bars. Other athletes travel with sufficient food to
meet all of their needs and with cooking equip-
ment which makes it possible to prepare food
under a variety of travel and living conditions.
Electrical current and plug adapters are an essen-
tial, but sometimes forgotten, part of this equip-
ment. Distributing supplies and equipment
throughout the baggage will help to ensure that
it will reach the desired destination, and reduce
the possibility of the entire supply being lost.
Body mass changes
Another common concern related to travel and
diet is body mass (weight) change. Athletes
report that prevention of unwanted body mass
loss or gain may be a major challenge while trav-
elling. Body mass loss is likely to occur if athletes
do not have access to an adequate supply of
appropriate food and beverages, but it may also
occur in the midst of dietary abundance. It is
not uncommon, especially for athletes travelling
abroad for the first time, for local foods to be
avoided, perhaps because of a dislike of the unfa-
miliar, an uncertainty over the content or a fear of
an adverse reaction. This is likely to lead to a
reduction in energy intake and a loss of body
mass. Athletes experienced at travelling will
usually learn to eat in spite of taste preference or
will ensure their own supply of food because
they recognize that an inadequate intake leads
to less than optimal performance. Even for
the experienced traveller, however, some disrup-
tion is likely until a new routine is established.
This involves identifying the location of dining
facilities, restaurants, etc., as well as recover-
ing for the effects of jet lag and travel fatigue,
and it is during this period that a supply of
snacks brought from home may be particularly
valuable.
On the other hand, there are times when the
local cuisine is so appetizing, that the athlete will
overeat. This is typical in a dining hall setting
where there is a variety of food choices and
portion sizes are generous or where there is a
self-service facility. Boredom, increased eating
opportunities and the provision of food free of
486 practical issues
charge in a training camp are also factors that
will lead some athletes to eat more than they
would at home. This may be particularly the case
at major championship events: the dining faci-
lities at the Olympic Village, for example,
provide a wide range of high-quality food free of
charge 24 h · day–1. For the athlete in a weight-cat-
egory event whose first competition is not until
near the end of the programme, 2 or 3 weeks
spent in the Village, with a reduced training load
and little to occupy the time, provides a severe
challenge to self-restraint. This is a particular
challenge for athletes from countries or from
social backgrounds where such food is seldom
available.
In both of these extreme situations, there may
be advantages in regular monitoring of body
mass as a guide to the adequacy of the dietary
intake. This is not, however, as straightforward
as might at first appear. A fall in body mass may
be the result of an inadequate energy intake, but
may also reflect some degree of hypohydration,
particularly in warm weather. Athletes may
experience some loss of body mass during a
training camp if the training load is increased
above the normal level, and this may be desirable
or not, depending on whether there is a need for
the athlete to reduce the body fat content and
whether the mass loss does indeed reflect a loss
of body fat. Ekblom and Bergh (Chapter 51) have
reported that the daily energy requirement of
elite cross-country skiers during normal training
is about 20–25 MJ (4780–5970 kcal) and that this
may increase by 4–8 MJ (950–1910 kcal) during
training camps. An increased body mass may
indicate overeating, but is also a normal response
to a reduced training load in the days prior to
competition. Changes in the diet may induce
constipation, leading to a small increase in body
mass.Dehydration
Travel increases the athlete’s risk of dehydration.
An adequate intake of fluids is essential, espe-
cially on long-range flights as the low water
vapour pressure in aircraft cabins leads to an