Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Third Edition
Author: Nancy Clark, MS, RD
Publisher: Human Kinetics
PO Box 5076, Champaign, Il 61825-5076
Telephone: 1-800-747-4457
Web site: www.HumanKinetics.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com 2003, paperback, 406 pp, $18.95
ISBN: 0-7360-4602-X


Book review

The author, Nancy Clark, is a well-known and highly respected authority in sports nutrition. The third edition of this popular guidebook continues the tradition of high quality, practical nutrition guidance for health, fitness, and sport performance. The target audience is physically active individuals.
The book is especially valuable for busy people who aspire to eat well for high energy, weight management, and optimal performance in sport, recreation, and everyday activities. A hallmark of this book is the authoris easy-going, direct, positive style that effectively translates nutrition science into practical tips for fueling active lifestyles. Applying key themes, such as a recommendation to eat at regular intervals, in various ways adds value to the guidance and relevance for the reader.
The book is divided into three parts: (1) eating strategies for high energy;
(2) balancing weight and activity; and (3) winning recipes. The first part focuses on a nutrition plan for overall health, tips for eating around exercise (before, during, and after activity), and relationships among nutrition, hydration, energy level, and performance. Information new or revised for this edition includes the following: benefits of consuming whole grains and dietary fiber, healthful types and amounts of fat, dietary calcium as protection against high blood pressure, current information on glycemic index, controversies regarding carbohydrate, protein intake for activity, carbohydrate and protein consumption in recovery after exercise, fluid guidelines, and sport supplements.

The second part deals with body fat assessment and interpretation, body fat loss, muscle mass gain, body image, and eating disorders. These issues are addressed in an empathetic, reassuring, non-judgmental style that is characteristic a professional with extensive experience in nutrition counseling. A key theme is recognizing hunger as a request for fuel.
Practical nutrition strategies address body weight management, food obsessions, and amenorrhea among active women.

The third part offers cooking and food safety tips and more than 65 recipes contributed by fitness enthusiasts, chefs, and sports nutrition professionals. The recipes consist of quickly prepared items that are tasty, attractive, and combine a variety of food groups.
The appendices include readings, resources, web sites, selected references, and tips on becoming a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist. The book effectively intermixes the text with tables, sidebars, and illustrations. Sections on popular diets, energy bars versus standard foods, a iportion distortioni comparison, and responses to questions by clients add interest and ancillary information. A sidebar labeled entitled, iWhatis the best time to eat?i is an asset for counselors, athletes, and coaches.
Working back from the time of various competitive events, this section provides concise, practical, and accurate guidance for pre-event fueling.

In summary, I highly recommend this book for health and fitness enthusiasts, recreational and competitive athletes, registered dietitians, and health and fitness professionals. This book sets standards for accuracy and currency of sports nutrition information, application of scientific research to practical situations, and an effective communication style that explains how to eat wisely and well. Sports nutritionists will benefit from the varied experiences and communication skills presented by this author. For those who own earlier editions, updated information makes this edition a worthwhile investment.

Submitted by:

Patti Steinmuller, MS, RD
Adjunct Instructor, Food and Nutrition
Department of Health and Human Development Montana State University-Bozeman Bozeman, MT 59717-0336
Phone: 406-994-6338
Fax: 406-994-6314
Email: pattis@montana.edu