Paralympic athletes and sports nutrition
Ten years ago the majority of Paralympic athletes would have received little to no sports nutrition information or servicing from a qualified sports nutrition practitioner. In fact, they’d have been very lucky at all to receive much recognition for their athletic ability or much funding from their home country. Fortunately this is progressively changing, with increasing recognition globally for the Paralympic movement and greater investment by countries into their Paralympic athletes. With this, more and more sports nutrition professionals are being asked to work with a Paralympic athlete – and a few are having the great fortune to be able to work with them in a full time capacity.
Many nutrition professionals face working with their first Para athlete with a slight sense of trepidation. First and foremost, the things you learn very quickly are:
- They’re just like any other athlete who’s trying to squeeze the very best out of themselves on a competitive stage. Once you present the opportunity to them to turn nutrition into a tool to further advance their goals, they will jump on board.
- At some point, you have to stop and really think about the practical application of the knowledge you have and how to translate that into something that works for them. The really cool thing about this is that Para athletes are a great partner in working out how to do that. Adapting to the world is something they do every day, and they know their bodies pretty well. If you explain to them what and why you might want to change something they’re doing, they can help you work out the how.
- Never assume something and don’t be afraid to ask a question if it helps you problem solve.
The range of athletes, impairment types, and practical nutrition strategies you may need to consider are beyond the scope of this article to go into details. Every Para athlete is an n of 1 problem solving exercise. Even athletes with a similar impairment in the same sport can experience different issues for which your sports nutrition advice could apply. They are also likely to have one or more clinical nutrition issues, for which you may not have the expertise to manage and hence may need to involve a clinical nutrition practitioner as part of your support plan. The following table provides some examples of factors that may need to be considered when working with Para athletes. A more comprehensive review of determining energy requirements of Para athletes has been provided by Broad and Juzwiak (2018).
