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Basic nutritional requirements are essential for healthy eating. When you consume enough foods and meet the basic requirements, you are supplying your body with enough nutrients and energy to maintain health and normal functioning. However, if athletes are not eating enough to meet basic requirements, their bodies will not get enough nutrients and energy. This may therefore have a large impact in their athletic performance. Carbohydrates: All people and athletic competitors should nourish themselves with an abundance of fruits, whole-grain, vegetables, adequate protein and healthful fats into their meals and snacks. These carbohydrates provide fuel for muscles during physical exercise. Carbohydrates are stored in limited amounts in your body; therefore you need to continually replenish your supply throughout the day. Planning the timing of your daily intake of carbs will optimize your available fuel stores before and during exercise and will therefore improve your body’s recovery. Protein: People tend to believe that if you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscles. However, despite this belief, eating excessive protein provides little benefit. Consuming extra protein does not build extra muscle, exercise does. The best sports diet contains adequate, but not excessive protein to build and repair muscle tissue and muscular development. Carbohydrate rich diet is the best formulation for every type of training program, because carbs are stored in the muscle for energy. Protein based diets, low in carbohydrates provides inadequate muscle fuel for athletes to exercise hard enough to build their potential. **All text cited from: Clark, N. (2003). Sports Nutrition Guidebook (3rd ed.). USA