloodcholesterol.The blood cholesterol level in mostAmericans is too high. Blood cholesterollevels can be lowered by reducingboth body fat and the amount of fat inthe diet. Lowering elevated bloodcholesterol levels reduces the risk ofdeveloping coronary artery disease(CAD) and of having a heart attack.CAD, a slow, progressive disease, resultsfrom the clogging of blood vesselsin the heart. Good dietary habits helpreduce the likelihood of developingCAD.It is recommended that all personsover the age of two should reduce theirfat intake to 30 percent or less of theirtotal caloric intake. The current nationalaverage is 38 percent. In addition,we should reduce our intake ofsaturated fat to less than 10 percent ofthe total calories consumed. We shouldincrease our intake of polyunsaturatedfat, but to no more than 10 percent ofour total calories. Finally, we shouldreduce our daily cholesterol intake to300 milligrams or less. Figure 6-4 suggestsactions commanders can take tosupport sound dietary guidelines. Mostof these actions concern dining-facilitymanagement.Concerns for OptimalPhysical PerformanceCarbohydrates, in the form of gly -cogen (a complex sugar), are the primaryfuel source for muscles duringshort-term, high-intensity activities.Repetitive, vigorous activity can useup most of the carbohydrate stores inthe exercised muscles.The body uses fat to help provideenergy for extended activities such asa one-hour run. Initially, the chieffuel burned is carbohydrates, ‘but asthe duration increases, the contributionfrom fat gradually increases.The intensity of the exercise alsoinfluences whether fats or carbohydratesare used to provide energy.Very intense activities use more carbohydrates.Examples include weighttraining and the APFT sit-up andpush-up events.Eating foods rich in carbohydrateshelps maintain adequate muscle-gly -cogen reserves while sparing aminoacids (critical building-blocks neededfor building proteins). At least 50percent of the calories in the dietshould come from carbohydrates.Individual caloric requirements vary,depending on body size, sex, age, andtraining mission. Foods rich in complexcarbohydrates (for example, pasta,rice, whole wheat bread, potatoes) arethe best sources of energy for activesoldiers.6-3