SPORTS NUTRITION PROJECT PAPER
Project: The goals of this project are to research current literature and design a case study interrelating sport science and nutrition. To begin the project, you
will need to select and identify:
• A sport or activity of interest to you
• A subject (cannot be yourself)
• 4 nutrition parameters (graduate students): Fluid, calories, carbohydrates, protein, etc.
Using these interests, you will do a literature search to lay the background for your paper. You need to submit documentation of 8 resources (graduate).
1. For the athlete that you choose, you will do a two day dietary recall to obtain the athlete’s current diet and print out the daily food log and reports. Use any
online analysis program you want, such as www.myplate.gov, www.loseit.com, or www.myfitnesspal.com. You must provide me with a copy of your recorded
food intake when you turn in the assignment. You can refer to the assignment from week one for steps on using the online analysis programs.
2. Compare the athlete’s current dietary intake to the recommended dietary needs based on your current literature search on the sport.
3. What are the athlete’s specific nutrition recommendations based on the main energy system being used and type of sport (strength/power, endurance,
ultraendurance, etc)?
4. Does the athlete’s diet meet the recommendation for your chosen nutrition parameters? If not, what are some specific recommendations that you would
make to the athlete to improve their diet to meet their nutritional needs? If they are meeting some or all of the nutritional requirements, what are they and w…
Sample Solution
For my case study I have chosen to focus on Swimming as the sport and a female collegiate swimmer as the subject. The 4 nutrition parameters that I will be focusing on are fluid intake, calories, carbohydrates, and protein.
In order to compile data for this project I conducted a literature search of 8 resources. To gain insight into optimal nutrient consumption for athletes engaging in swimming activities I consulted the following: 1) Sports Dietitians Australia’s “Nutrition Guidelines For Swimming” (2017), 2) The American College of Sports Medicine’s “Nutrition And Athletic Performance” (2016), 3) Emma J. Thornton’s article titled ‘The Role Of Nutrition In Enhancing Swim Performance’ from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism (2015), 4) Nanci Guest et al.’s paper ‘Nutritional Intake Among Elite Female Synchronized Swimmers’ published in International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism (2013), 5) Marie Dunford et al.’s paper ‘Dietary Habits Of National Team Vs Age Group Competitive Swimmers’ from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism (2000). 6-8 ) Two additional sources were used which provided general information regarding best nutritional practices while training such as Eating Well’s “Fueling Up Before Workouts” (2019). Additionally an overview offered by Gwen Hurst titled “Swim Training Nutrition” was also referenced.(Sports Dietitians Australia 2017;American College of Sports Medicine 2016 ;Thornton 2015 ;Guest et al 2013 ;Dunford et al 2000;Eating Well 2019;Hurst )
In addition to consulting scholarly articles relevant to my topic I also completed a two day dietary recall on behalf of my subject. Utilizing MyPlate online analysis program it was possible to track total caloric intake, grams consumed for each macronutrient and daily servings within various food groups including fruits/vegetables, grains and proteins/dairy among others.(MyPlate 2019). All results were printed out and submitted along with this assignment providing tangible evidence supporting dietary habits currently engaged in by my subject individual.
