Appropriate dietary intake can improve athletes’ health and sport performance and is a direct result of eating behaviours. Therefore, assessing and shaping athletes’ eating behaviours and dietary intake is critical to the provision of sport nutrition services. As such, nutrition practitioners must also consider the determinants of eating behaviours. However, dietary intake, eating behaviours, and its determinants are inconsistently defined in the literature, requiring nutrition practitioners to navigate a complicated landscape of concepts and terminology. This is further complicated by limitations in practically measuring and influencing eating behaviours and dietary intake. The proposed Athlete Nutrition Development Approach was developed to aid practitioners in servicing decisions through the athlete development process, through a three-tiered approach to sport nutrition service delivery. Tier 1 addresses the determinants of eating behaviours, Tier 2 directly addresses eating behaviours and dietary intake, and Tier 3 addresses the consequences of dietary intake in relation to health and sport performance. Each tier includes tools for assessment and development.
Little is known about athletes’ perceptions of emerging dietary guidance on plant-based diets (PBD). To explore knowledge and perceptions of PBD among competitive and recreational athletes, an online survey was developed, pilot tested, and sent via email to athletes recruited from 2 Canadian post-secondary institutions. Survey questions explored athletes’ understanding and views of the proposed Canadian dietary guidelines emphasizing plant-based proteins. Data were analyzed using grounded theory approaches. Forty-eight athletes participated in the survey. Two major themes emerged: (i) athletes had mixed perceptions of plant-based eating (PBE) and (ii) athletes associated PBE with broader food system concerns. Athletes have the potential to be important advocates of healthy and sustainable eating among peer groups and the general public. For effective promotion of PBE, the unique nutrient requirements and performance goals of athletes should be considered. Messaging to encourage a flexible rather than strict view of PBD may be a more feasible and acceptable approach when working with athletes.
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