Look At Vietnam - The country’s athletes are priming for major upcoming tournaments by filling themselves with nutritious cooking. Major competitions this year include the Asian Indoor Games in Viet Nam and the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos.

Weight-lifter Nguyen Thi Thiet.

This month, they have received double their usual food and wellness allowance. But even with the bonus, some say athletes need more as competitions loom.

At the No 1 National Sports Centre in Ha Noi, over 1,000 athletes from 30 teams were handed a new allowance of VND120,000 each on the first day of training.

The centre is taking steps to make sure the extra funds go toward quality food to help athletes reach their peak physical condition.

The new diet regime began last Saturday and has already raised athletes’ spirits.

“We are so happy with the increased nutrition. It helps us recover faster during out-mode training,” said female weighlifter Nguyen Thi Thiet.

But the menu should change daily to keep us interested.”

The Olympian weightlifter said that athletes were given food supplements -needed for enhancing performance.

“Weightlifters’ rations are different to gymnasts, shooters or aerobic athletes. I can’t eat protein-rich foods because they are hard to digest,” she said.

Nguyen Kim Lan, head of the gymnastics department at the Sports Administration, said: “Gymnasts and shooters need to maintain their fitness levels, so they should eat less protein and more appetising food, especially fruit.”

Nguyen Thi Duc, chief nutritionist at the centre, said, “Teams will get traditional foods like turtle and dog meat to whet their appetites. They will also get fresh fruit and seafood daily.”

According to Pham Ngoc Vien, Director of the No 1 National Sports Centre, all athletes currently consume about 5,000 calories everyday, the minimum required for training. But they need additional nutrients in the months leading up to the games.

Viet Nam will host the third Asian Indoor Games from October 30 to November 8 and will compete in the SEA Games in December.

VietNamNet/VNS