Teachers TV: Eating to Win

A KS3/4 video on how diet changes when following a fitness regime.

Stefan Gates, the children’s TV presenter and food expert, meets a young triathlete to find out about the relationship between diet and fitness. A triathlon is a punishing combination of cycling, running and swimming and Matt Sharp has to train at least thirty hours a week, whatever the weather, to stay on top. Stefan is amazed by the amount Matt eats in a day but Matt?s diet is scientifically worked out to provide not only the necessary protein, calcium, fibre and vitamins to keep his body in peak condition but also the carbohydrate needed to provide the energy for so much intense exercise The video is a useful illustration for Key Stage 2, 3 or 4 science of the effect of different foods on the body and how the amount of food we need to stay healthy can vary considerably depending on lifestyle.