Authors

  1. Rosenbloom, Christine PhD, RD, CSSD
  2. Ballard, Carolyn L. BS

Abstract

Athletes know that good nutrition is important to sports performance, but they often get their advice from family, friends, coaches, and the Internet, and the advice is not always accurate. Listening to athlete's questions is educational and presents an opportunity to help steer them in a direction that encourages them to make better choices when choosing foods and fluids to fuel training and competition. Helping college athletes understand that the food and fluid choices they make influences their performance in sport, as well as in the classroom. The challenge in nutrition education is helping athletes to understand that healthful choices can be made, whether it is eating fast foods or consuming caffeine-containing beverages. The answer to their most frequently asked questions is "it depends."