Sports Nutrition
Eating well to fuel your body is an important part of training and competing. Individual nutrition counseling can help you maximize health and performance.
Individual nutrition counseling appointments are free to UNH students who have paid the Health Services Fee. All appointments are with Maria Larkin, R.D., L.D., or a graduate intern.
Sessions are designed to meet the specific nutrient needs of each athlete:
Topics typically discussed include:
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Related Educational Information on Sports Nutrition and Fitness
- Food Guide Pyramid for Athletes
For optimal athletic performance, follow guidelines for a healthy diet in a food pyramid designed especially for athletes. - Are Muscle Spasms Cramping Your Style?
Muscle spasms often occur during or after prolonged exercise, but they can be treated with the right amount water, food and nutrients. - A Plan for Gaining Muscle
Strength training and eating well are the keys to gaining muscle. - Energy Bars
Energy bars are popular because they are easy to grab, carry and eat on the go. But which energy bar meets your nutrition and performance needs? - Finding Your Balance
Being an athlete in college requires the ability to balance athletics, academics and self-care. - Is Your Supplement Effective?
Knowing what supplements are effective and safe is important to collegiate athletes and those who like to work out regularly in their free time. - Eat to Compete, Maximize Performance
What you eat during and after the game is essential to performing you best. - Exercise for a Healthy Heart
Staying motivated and committed to an exercise program is essential to having a healthy heart. - Smashing the Myths of Sports Drinks
What you need to know about sports drinks and how to make your own? - Sports Nutrition Top Ten
Top 10 tips to eat well and perform your best. - Eat Smart for Morning Exercise
Eating before a workout performs two important functions: Your muscles receive a supply of needed energy for your workout and your body and brain get fuel and nutrients needed for daily living. - Nutrition Handouts
Pre-Exercise Meal and Snacks – Why Eat Anything? - Energy Drinks
Red Bull, Cocaine, Full Throttle, RockStar, Blak, Monster... Hype or Harm?
The Athlete's Kitchen by Nancy Clark
Nancy Clark is an internationally known nutrition author and sports nutritionist trusted by many top athletes. She is a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in nutrition for exercise and health and counsels casual exercisers and competitive athletes. Each month she publishes a newsletter called The Athlete's Kitchen.
October 2009 – Reforming Your Healthcare Policy: Food for Thought
Healthcare reform is a hot topic these days, not only in the news but also (hopefully) in your personal life. You likely already know that by eating well, exercising at least 150 minutes a week, and not smoking, you can reduce the risk of an early death by 80%. (That's a lot, eh?!) But your friends and family may not fully appreciate how much slacking off, underexercising, and gaining undesired body fat too easily leads to negative health consequences that cost us millions of dollars. Read more...
September 2009 – Sedentary Athletes: Sitting & Weighting
Imagine this: a lean, fit athlete who trains hard, eats heartily, and does not fret about getting fat. While this image holds true for some athletes, it seems far from reality for others. All too often, I listen to my clients complain, “I should be pencil thin for all the exercise I do.” Or they moan, “I eat like a bird compared to my friends...” How could this be? The answer is many athletes burn far fewer calories than they realize; they are actually couch potatoes the majority of the day. These seemingly active people can be surprisingly sedentary, apart from their purposeful exercise. Read more...
August 2009 – Calcium Concerns: Boning up Nutrition
In this month’s issue, Nancy Clark responds to common calcium concerns people have. Read more...
July 2009 – 2009 Sports Nutrition News from ACSM
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization. At ACSM's annual meeting in Seattle, May 27-30, 2009, over 5,000 exercise scientists, sports dietitians, physicians and health professionals gathered to share their research. Here are a few of the nutrition highlights. Read more...
June 2009 – Frequently Asked Sports Nutrition Questions
Time and again, athletes repeatedly ask questions about sugar, protein, supplements, caffeine, carbs, recovery, and body fat. To address these issues, an international group of sports nutritionists (Professionals in Nutrition & Exercise Science (PINES); www.sportsoracle.com) gathered in Seattle in May. Experts in their fields discussed the latest research and answered commonly asked questions. Perhaps the answers will help you resolve confusing nutrition issues. Read more...
May 2009 – Nuts and Athletes: Love 'em or leave 'em?
Athletes commonly have a love-hate relationship with nuts. They love them, but try to stay away from them. "I don't dare keep a jar of cashews in my house. I'd end up eating them all and gaining weight," complained one rower. Although she knows nuts are healthful and good for her, the over-ruling perception is nuts are "sooooo fattening." Read more...
April 2009 – Engineered Sports Foods: Convenience or Necessity?
Ramp up your training after a long winter by learning more about Engineered Sports Foods: Convenience or Necessity? Read more...
March 2009 – 2009 Sports Nutrition Guidelines
Hot off the press from three prominent nutrition and exercise associations—the American Dietetic Association, American College of Sports Medicine, and Dietitians of Canada—is the 2009 Joint Position Stand on Nutrition for Athletic Performance. Read more...
February 2009 – The Biggest Loser TV Contest: A Big Loser
What happens in the long run, when the Biggest Losers return to the real world with no personal trainer to snap the whip, with no pre-made, pre-portioned food, and no “fat camp” dedicated to full time weight loss? Inevitably, without rigid vigilance, the weight will return with a vengeance. The physiological response to starvation is to overcompensate (commonly known as “binge eating” or “blowing the diet”). This desire to over-eat has little to do with willpower and lots to do with physiology. Read more...
January 2009 – Body Image and Athletes
As a sports dietitian, I spend too many hours helping my clients find peace with their bodies. Most of these active people take the outside-in approach. They think if they change their body from the outside by losing undesired body fat or by adding some muscular bulk, they will be happier on the inside. Unfortunately, not true! Read more...
December 2008 – Healthy Recipes for the Holidays
This holiday season, as you search for the "perfect gift," remember that active people welcome gifts of good health—a loaf of bread warm from the oven, a tasty homemade dinner, a nutrition book. Here are a few recipes and book ideas. The recipes are from the new addition of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Read more...
November 2008 – Food and Nutrition Updates from the American Dietetic Association
If you are confused by the plethora of nutrition information that filters into the media, please look to the American Dietetic Association as a trusted resource for answers to your questions. Members of the ADA recently convened in Chicago to learn the latest information about food and nutrition. The following article highlights some of the presentation that might be of interest to active people. Read more...
October 2008 - Nutrition Issues in Underperforming Athletes, Part II
Here are six more missing links, with solutions to help underperforming athletes win. Read more...
September 2008 - Nutrition Issues in Underperforming Athletes
"Nutrition is my missing link. I have my training down, but my eating needs help." Time and again many fail to get desired results from their workouts. These busy people, who range from casual exercisers to competitive athletes, are eating at the wrong times, choosing the wrong balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat, drinking too little fluids, and consuming adequate iron. The question arises: How much better could these athletes perform? The answer is: Lots better! The following article highlights some common missing food links, and provides solutions that can help you to avoid these pitfalls... Read more...
August 2008 - Protein and Athletes
Protein is a hot topic among athletes of all sports. They want to know how much protein they need, when they should eat it, what's the best kind of protein, and if they should buy sports drinks with protein. The purpose of this article to answer some of these questions and leave you with this message: While adequate protein is important in your sports diet, protein should take it's place as the accompaniment to carbohydrates (grains, fruits, vegetables) in each meal and snack. Read more...
July 2008 – Start Your Engines: The ABC's of Sports Nutrition
Eating a performance-enhancing diet isn't easy, and for many athletes and active people, nutrition is their missing link. If that's your case, here are a few ABC's to get you started on the path to winning with good nutrition. Read more...
May 2008 - The Beat Goes On: Heart Health and Nutrition
Although exercise is one of the best ways to improve heart health, even athletes are not immune from heart disease. To address the topic of heart disease among active people, the Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition practice group of the American Dietetic Association featured heart health as the theme of their annual convention (April 2008, Boston). The following bits of information from that conference might inspire you eat wisely to keep your heart beating for a long and healthful lifetime. Read more...
April 2008 - Alcohol, Athletes & Pressure to Drink
College athletes are more likely to drink than non-athletes. Ask any coach or college athletic director, and you'll hear concern about alcohol and athletes. Alcohol abuse is rampant, as are negative consequences. Yet, tailgating before football games, quenching thirst at the pub after a team workout, and celebrating victories with champagne is perceived as the norm and gets perpetuated generation to generation. What can be done about this problem? Read more...
March 2008 - Athletes with Eating Disorders: Tips for Coaches, Family & Friends
Eating disorders can be devastating not only teams but also to families. Coaches and parents alike want their athletes to eat well and be healthy. The struggling athletes just want people to stop policing their eating and exercise. The athletes have difficulty talking about why they struggle with food; they instead communicate unhappiness by starving or stuffing their bodies. This distracts them from the pain of feeling "not good enough" and other hard feelings. Unfortunately, too many athletes struggle with food issues. Read more...
February 2008 – Do I Need So Many Vitamin Pills?
Question to Nancy: I am a 24 year old grad student who runs 6 miles a day. I take many, many vitamins each day, and am wondering if this is all a big hoax. I follow what books and doctors have told me along the way and am just trying to maintain my health. The pills are not only a hassle to take but are also expensive. Do I really need all of these? Read Nancy's response...
January 2008 – Strategies to Eat Better
More often than not, athletes ask me "What is a well balanced diet? What should I be eating to help me perform at my best?" They feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless list of nutrition don'ts. If you want to eat better but don't know where to start, here's a nutrition strategy that can help you fuel your body with a well balanced sports diet. Read more...
December 2007 – Nutrition Confusion
Confused about what to eat? You are not the only one! Even I get frustrated with the changing landscape. One week medical reporters tout the benefits of taking a vitamin, and then the next week, they tell us it does no good. One week, the message is don't eat eggs; another week, eggs are OK. Aarrrgh! To help resolve some of this confusion, the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy gathered experts to speak at a conference held in Boston (Oct. 2007). Here are some highlights about nutrition confusion that might be of interest to you. Read more...
November 2007 - Winning Nutrition Books: Good Gifts for Good Health
Each year brings a holiday season filled with athletes searching for the "perfect gift" for a friend, relative, or teammate. To make your shopping easier, I'm sharing a list of winning book suggestions for active people. Read more...
October 2007 - Weight Reduction Tips from the American Dietetic Association
As an athlete, you are likely lean and fit. But with more than 60% of Americans being overweight or obese, you undoubtedly know someone who struggles with how to shed undesired body fat. At the American Dietetic Association's annual convention (October '07, Philadelphia), nutrition researchers presented alternatives to the standard "eat less and exercise more" diet advice. Here's some food for thought on non-dieting ways to tackle weight problems. Read more...
September 2007 – Protein: Pros, Cons, and Confusion
Athletes who want to build muscles and recover well from workouts often feel confused by ads for protein supplements. They wonder how much and what kinds of protein they should consume—and if egg whites or chicken can do the job. The following information can help you optimize your protein intake—and your peace of mind. Read more...
August 2007 – Nutrition Web Sites for Athletes
Whether you want to analyze your sports diet, get an answer to your questions about creatine, or find a new recipe for chicken, you can get an amazing amount of high quality food, nutrition and health information on the Web. The trick is finding out what's quality information and what's hokum? Read more...
July 2007 - 2007 Sports Nutrition News from ACSM
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the nation's largest group of exercise scientists, sports medicine and sports nutrition professionals. Each year at the ACSM annual meeting, these experts present their latest research. Here's a small sample of the sports nutrition news for 2007. Read more...
May 2007 - Carbs: Quick, Slow, or Confusing?
Once upon a time, carbohydrates were referred to as simple or complex, sugars or starches. Today, the classification is more complicated; carbs are often ranked as quicker slow in a very complex system called the glycemic index. Read more...
