NUTRITIONAL VALUE FUELING YOUR ATHLETES Sports dietitians can help your student-athletes get in shape and maintain a healthy diet. Sports Dietitians
Are Vital Team Players Programs must consider a professional who can keep players in top shape
By Suzanne Girard Eberle, MS, RD, Portland, Ore.
A
star female cross-country run- ner is sidelined with another stress fracture. The basketball
team’s top scorer wishes to observe Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset at the height of the season. An overweight football player goes down with cramps at preseason camp. Volleyball players report that a teammate takes laxatives and vom- its after meals, although she denies it when asked. A successful coach rou- tinely takes the team to his favorite fast-food eatery on road trips, and the student-athletes are complaining about the lack of healthy choices. The soccer team is committed to re- turning to the Final Four, however, younger key players are struggling to maintain their intensity during the second half of each game.
What do all these scenarios have in common? For a sports dietitian, it’s simply another day at the offi ce. For athletic trainers, coaches, admin-
24 May/June 2013
istrators and other sports personnel connected to student-athletes, it’s a signal to work with an expert. Sound nutritional practices set the stage for improved performances (in the classroom and on the fi eld), few- er injuries and illnesses, and quicker recoveries. The health professional who is the expert in this arena is a sports dietitian—a registered dieti- tian who specializes in or whose fo- cus is sports or performance-based nutrition. Having a qualifi ed sports dietitian on the team fi lls a vital gap in any athletic setting, and it enhanc- es the potential for success in work- ing with student-athletes and parents.
Registered Dietitian Vs. Sports Nutritionist Confusion persists regarding the expertise and qualifi cations of those dispensing sports nutrition informa- tion and guidance. Although “sports nutritionist” is a public-friendly term, it remains undefi ned and un- regulated. A sports nutritionist, in other words, might be a registered dietitian, a professor with a Ph.D. in exercise science, someone who sells supplements promoting weight loss
or improved performance, or a self- appointed “nutrition expert” who has sat through a weekend seminar on sports nutrition. The registered dietitian (RD) cre- dential conveys a strict and concrete standard of competency comparable to that of other health professionals such as physicians, nurses and physi- cal therapists. Those with the RD designation have secured a four-year degree from an accredited university, completed a supervised internship and passed a national board exam. To maintain their credentials, RDs
also must continue to fulfi ll ongoing professional education requirements throughout their careers. In most states, RDs are the only professionals who legally can practice medical nutrition therapy—that is, science-based treat- ments for specifi c medical conditions.
Benefi ts Of Sports Dieticians In the athletic setting, a sports di-
etitian can fulfi ll numerous needs, as summarized by the joint position stance on the role of nutrition in ath- letic performance endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Asso- ciation), Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine. Using current scientifi c data and the needs of individual athletes, sports dietitians do the following: • Assess athletes’ typical daily nutritional intake (food and supple- ments) during training, competition, and offseason for year-round optimal health and sports performance and provide specifi c strategies for meet- ing nutritional needs. • Assess the fl uid intake and
weight loss of athletes during exer- cise and make appropriate recom- mendations regarding total daily fl uid and electrolyte intake as well as fl uid and electrolyte intake before, during and following exercise. • Assess and provide appropriate nutrition guidelines to ensure ad- equate intakes of energy (calories), protein, carbohydrates, fat and mi-
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