The food we eat not only influences our health but also the performance we obtain when doing intense physical exercise. If you are thinking of turning to a sports nutritionist, look at the requirements that a good professional must meet in order to give you the support you need.
Sports nutrition is a specialty within the general training that a dietitian-nutritionist must have. We know that an adequate diet is basic to stay healthy, but if you practice sports intensively and regularly, having good advice on what you should include and avoid in your diet is essential when it comes to improving your scores and reaching your goals. .
The functions of a sports nutritionist are complex and varied. Its performance is comparable to that performed by a personal trainer, although, in this case, it is focused on the area of your diet, directly related to your state of health and your performance in sport.
How should a sports nutritionist be to meet your expectations?
If you want your diet to become the best alidade for practicing the exercise you do, the advice, specific feeding programs and monitoring of your diet that the sports nutritionist performs will be magnificent tools for you to progress in your workouts and achieve unbeatable health and fitness.
If you are going to use the services of one of these professionals, check that they meet the following requirements:
1. Training
Being a sports nutritionist requires specific training. Some universities already offer undergraduate studies in this matter. There are also many physical trainers who have completed their training with specialization courses in nutrition for sports. It is not about demanding titles, but about confirming that the person who is going to direct your diet, for a series of months, has the necessary knowledge to do so with all the guarantees.
2. Empathy
Of course, your sports nutritionist must “connect” with you, because you must have enough confidence to expose your needs, the difficulties you encounter and, also, your goals. Good communication is essential to stick to a diet and follow eating habits that are probably new to you and, perhaps, will put you extra effort in the first few weeks.
3. Personalized program
If any diet must be individual and unique, in the case of an athlete even more so. Your nutritionist must be able to adapt to your personal characteristics and what the sports activity you do requires. Before giving you any dietary guidelines, he will have to assess your general physical conditions and your state of health: weight, height, muscle mass, metabolism, type of your body (endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph) … In addition, he must offer you a specific diet for your sport. Nutritionally, a runner or swimmer does not require the same proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats as a person who practices weightlifting.
4. Ability to adapt
We are not machines nor do we always perform the same type of exercises, therefore, a good sports dietitian will know at all times what you need and will be able to offer you specific eating plans for each situation. Maybe you have to modify your menus because you are in a training stage aimed at gaining muscle volume, or maybe you have to increase the proportion of carbohydrates because you are in the last phase of preparing a race speed test.
5. Adequate follow-up
Checking that your health is optimal and that the prescribed diet is giving good results is a fundamental mission of a sports nutrition professional. He must determine not only the foods that are best for you, but even the times in which you should eat the main meals of the day. This monitoring will allow you to monitor important aspects such as your level of recovery after exercise, the progressive increase in your strength and resistance and will make you alert to be able to detect any eating disorder or health problem that could be related to the lack of some kind nutrient (vitamins, minerals, insufficient hydration.
If sport is part of your life, put yourself in good hands and seek the best advice when following the diet that can most help you achieve your goals in a healthy way.
