Handball Federation of Victoria

Health through Handball – Healthy Eating

Taking part in Handball is not only fun but it’s also a great way to keep fit. There are many health benefits of regular physical activity such as reducing blood pressure, lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides), and risk of heart disease and diabetes. It can also make you feel good, relieve stress and lifts your mood. Part of having a healthy lifestyle means not only participating in regular physical activity but also enjoying a wide variety of healthy foods on a daily basis. Healthy eating can help you perform at your best, provide energy and vitality and assist in weight control.

The International Diabetes Institute is delighted to assist the Handball Federation Victoria in promoting a healthy sporting environment through healthy eating. This is part of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) health through sport and active recreation program – A component of the partnerships for health scheme.

This page aims to provide healthy eating information on a range of topics for clubs and players of all ages.

Sporting performance and healthy eating

www.sportsdietitians.com/facts

This is the Sports Dietitians Australia website. It contains fact sheets on a variety of topics related to food and sport.

Topics include:

· Increasing muscle mass

· Cramps and stitches

· Fuelling and cooling the junior athlete

· Eating and drinking during and after sport

· Fat – does it help performance?

· Glycaemic index

· Fighting fatigue

· Protein for athletes

· Creatine supplementation and sporting performance

· Fluids in sport

www.ais.org.au/nutrition/fact.htm

This is the Australian Institute of Sport web site. There are a variety of fact sheets available on topics related to sporting performance and nutrition.

Topics include:

· Carbohydrate loading

· Eating before exercise

· Weight loss

· Sports bars

· How much do athletes sweat?

· How to grow muscles

· Carbohydrate – are you getting enough?

· Protein – are you getting enough?

· Supplements

· The Zone diet

General healthy eating

www.nutritionaustralia.org/Food_facts/Fact_sheets/fact_sheets_index.asp

This is the Nutrition Australia website and provides fact sheets that can be downloaded on a variety of nutrition topics.

Topics include:

· Food variety

· Shopping for good health

· Promoting food variety and physical activity

· Promoting vegetables

· Demystifying food labels

· Barbeque – an Aussie tradition

· Tips for budget buying

· Nutrition for children

· Nutrition for adults

· Food allergy and intolerance

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/foodfacts?openview&count=500

This is the better health channel website and contains fact sheets on a variety of food topics.

Topics include:

· Antioxidants

· Breakfast

· Carbohydrates and the glycaemic index

· Chocolate

· Cholesterol explained

· Eating well for kids

· Food labels

· Food safety

· Metabolism explained

· Sporting performance and food

www.chdf.org.au

This is the Women’s and Children’s Hospital of SA – Children’s health website. It provides information on a range of topics particularly relating to healthy eating at school.

Topics include:

· A healthy school canteen

· Is a healthy canteen feasible?

· Becoming a healthy canteen

· Promoting healthy food

· Practical food ideas

· Healthy fundraisers

· TV food advertising to children

· Healthy body image

· What are the influences of children’s eating

· Making smart choices when eating out

Information on food for kids

www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/

This is the Nemours Foundation (USA) website. It contains lots of great information for kids and is presented in a visual and practical way.

Topics include:

· How the body works

· Eating for sport

· When snack attacks strike

· Why drinking water is the way to go

· All about what vitamin and minerals do

· Caffeine confusion

· Food allergies

· Learning about protein, carbohydrate and fat

· Ready, set, breakfast

· The food guide pyramid

Diabetes

www.diabetes.com.au/factsheets/factsheetlist.htm

This is the International Diabetes Institute web site. It contains a variety of fact sheets which can be downloaded on healthy eating and diabetes.

Topics include:

· How do I know if I have diabetes?

· What is diabetes?

· How does the body control glucose in the blood

· Type 1 diabetes

· Type 2 diabetes

· Physical activity

· The facts about fat

· The carbohydrate connection

· Sugar

· Alcohol