• Question: Sorry I couldn't access the live chat and I'm the girl who asked the question what is the healthiest diet for a gymnat. :) I would like to ask you: Are potatoes fattening? and also I have heard that different people gain weight from different foods for exsample, some may gain weight from chocolate but not crisps and others the opposite so my question is: How can I know which food are best for MY body? Thank you. Finally I would like to ask you why should I vote for YOU? :)

    Asked by to Del, Catherine, John on 20 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Catherine Mansfield

      Catherine Mansfield answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      Gymnasts need lots of energy but also need to build muscles. Eating lots of carbohydrates (such as potatoes, pasta, bread) will give you energy. Eating to many carbs however can be fattening if you are not doing lots of exercise.

      I would really love to win so that I can donate the prize money to a great science outreach organization at Imperial College, that gives school children, that wouldn’t normally have the opportunity, a chance to get involved in science and be inspired!

    • Photo: Adelle Thrower

      Adelle Thrower answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      so firstly- its true that everyones metabolism is different, but it does not really mean that one person would not put on weight eating one unhealthy thing over another unhealthy thing.
      Easting and food consumption is to do with calories. some people can burn calories off at a faster weight due to their lucky genetics, but mostly what goes in must equal what is burnt. we eat less than we burn, we loose weight, we eat more, we put it on.
      thats not to say we should count them- this is just a rule of thumb. so for an examlpe a gymnast would burn a lot of caloires and use lots of energy so would need to eat more. this does not mean crisps or bad food though- it does not matter what you do everything must be kept in moderation.
      so eating a healthy diet and eating enough to match how you burn is the healthiest thing to do for a gymast (and anyone)
      In regards to potatoes- they are carbohydrates- carbs turn into fat and stored if we dont burn them off. so they are not fattening as such- but if you eat a lot of carb based food without exercise you would increase your weight. but as i said- its best to have a good healthy mix of everything!!

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