Thanks to the Internet, we can easily become overloaded with conflicting nutrition information. A few Google searches will leave you confused about carbs, calories, keto, inflammation, weight management, and sports supplements. How do you know what and whom to believe?
The following article identifies a few credible (sports) nutrition podcasts, blogs, books, and websites. You’ll find trustworthy answers to your questions about how to fuel your body and resolve confusion about what’s best to eat for optimal sports performance, good health, and high energy.
Blogs
• NutritionBlogNetwork.com offers a collection of blogs written by numerous registered dietitians. It’s a site you can turn to for trusted advice on all things food, weight, and nutrition. Some popular blogs within the Network include TobyAmidorNutrition.com/my-blog and SnackingInSneakers.com. For sport nutrition information, you’re welcome to enjoy my blog at NancyClarkRD.com/blog.
Podcasts
Podcasts offer a handy way to learn about (sports) nutrition while exercycling, running, or walking the dog. The hosts commonly interview researchers who are conducting the latest studies with athletes. Some of my favorite podcasts include:
• SoundbitesRD.com/podcast with Melissa Joy Dobbins RD.
You’ll hear about all things daily nutrition, with a focus on current food topics and controversies.
• We Do Science (theiopn.com/podcasts) hosted by UK sports nutritionist Dr. Laurent Bannock.
Episode #118: “Swifter, Higher, Stronger” with Professors Louise Burke and John Hawley is well worth a listen.
• ScienceOfUltra.com/podcasts, hosted by exercise physiologist and Idaho State University professor Shawn Bearden PhD.
Episode #69: Training on Low Glycogen offers food for thought.
• PHITforaQueen.podbean.com, hosted by Sports Nutritionist Rebecca McConville RD and therapist Kara Shelman LCSW.
This podcast is devoted to female athletes wanting it all: Performance, Health, Intellect, and Time. You might like the episode with marathoner Allie Kieffer, I don’t run fast because I am light. I run fast because I am stronger.
Websites
• Exercise physiologist, researcher and Ironman triathlete Asker Jeukendrup PhD of the Netherlands offers abundant information for athletes and sports nutrition educators at MySportScience.com. The site provides a wide range of sport science topics with info-graphics that are highly educational for visual learners.
• TeamUSA.org, the website for the US Olympic Committee, offers fun cooking videos with Olympians: TeamUSA.org/Cooking-With-Team-USA. You’ll find recipes for many yummy, healthy sports foods, including entrees, snacks, smoothies, and desserts.
The website also offers sports nutrition fact sheets, including sample Athlete Plates with suggested meals for easy, moderate or hard exercise days. (From www.TeamUSA.org home page, click on Safe Sport, then High Performance Programs, and then Nutrition.)
•Ausport.gov/ais/nutrition, the website for the Australian Institute of Sport, offers abundant sports nutrition information. If you have questions about creatine, sodium bicarbonate, or other ergogenic aids, the sport supplement section identifies which ones work, which ones need more research, and which ones are bunk.
• EDCatalogue.com offers helpful information about eating disorders, including tips for families and friends. The website includes a bookstore with more than 200 self-help titles that can help an athlete find peace with food. The site also has excellent podcasts with top-notch experts in the field of eating disorders. Both athletes and health professionals alike will glean information that helps them better understand and manage eating disorders.
Books
• The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide by Roberta Duyff RD is a hefty general nutrition resource. It covers all nutrition topics and will answer your questions about food for health.
• Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook new 6th edition (2019) offers the latest information about fueling for sports, weight management, and life. Includes recipes!
• Plant-based Sports Nutrition by Enette Larson-Meyer PhD RD offers in-depth information to help vegetarians and vegans enjoy a meatless diet and excel as an athlete.
• Food and Fitness After 50: Eat Well, Move Well, Be Well by Christine Rosenbloom RD PhD and exercise physiologist Bob Murray PhD is perfect for mid-life fitness exercisers.
• Overcoming Amenorrhea: Get Your Period Back. Get Your Life Back by runner (and podcaster) Tina Muir is a must-read for female athletes who have stopped getting menstrual periods.
• For a wide array of trustworthy books related to exercise, training, and sports nutrition, check out the numerous titles at Human Kinetics publishing house: www.us.humankinetics.com.
Concluding comment
While the above resources offer self-help information, the better way to improve your diet (and performance) is by enrolling the help of a registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN) who specializes in sports nutrition. No blog, podcast or book can replace personalized food help. To find you local RD, use the referral network at FindAnRD.eatright.org Why just be a good athlete when you can be a better one?
Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). The new 6th edition of her best selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook addresses today’s questions and concerns about what to eat. For more information, visit www.NancyClarkRD.com. For her online workshop, see NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.