Lea Stening, a dietician that has worked for many years with the New Zealand Cricket Academy, explains on her website why healthy eating is essential to the game of cricket.

Healthy eating means:

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• Better overall performance
  Successful cricketers need the right mix of skills, talent, physiology, psychology and “injury prevention nutrition.”
• Fuel for body and brain
  Good nutrition will sustain the energy levels of cricketers no matter what the environmental conditions or how long the players are on the field. Evidence shows that adequate nutrition will improve mental functioning such as hand-eye co-ordination, concentration and decision making abilities that are essential in cricket.
• Long-term health and wealth
  Cricketers play to such a ripe old age nowadays that it is important to think of their long-term health. Key nutrients have a protective function in the body as they strengthen muscle, bone and soft tissue. Healthy eating can also reduce the risk factors that are associated with the development of major diseases such as coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes mellitus and obesity that are more common in older men and women.
• Players needs vary
  Unlike soccer and rugby, cricket players from the same team may have very different nutritional needs, depending on their position on the field. Batsman need muscle strength but also, like bowlers, require available energy to fuel exercising muscle and explosions of speed between the wickets. Wicket keepers, on the other hand, require stable blood sugars and high levels of concentration and like other team members are dependent on adequate hydration to reduce fatigue.
• Good nutrition reduces stress
  Professional players may find it difficult to maintain a healthy eating plan whilst on tour and under tremendous pressure and stress. Ironically enough, a good diet can actually reduce stress and players must try and achieve their dietary goals.
• Proper coaching can make all the difference
  Cricket coaches have great influence over their players and should use this influence to encourage healthy eating plans that will prolong the shelf-life and ultimately the longevity of the players.

Source: www.leastening.com
 

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