In order for an athlete like Shaw to achieve optimum strength and endurance, she must consume adequate nutrients and remain hydrated.

Athletes must consume enough carbohydrates and protein for energy and stamina as well as muscle recovery. Given that training and competition burn calories, athletes must eat more than non-athletes.

Eating frequent snacks and small meals throughout the day is one way that athletes can satisfy their specific dietary requirements, according to the Australian Institute of Sport Web site ( ais.org.au/).

"I have a tight regiment of almonds, dried fruit and beef jerky," senior varsity soccer player Shay Oliveira said. "It helps keep my body in tip-top shape and my athletic ability at an all-time high."

School nurse Maryanne Rainey suggests that athletes plan out their daily food intake by visiting the Mypyramid.gov web site. After a user specifies age, gender and amount of physical activity per day, the site calculates how much of each food group the person should consume on a daily basis.

Varsity softball coach Sascha Taylor-Ray suggests athletes eat "non-processed foods and anything that gives energy." She added that bananas can provide extra energy in the form of glucose.

Dance teacher Wendy Jones emphasized that, contrary to rumors about dancers fixating on weight loss, they focus primarily on staying healthy by eating right, not on staying thin. "We don't talk about food, we just eat it," she said. "I never push a certain weight for my dancers, as people come in all shapes and sizes." Jones added, "you look good if you dance well." Jones pushes her dancers to maintain a balanced diet by getting more sugars from fruits than from simple carbohydrates "to have energy to help them keep going."

Consuming enough proper nutrients can be difficult for many athletes; athletes like Shaw who practice vegetarianism face a tougher challenge. However, according to the American Dietetic Association, such diets can be healthy and nutritionally adequate if vegetarians plan properly.

Mark Wooding

As vegetables alone do not provide much substance for vegetarian athletes, Rainey suggests athletes eat vegetables with oils, such as olive oil and canola oil for additional energy.

Since most athletes generally consume most of their protein from meats, vegetarians must incorporate protein elsewhere. Legumes, grains, nuts and seeds all provide protein, according to Vegetarian Nutrition, a dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association. Protein powders that athletes can mix into beverages are an option, although many vegetarians avoid them.

"I don't rely on protein supplements," Shaw said. Instead, she gets her protein from tofu, fish and other foods. "I am always thinking about if there's protein in what I'm eating," she said. "But I don't think my body heals from my physical activity as well as non-vegetarian athletes." Rainey, who agreed that athletes do need protein to build muscle and heal injuries, suggested beans and tofu for vegetarians having a problem with this.

While vegetarianism does not necessarily pose an imminent danger to athletes, those who practice an Atkins-style low-carbohydrate diet do face disadvantages. For athletes training consistently every day, a high-carbohydrate diet is necessary to ensure that enough glucose is in the body for skeletal muscle contractions, according to an article in the Summer 2005 issue of The Sport Journal.

Sports energy bars may offer practical and convenient options for athletes who are struggling to meet their special nutritional needs. The PowerBar Performance bar, for example, contains about 40 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of protein. PowerBar's ProteinPlus bar contains 18 grams of protein and about 17 grams of carbohydrates. However, according to the Australian Institute of Sport, athletes should not rely solely on energy bars for nutrition. Many athletes find that energy bars do not meet their needs.

"I don't usually use sports bars," senior varsity soccer player Mark Wooding said. "The first time I used one, I had a lot more energy, but all the times after that it didn't help me nearly as much as the first time. My body seemed to become immune to it so it wasn't as effective."

According to the Australian Institute of Sport, athletes should always consume sports bars with fluids to assist with digestion, and absorption of nutrients.

The Institute also recommends that athletes who intend to eat performance bars during a competitive event sample them first during training sessions before the competition, as the body needs time to adjust to new substances.

Sports drinks are another convenient option that may satisfy nutritional needs. Drinks like Gatorade contain electrolytes – sodium, potassium and chloride – that reportedly replenish the minerals athletes lose through sweat during exercise and competition, according to the Gatorade Web site ( gatorade.com). While these drinks have their benefits, athletes should drink them sparingly before workouts, depending on the sport.

According to the Australian Institute of Sport, commercially available sports drinks designed to promote hydration during exercise may simultaneously deliver an additional source of fuel for the muscles and brain. However, if the level of exercise is at a lower intensity or lasts less than 60 minutes, water can be a suitable alternative. Although sports drinks promote rapid and complete re-hydration and improve performance, they can also cause cramping, according to the Sports Science Library. To prevent such cramps, the Sports Science Library suggests that an athlete start hydrating early in exercise.

Senior kayaker and varsity track runner Hannah Edelsberg prefers water to sports drinks. "The day before a big competition, I drink at least eight glasses of water," Edelsberg said.

Oliveira drinks water before activities, but in moderation. "I try to stay hydrated all day," he said. "But if I drink a lot of water right before I work out, I'll get cramps."

Whether an athlete is relying on good old-fashioned water, on nuts and vegetables, or on sports drinks and energy bars, proper attention to nutrition and hydration is a necessity. "Athletes must keep in mind that they need more energy than someone who is sedentary," Rainey said.