BTEC NATIONAL SPORT
Edexcel BTEC Level 3
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
UNIT 11: SPORTS NUTRITION
ASSIGNMENT: ONE
TEACHER: MR CLARK
ASSIGNMENT:
ONE
TITLE:
Sports Nutrition
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1 and 4
INDICATIVE CONTENT:
P1, P2, P6, M3
DATE SET:
22nd September 2010
DUE DATE:
6th October 2010
LEARNING OUTCOME
1 Know the concepts of nutrition and digestion
4 Be able to plan a diet appropriate for a selected sports activity
CONTENT
1 Know the concepts of nutrition and digestion
Nutrition: macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats); micronutrients (vitamins, minerals); fibre; nutritional
requirements (essential and non-essential); common terminology (Recommended Daily Allowance, Optimum
Level, Safe Intake, Estimated Average Requirements, standard abbreviations – RDA, SI, EAR)
Digestion: structure of digestive system (buccal cavity, oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, pancreas, liver, gall
bladder, small intestine, large intestine, kidneys, digestive juices and enzymes); function of digestive system
(digestion, absorption, excretion)
4 Be able to plan a diet appropriate for a selected sports activity
Diet: balanced diet (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, fibre, vitamins, minerals)
ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE
PASS
MERIT
DISTINCTION
P1 - Describe nutrition, including nutritional requirements using recommended
guidelines from public health sources associated with nutrition
P2 - Describe the structure and function of the digestive system in terms of digestion,
absorption and excretion
P6 - Describe the components of a balanced diet
M3 - Explain the components of a balanced diet
N/A
SCENARIO
Diet is important for any performer to succeed. The significance of a healthy balanced diet and its links to good health
and improved sports performance is now a key aspect of the sportsperson’s lifestyle. The importance of good nutrition
and hydration in sports has therefore grown in popularity in recent years.
You are to assume the role of a trainee Sports Nutrition specialist. You are hoping to become a consultant to elite level
athletes, providing advice and diet plans for the transition, preparation and competition phases of their training in a
periodised year. In order to achieve this you need to develop an understanding of basic nutrition and then be able to
apply this to elite athletes in a variety of sporting situations.
As a sportsperson you are keen to investigate what makes a ‘Healthy Diet’ in order to improve further. You decide to
investigate what Nutrition means, try to discover what recommended guidelines there are and investigate the range of
terminology that is used when talking about Diet.
You are also interested to discover how your digestive system works to process the food you eat and what is meant by
the term ‘Balanced Diet’.

Sports Nutrition:
 Describe what ‘Nutrition’ means.
 Describe and give examples of the macronutrients?
 Describe and give examples of the micronutrients?
 Give guidelines for how much individuals should be eating (from Public Health Sources)
 Describe what the following terms mean
 Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)
 Optimum Level
 Safe Intake (SI)
 Estimated Average Requirements (EAR)
(P1)

The Digestive System:
 Produce a labelled poster of the human digestive system, your diagram should include the
following terms:
1. Buccal cavity, oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, small
intestine, large intestine, kidneys, digestive juices and enzymes
 Describe how the digestive system carries out the following functions:
1. Digestion
2. Absorption
3. Excretion
(Think about where this all happens, describe what happens and say why it happens.)
(P2)

Balanced Diet:



Describe the components of a healthy diet. This must include:
1. Carbohydrates
2. Fats
3. Proteins
4. Water
5. Fibre
6. Vitamins
7. Minerals
You need to describe what quantities or percentages people should be eating for a Balanced ‘Healthy’ Diet.
(P6)
EXPLAIN WHY people need to eat each of these nutrients to stay healthy. Give examples of each of food for
each nutrient.
(M3)
Grading criteria: P1, P2, P6, M3