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Coach Education - Nutrition for Long Term Athlete Development

Source: My personal notes from session from Ontario Coaches Conference 2021 by Kevin Iwasa-Madge, MHSc, RD, CSCS

Sport Nutritionist, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Description

Section titled “Description”

Appropriate dietary intake can promote an athlete’s health and/or sport performance, and is determined by their eating behaviours. However, dietary intake is difficult to quantify and appropriate eating behaviours are difficult to develop in athletes. Failure to improve dietary intake is commonly due to a lack of understanding of eating behaviours. Through a systematic approach of identifying the knowledge, skills, and nutritional literacy that underpin eating behaviours, you can promote sustainable and appropriate long-term athlete development in the area of nutrition.

Framework

Section titled “Framework”

Food & Nutrition

Section titled “Food & Nutrition”

Eating Behaviours (actions) > Dietary Intake (outcomes)

E.g. Eating chicken > protein intake

Dietary intake changes are quick, but needs to be supported by literacy

Eating behaviours

  • Food choices
  • Frequency
  • Portion sizing
  • Timing
    • E.g. intermittent fasting
  • Determinants
    • Knowledge and awareness - nutrition literacy
      • Food knowledge and beliefs
      • Food availability and preferences
      • Physiology
      • Convenience and motivation
      • Socioeconomic, culture, environment
      • Clinical: allergies, GI issues
      • Other
    • Skills - food literacy
      • Cooking
      • Food safety and management
      • Planning
    • Education and literacy gain is slow

Assess Possible Improvements

Section titled “Assess Possible Improvements”
  • Adaptations
    • Strength
    • Conditioning
    • Change in body composition
    • Bone health
    • Skill acquisition
    • Other
  • Readiness (transient)
    • Glycogen loading (e.g. carb loading for endurance athletes)
    • Optimal endocrinology
    • Improve concentration
    • Maximize recovery
    • Hydration
    • CNS stimulation
    • Other
  • Technical/tactical

Outcome for athletes are improve mental/physical health and performance (H & P).

Assessment

Section titled “Assessment”
  • Tier 3 (minimal time)
    • Intake form (assessment their abilities in the framework elements)
      • Identify barriers:
        • E.g. food availability, culture, diet restrictions (vegan, vegetarian), social/economic issues
    • Nutrition knowledge questionnaire
    • Food skills questionnaire
  • Tier 2 (labour intensive)
    • Eating behaviours
    • Food frequency and monitoring
    • Dietary intake
    • Diet recalls
    • Food logs
  • Tier 1
    • Body composition
    • Metabolic rate
    • Blood work

Conclusions

Section titled “Conclusions”
  1. Determine tier of athlete
  2. Set goals for tier depending on athlete level. E.g. senior athletes build tier 3 first, then move onto higher tiers
  3. Use appropriate tools for that tier. You do not need to use all tools.