Sports nutrition is one of the most critical aspects of sports performance because it affects the energy levels of the athlete directly. A sports nutritionist is a permanent staff on an athletic team who helps to advise on and manage the nutritional component of sports.
A sports nutritionist helps both amateur and professional athletes find the right balance between eating right and boosting energy levels for athletic excellence.
Poor sports performance by athletes is often a result of poor diet. When it comes to sports, there’s a right and a wrong way to eat. Athletes frankly can’t eat like ‘regular’ people because sports participation is a serious business.
NB: The word ‘dietician’ is just another way of referring to a nutritionist, so there shouldn’t be any confusion with roles.
Sports Nutritionist: How a Professional Can Help Athletes Eat Right
Sport is an intense physical activity that demands energy derived from chemical sources like food and fluids. The ‘right way’ to eat as studied by a sports nutritionist comprises of three key areas:
- The quantity of food an athlete consumes
- The quality of food eaten
- The Daily Calorie intake of the athlete
Improve the Quantity of Food With Sports Nutritionist
The quantity of food consumed by an athlete is a critical determinant of overall fitness for sports performance. In addition to the quality of diet, the amount should be closely measured.
Various sports have varying levels of energy demands. For instance, a golfer won’t require as much energy to play as a track and field athlete, so their dietary plans can’t be identical.
Sports nutritionist will often create personalized diet plans for professional and amateur athletes based on certain key factors which include:
- Body dimensions
- Body types
- Training routines
- Athletic goals
Quality
The foods athletes consume contain many different kinds of nutrients that address specific nutritional needs. A well balanced ensures that athletes always have sufficient energy to perform at optimum levels.
The most important components are:
- Carbs (Simple and complex)
- Proteins
- Fats (Saturated and unsaturated)
- Vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, K, etc.)
- Minerals (Macro and micro)
- Water
A quick look at the can of a processed product will show you the various ingredients contained including their nutritional value, but that’s just an overview. A sports nutritionist can advise athletes on the right proportions of these nutrients to consume.
Daily Calorie Intake
Athletes that don’t consume enough calories may experience fatigue and general body weakness which could adversely affect their sports performance.
The Sports nutritionist will usually create a diet plan to achieve a sufficient daily calorie intake to optimize their energy levels. The weight, sex, size, and age of the athlete will determine how many calories they need to consume daily.
Since male athletes weigh more than female athletes they will require more calories than their female counterparts of the same sport.
Sports Nutritionist: What makes for a good Sports nutritionist?
A good sports nutritionist has acquired extensive training in nutrition or a related field to understand the right proportions of nutrients and minerals to boost energy and fitness levels for sustained activity.
A nutritionist who knows his or her salt can model diet plans to help athletes hit their fitness goals. The right individual can help you to find the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
A certified professional will not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with athletes because we are all built differently.
Sports Nutritionist: Basic Qualification
In addition to completing a Bachelor’s program in Nutrition or a closely related discipline, they also need to possess in-depth knowledge of sports performance to help them better understand athlete needs.
A sports nutritionist with a Master’s degree in the field of nutrition more career prospects to advance to the level of a consultant with many years of a thriving practice.
Sports Nutritionist: One more thing…
Have you ever spoken to a professional that didn’t get it?
It’s essential for athletes to have access to sports nutritionists with excellent people skills.
Coercing athletes into adopting nutritional regimes using a ‘textbook approach’ will not do the athlete or professional any good. Athletes often want to know WHY they need to switch to better diets.
Relational skills like empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Good listening skills are vital to building synergy between athlete and the professional.
Finding the best Sports Nutritionist with 9INE POINT Health
9INE POINT Health takes the hassle of making the right selection away by connecting you to the best local healthcare providers in your area. 9INE POINT Health allows you to search for healthcare providers based on skill set. Find competent Sports nutritionists who are listed as Registered Dietitians and other sports professionals near you.
What If You Can’t Get Over Your Injury Without a Major Diet Change
Sometimes you can ice all you want, but a muscle is in pain because another area is not working or because the food you eat is not of the right quality. With the hips, for example, your back may be hurting because your psoas is doing too much work and it is also tight. The psoas may be doing too much work because your other hip flexors are not activating correctly. The chain reaction could keep going until you start recovering correctly.
Sometimes you need the help of a sports nutritionist. Sports nutritionist are used to working with athletes that need to get results quickly, to get back on the field. If you are not an athlete, I am sure that you still want quick results.
There are many different options you can go with when looking for injury help. You could get a chiropractor, massage therapist, physical therapist or many other options. The key is finding someone you trust and that you are excited to work with.
How to Find The Best Sports, Nutritionist
9INE POINT Health is the best place to find the health care providers you need for any injuries. It does not matter where you are hurting; a 9INE POINT Health provider will be able to get you healthy again. 9INE POINT allows you to find the best local providers and compare them quickly using the 9INE POINT GAP Number.
If you have no idea what you need, but you know you need something, 9INE POINT Health is an injury guide, and you will get helped through the process. We make it easier for you to find the information you need when looking for a registered dietitian or a sports nutritionist.
