Book review: Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Performance; A practical guide for students, sports enthusiasts and professionals
Sports nutrition is a continuously evolving evidence-based science where students are often faced with complex texts requiring an extensive background in the area. Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Performance addresses the fundamentals of sport and exercise nutrition in well-presented bite size chapter with practically applied context. The clear learning outcomes and key messages guides students and readers to the important material for each chapter. Understanding physiology and the application to nutrition in a sporting context is succinctly delivered in the first section. Defining exercise, types of sport, exercise and physiology terminology along with energy needs and metabolic pathways is expertly handled without overwhelming the reader. The regular chapters on digestion and macro and micronutrients are concise and include current topics including trans fats, probiotics, alcohol and antioxidants. Three very useful chapters; Translating nutrition: from nutrient to food, Introduction to diet planning and Working with athletes should be compulsory reading for any practitioner wishing to work with athletes in the area of sports nutrition. Part two addresses nutrition periodisation and provides a timely reminder that as athletes do not train the same each day, they should not eat the same and covers training and competition nutrition with range of approaches available (e.g. Train Low) and hydration. The chapter on sports supplements could have included information from the recent IOC series. The chapter on body composition provides a concise summary of the different options available and could have preceded the Introduction to diet planning. The remaining section on applied sports nutrition is presented by authors who are specialist in their fields in sports nutrition and give valuable insight into each chapter with practical examples and tables. The sectioning into sporting codes such as endurance, strength, team sports, weight classes and master’s athletes further reinforces the individualization of sports nutrition practices. Information on sports nutrition for para-athletes provides a solid introduction with a clear explanation of the categories, training age and nutrition issues with a spinal cord focus. The remaining chapters address topics of travel, climatic and environmental challenges, injury and gastrointestinal disturbances and are all well-presented addressing current knowledge and providing practical recommendations. Targeted specifically for the Pacific rim this text is a welcomed teaching resource for the undergraduate level and a valuable reference for athletes and emerging sports nutrition professionals.
Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Performance- A practical guide for students, sports enthusiasts and professionals, is a text edited by three experienced Australian dietitians, Regina Belski, Adrienne Forsyth and Evangeline Mantzioris. Belski is an Advanced Sports Dietitian and is Associate Professor of Dietetics and Course Director at Swinburne University of Technology. Forsyth is an Advanced Sports Dietitian and Accredited Exercise Physiologist and is the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Human Nutrition at La Trobe University. Mantzioris is an Accredited Sports Dietitian and is the Program Director for the Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of South Australia. This is a new comprehensive resource for sports nutrition and exercise science students, particularly undergraduate level and those new to the field. The book is sectioned into three parts and the chapters include: Energy for sport and exercise; Digestion and absorption of macronutrients in sport and exercise; Macronutrients; Translating nutrition: from nutrients to foods; Macronutrient periodization; and Sports supplements.
Available from Allen and Unwin book publishers RRP: $85 AU.
Reviewed by
Jeni Pearce
Performance Nutritionist, High Performance Sport New Zealand
