Proper nutrition provides essential nutrients for general health, growth, development, muscle repair, and energy required for training, competition, and mental focus.
A tailored nutrition plan helps reduce injury risk, prevent illness, and optimize training adaptations.
The chapter focuses on evidence-based nutrition strategies to enhance performance and practical applications of sports nutrition.
Challenges in sports nutrition:
Athletes often face misinformation from various sources, including the internet, print media, and word of mouth.
Each athlete has unique dietary needs influenced by:
Age, body size, and composition
Genetics and training conditions
Medical needs, training intensity, and frequency
Since nutrition is an evolving field, strength and conditioning professionals must have foundational nutrition knowledge to guide athletes effectively.
Role of sports nutrition professionals
Sports dietitians: Registered dietitians with specialized training in sports nutrition.
Certified specialists in sports dietetics (CSSD): Board-certified professionals with expertise in sports nutrition.
Sports nutrition coaches: Strength coaches and trainers with basic training in nutrition and exercise science.
Medical professionals: Physicians and sports dietitians help manage conditions such as eating disorders, diabetes, or deficiencies.
Competencies of a CSSD (certified specialist in sports dietetics)
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
Provide personalized meal plans for performance and health.
Translate scientific research into practical nutrition strategies.
Assess and analyze athlete dietary habits and energy balance.
Counsel athletes on hydration, supplementation, weight management, and immune health.
Address nutrition challenges like allergies, bone mineral deficiencies, and gastrointestinal issues.
Collaborate with coaches, physicians, and athletic staff.
Educate athletes on food selection, storage, and preparation.
Standard nutrition guidelines for athletes
MyPlate (USDA food guidance system):
A visual representation of food groups to help athletes make balanced dietary choices.
Consists of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy, with additional oil recommendations.
Provides portion guidance based on age, sex, and physical activity level.
Myplate
Dietary adjustments for athletes:
Athletes with higher physical activity levels need to adjust portion sizes to meet energy demands.
Excluding food groups (e.g., dairy or grains) may lead to nutrient deficiencies, requiring careful meal planning.
Food group recommendations (from MyPlate)
Daily caloric and food group recommendations
Age group
Estimated daily calories (not physically active)
Fruit (cups)
Vegetables (cups)
Grains (oz equivalents)
Protein (oz equivalents)
Dairy (cups)
Oils (tsp)
Children 2-3
1,000
1
1
3
2
2
3
Children 4-8
1,200-1,400
1-1.5
1.5
5
4
2.5
4
Girls 9-13
1,600
1.5
2
5
5
3
5
Girls 14-18
1,800
1.5
2.5
6
5
3
5
Boys 9-13
1,800
1.5
2.5
6
5
3
5
Boys 14-18
2,200
2
3
7
6
3
6
Females 19-30
2,000
2
2.5
6
5.5
3
6
Females 31-50
1,800
1.5
2.5
6
5
3
5
Females 51+
1,600
1.5
2
5
5
3
5
Males 19-30
2,400
2
3
8
6.5
3
7
Males 31-50
2,200
2
3
7
6
3
6
Males 51+
2,000
2
2.5
6
5.5
3
6
Recommendations vary based on age, sex, and activity level.
General guidelines:
Fruits: 1-2 cups/day
Vegetables: 1-3 cups/day
Grains: 3-8 oz equivalents/day
Protein: 2-6.5 oz equivalents/day
Dairy: 2-3 cups/day
Oils: 3-7 tsp/day
These values provide baseline dietary intake suggestions for those engaging in moderate activity.
Vegetable subgroup recommendations
MyPlate vegetable subgroup recommendations provide weekly intake recommendations for different vegetable subgroups
Age Group
Dark Green Vegetables
Red & Orange Vegetables
Starchy Vegetables
Beans & Peas
Other Vegetables
Children 2-3
0.5
2.5
2
0.5
1
Children 4-8
1
3
3.5
0.5
1.5
Girls 9-13
1.5
4
4
1
2.5
Girls 14-18
1.5
5.5
5
1.5
3.5
Boys 9-13
1.5
5.5
5
1.5
4
Boys 14-18
1.5
6
6
2
5
Females 19-30
1.5
5.5
5
1.5
4
Females 31-50
1.5
5.5
5
1.5
4
Females 51+
1.5
5
5
1.5
4
Males 19-30
2
6
6
2
5
Males 31-50
2
6
6
2
5
Males 51+
1.5
5.5
6
1.5
4
Subgroups include:
Dark green vegetables
Red and orange vegetables
Starchy vegetables
Beans and peas
Other vegetables
These recommendations are general population guidelines, but athletes may need adjusted recommendations based on training intensity.
Dietary reference intakes (DRIs)
Athletes require food-based recommendations rather than focusing on single nutrients.
The DRIs, developed by the Food and Nutrition Board, provide complete nutrient intake guidelines.
The key DRIs include:
Recommended dietary allowance (RDA): Average daily intake to meet the needs of most healthy individuals.
Adequate intake (AI): Used when RDA cannot be established.
Tolerable upper intake level (UL): Maximum nutrient intake without adverse effects.
Estimated average requirement (EAR): Meets the needs of half the population.
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