thletics is not restricted to the young elite or the professional athlete. Today, children participate in competitive sports, as do older adults. Tis section provides the
sports dietitian with insight into the physiological and health-related issues of diverse populations. Understanding the unique needs of these populations will help the sports dietitian develop plans to meet the needs of each athlete, whether it is a collegiate athlete who is challenged by lack of cooking skills or an athlete with diabetes who needs medical nutrition therapy. In this section, life cycle issues are discussed in chapters dealing with youth, college-age, and older athletes (Chapters 12, 13, and 14, respectively). A chapter on elite athletes (Chapter 15) is included to highlight the opportunities and challenges faced by the sports dietitian when planning nutrition strategies for high-performing athletes. Te unique nutritional needs of vegetarian athletes, pregnant athletes, athletes with disordered eating, and those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are also included in this section (Chapters 16 through 20).