A sport nutritionist is vital to Team Jamaica

The nutritional needs of persons involved in sports are as wide and varied as the many different types of sports and the persons' age, gender and level of conditioning.

There is a concern that sport nutritionists/dietitian are not an integral part of the health management team of Jamaican sport persons. Training and conditioning goes hand in hand with proper nutrition, and the fuel that is vital for movement has its origins in the chemical bonds of food. The sport nutritionist is a health professional who works with the sport person in preparation for training and competition. Individual assessments are done so that specific nutritional long- and short-term needs are addressed.

Adequate energy

Special areas of concern and focus of the sport nutritionist include adequate energy and nutrient intake to promote nutritional well being; maintaining of the individual's recommended weight and body composition (as different sporting events dictate a recommended percentage of body fat in addition to muscle mass for peak performance); fuel and nourishment before and after competition; recovery after training and competition; recovery after injury and illness and hydration.

A concern was recently reported in The Sunday Gleaner about the absence of a "performance nutritionist" for the Jamaican athletic team to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Many of the problems identified surrounding the diet of the team (the fuel for performance) would have been avoided or minimised if a sport nutritionist was a member of this team. The sport nutritionist would be involved in long-term planning for the nutritional needs of the athletes, and so their fuel would not be left to chance.

Cultural differences

Personal likes and dislikes, culture, and individual nutritional needs would have been taken into consideration. The sport nutritionist would provide vital data to the caterers as to the best choices and amounts and scheduling for the athletes' fuel needs. Timing is crucial for consumption as some menus are best consumed before competition and others afterwards. This long-term plan would have ensured that the necessary menu items, where necessary, would be given pride of place and be transported to Daegu, since it is the fuel which would have ensured the athletes' performance.

For the sports nutritionist to be most effective, he or she must also be familiar with the unique demands of each sport. So, for example, it would be useful if it is not the same person working with the netball team, the football team and the track and field team. It would be more useful to have a nutritionist for each major programme as data gathering and research is vital to the advancement of management.

As we as a country cement our dominance in some of these sporting events and make inroads in others, we must add a sport nutritionist to the management/health team.

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.