ssisa
Description
Elevate Performance Through the Power of Sports Nutrion!
This course has been developed for individuals who wish to expand their understanding of sports nutrition beyond the fundamentals covered in the Introduction to Sports Nutrition course. As nutrition science continues to evolve, athletes are increasingly exposed to conflicting advice on topics such as supplements, popular diets, body composition and emerging technologies. This course aims to provide participants with an evidence-based understanding of these topics, enabling them to better interpret current nutrition trends and support informed decision-making.
The following modules are contained in this course:
- Supplements
- Gut Health
- The use of popular diets by athletes and their impact on athlete performance
- CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring)
- Body Composition
This course is perfect for....
The course has been designed for athletes, coaches, parents, teachers, physiotherapists, biokineticists and other members of an athlete's support network who wish to better understand the principles of sports nutrition. By equipping everyone involved in an athlete's journey with the same evidence-based information, the course helps promote consistent nutrition messages and a collaborative approach to supporting health, performance and recovery. It is designed to complement, not replace, the advice of a sports dietitian and does not qualify participants to practise as nutrition professionals.
What's in Store for You?
Supplements
- Define performance supplements and recognise the challenges athletes face regarding the safe and appropriate use of supplements.
- Explain the role of sports foods within the broader category of performance supplements.
- Describe the mechanisms of action, ergogenic benefits, and athlete populations most
likely to benefit from the following evidence-based performance supplements:
- Creatine
- Caffeine
- Beta-alanine
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Nitrates
- Understand the evidence-based protocols for the effective use of these supplements, including recommended dosing strategies, timing, and safety considerations.
- Identify areas of caution related to supplement use, including product quality, contamination risks, and inappropriate use, and recognise reliable resources for evidence-based supplement information.
Gut Health
The use of popular diets by athletes and their impact on athlete performance
- Low-Carbohydrate Diets
- Differentiate between low-carbohydrate and ketogenic dietary approaches.
- Evaluate the physiological adaptations associated with carbohydrate restriction.
- Assess the effects of low-carbohydrate diets on exercise performance, training capacity, and recovery.
- Identify the athletic populations and sporting contexts in which low-carbohydrate diets may be appropriate.
- Plant-Based, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diets
- Distinguish between the various types of plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan dietary patterns.
- Understand the nutritional considerations associated with plant-based eating, with particular emphasis on protein quality and quantity.
- Evaluate the impact of plant-based diets on athletic performance, recovery, and overall health.
- Identify nutrients that may require monitoring or supplementation when following a plant-based dietary pattern.
- Intermittent Fasting
- Describe the most common intermittent fasting approaches and their practical applications.
- Understand the effects of intermittent fasting on energy availability, muscle protein synthesis, body composition, and exercise performance.
- Evaluate the suitability of intermittent fasting for different athletes based on training demands, performance goals, and individual circumstances.
- Gluten-Free Diets
- Understand the principles of a gluten-free diet and identify foods that contain and exclude gluten.
- Recognise the medical indications for a gluten-free diet and common misconceptions surrounding its use in sport.
- Evaluate the evidence regarding gluten-free diets and athletic performance.
- Identify which athletes may benefit from a gluten-free diet.
- Low FODMAP Diets
- Understand the principles of the low FODMAP diet, including foods commonly restricted and suitable alternatives.
- Recognise the role of the low FODMAP diet in the management of gastrointestinal symptoms in athletes.
- Evaluate the potential effects of a low FODMAP diet on training and competition performance.
- Understand the risk of nutrient deficiencies and the importance of supporting long-term dietary adequacy when implementing a low FODMAP approach.
CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring)
- The physiology of blood glucose
- What continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is and how it works
- The advantages and limitations of CGM compared to traditional glucose monitoring
- Common CGM metrics and terminology
- The potential role of CGM technology in sport and performance settings
Body Composition
- The different reasons for various body composition goals in athletes
- How to safely lose weight without compromising strength or performance
- What RED-S is and the warning signs to look out for
- How to safely cut weight in competitive sports
- Strategies for increasing lean muscle mass
