Infuse Infuse 9 September 2019 | Page 21

S
port is big business - elite
teams are corporate
entities, professional athletes
have limited careers, and the
every day runner is the target of
sportswear brands. When
interrupted time to training directly
impacts athletic performance (and in
some cases money), the role of a sports
dietitian is to help minimize the risk of illness and injury.
We asked Sports Dietitian Jessica Spendlove, who works with some of Australia’s
leading professional sports teams to share her strategies on preventing and managing
injury and illness in the athletic population.
1. Food First
Image courtesy of
GIANTS Media
Ensuring athletes are at a minimum
meeting Dietary Guidelines for fruit
and vegetable intake, in particular
vegetables, is instrumental to making
sure athletes are healthy, and able to
train and perform at their best.
2. Carbohydrates are King
Ingesting carbohydrates during and
after intense training, not only provides
performance and recovery benefits,
it also assists in reducing cortisol; the
stress hormone elevated during intense
exercise. This action can also help
minimise the risk of certain illnesses
including upper respiratory tract
infections (URTIs).
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© Dietitian Connection
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Infuse | September 2019