The Evaluation of the Nutritional Habits of Athletes Between the Ages of 17-18 Who Perform the Swimming Sports

Purpose of this research is to determine dietary habits of sporters actively involved in swimming and between ages 17-18. 98 sporters (60 male and 38 female) who swam in the “Anatolian Cup” swimming competition organized in Malatya province in the East Anatolian Region, constitute population of the study. Sporters have participated in a survey that consisted of two parts. First part of the survey is about personal information, and second part includes questions about nutrition. When the results of the survey were evaluated, it was established that most of the sporters made exercise between 3 and 5 hours in one week, and they are doing this sports for about 4 years. It was determined that sporters generally acquired their knowledge about nutrition from their coaches or sports friends. They indicated that they usually eat their last meal 3-4 hours before the competition, they pay attention this meal to consist from light food, they prefer food like honey and butter in order to increase their energy before the competition, and the energy they need is between 4000-5000 kcal. It is observed that they received protein for contribution to recovery period after the competition and training. It is also revealed that most of the sporters skip breakfast and eat only 2 meals in a day, and they are not taking any snacks. They explained the reason as they don?t have enough time and they wake up late. Sporters in the research group think that doping is harmful even though it improves the performance; however most of them state that they can take doping for a prize or money. It will be beneficial to organize trainings, seminars for sporters and coaches on the subject of foods to be eaten by the sporters and their importance on the performance of the sporters.