Successful sports performance depends not only in the physical training but also on the design of a diet able to provide the athlete with the specific nutritional requirement he needs to succeed.

Sportsmen and sportswomen are usually very concerned with their eating patterns and the more suitable diets to obtain maximum performance, but they don't always know that rehydration before, during and after sports activities is as important as the food they eat or the training they undergo.

Dehydration occurs when we lose large quantities of water through sweat and we don't replace it. It can cause fatigue, decrease of sport performance, lack of concentration, discomfort, and it is a dangerous cardiovascular risk.

Dietetic recommendations for sportsmen are similar to the dietetic general guidelines. For athletes, 60-70% of the kilocalories ingested should be provided by carbohydrates, which means 500-600g of carbohydrates per day. This quantity of carbohydrates is not advisable for women, because it would reduce their kilocalories consumption of proteins and fats too much. A better method would be to consider that proteins should be ingested in a rate of 1.5 kg/b.w., fats should be limited to 25% of the kilocalories consumed, and the rest should be provided by carbohydrates.

The energetic requirements of a sedentary adult person are considered to be 2000-2800 kcal/day. For an athlete, this need can increase 500-800 kcal per hour of exercise, depending on the activity, the duration, the intensity and the state of health of the athlete.

To satisfy this higher demand of energy with food can be a problem for athletes during competitions, because digestion processes would be affected during the competition or the exercise activity. This is the reason why some products (like energetic snacks) and drinks containing minerals and sources of energy are designed, to satisfy specific higher demands of nutrients in an easy and convenient way to consume.