BACKGROUND Nutritional intake plays an important role in determining energy availability which is vital to health, wellbeing, and sports performance in an active population. This research assessed the sports undergraduates' nutritional intake compared to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and nutrition goals provided by WHO. METHODS A total of one hundred and one (n = 101) sports undergraduates aged between 20 to 23 years were recruited and the nutrient intake was assessed by the three-day food diary method and quantified the macro and micronutrients by the food composition database. RESULTS Though most undergraduates were able to meet the dietary requirements in carbohydrates, they were deficient in their protein intake and excess in fats intake. Further, both male and female students were deficient in their daily energy intake (1723kcal, 1607 kcal) and dietary fiber intake (8 g, 11 g). The fat intake as saturated fat was met by all students’ intake a 20% of males and 21% of females was higher than the recommendations (< 10%). The micronutrient intake of vitamins such as C, B1, B2, B9, and B12 and minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium, were significantly below the recommendations (p < 0.05) except for vitamin B3 niacin. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that Sri Lankan sports undergraduates do not have an adequate daily intake of energy, proteins, and micronutrients. Hence, it is recommended that the students must be provided with proper nutritional guidance and further increase their accessibility to cafeterias and food outlets that provide nutritionally valuable meals which are essentially required to maintain both the physical and mental fitness of the students.
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