"I have a coach and my training is down to a science, but nutrition is my missing link." "My diet is horrible. I train hard but eat junk." "I feel as though I am not getting the results I want from my training. Maybe my diet needs some tweaking??
Many athletes train hard but fail to fuel their bodies at the right times with the right foods. Sound familiar? If so, you might want to think about getting a nutrition check up with a sports dietitian. While many coaches, exercise physiologists, personal trainers and health professionals offer nutrition advice, only registered dietitians (RDs) have the training that makes them professionally recognized as the nutrition experts.

To find your local sports dietitian, go to the American Dietietic Association's website, www.eatright.org. (The American Dietetic Association is the nation's largest group of nutrition professionals.) Put your zipcode into the Find A Nutrition Professional referral network. A second referral network is available at www.SCANdpg.org, the website of SCAN, the sports nutrition practice group of the ADA.

Coming in the near future, when looking for your sports dietitian, you should choose one with the initials RD, CSSD -- that's the registered dietitian who is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. Because sports nutrition has become such a specialized field, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (the agency that credentials RDs for the American Dietietic Association) has seen the need for specialized education for registered dietitians who work with athletes. Only RDs who have met specific requirements in education and work experience in sports dietetics and have passed a qualifying exam will be eligible for this prestigious title. This sports nutrition certification will ensure you get the best information to help you win with nutrition.

Also coming in the near future is an international organization of Professionals in Nutrition for Sports and Exercise (PINES). The mission of PINES is to promote optimal performance, health and injury prevention for competitive and recreational athletes worldwide, through nutrition and exercise research, education and practice by qualified nutrition and exercise professionals. The vision is that athletes worldwide, regardless of country or economic status, will have access to quality nutrition and exercise education and advice. Currently, members of Sports Dietetics-USA (a branch of SCAN) are working with Sports Dietetics-Australia and sports dietitians in many other countries to bring this fledgling organization quickly to fruition.

No more excuses about nutrition being the missing link in anyone's training program...!