Sports participation opportunities for individuals with impairments are increasing. Whether an athlete is beginning a sport or competing on the world stage for a podium finish, nutrition is recognized as being integral to optimizing their health, training capacity, and performance. Some athletes with impairments are physiologically similar to their able-bodied counterparts, whereby the application of sports nutrition principles is straightforward. However, athletes with certain impairments require a very individualized approach when applying these principles in a practical way.

Fully updated and expanded, this second edition of Sports Nutrition for Paralympic Athletes is an essential resource for sports nutrition practitioners who work alongside athletes with an impairment, whether that be physical, visual, hearing, or intellectual. In addition to chapters devoted to each impairment type, this book covers specific areas including medical considerations, body composition, supplements, and practical aspects that can be applied across all athletes and sports. Case studies and messages from athletes and world-class coaches enhance the application of theoretical research into practice providing the most relevant sports nutrition advice to Para athletes.

Features

• New chapters on energy availability in Para athletes and cooling and hydration for the Para athlete

• Concise review of current sports nutrition recommendations for athletes, both during training and in competition

• Provides practical guidance and examples on how to apply sports nutrition principles to each impairment type

• Includes real life experiences of Para athletes, elite coaches, and practitioners

• Encompasses wider topics of assessing body composition, medical considerations, and supplement use specific to Para athletes

• Features insight and experiences gained by practitioners over the three major Paralympic Games since the first edition

Sports nutrition can be the difference between being competitive and making the podium. With the rapidly increasing Paralympic profile, this book is valuable for professionals endeavoring to give their athletes the competitive edge - it challenges, stimulates, and drives future research in this area to continue to improve the delivery of this intrinsic component of athlete preparation.

About the Author
Elizabeth Broad, PhD, has been the Senior Sports Dietitian, US Paralympics at the US Olympic Committee since August 2013, and is based at the Chula Vista training center. Liz has been a sports dietitian for 25 years. She has worked with a wide range of sports in Australia, Scotland and the USA, from development through to both professional and elite Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Liz is also a Level 3 anthropometrist (body composition assessment). Liz has worked at 2 Olympic games, and 3 Paralympic Games (London with Team Australia, Sochi and Rio with Team USA).

Reviews

'In this second edition, Broad expands the coverage to include new data on body energy, temperature control, and hydration, for example, also adding new case studies that convey practical experiences and insights gained in the course of three major Paralympic events held since first publication. This work has been vital to establishing the recognition that Paralympic athletes are unique and have specific needs demanding that practitioners modify traditional practices to address their situation. Nutrition is a small yet essential part of performance enhancement, and Paralympic athletes can benefit tremendously from knowing how best to fuel their bodies to support competition. This text presents a wide variety of essential topics including, for example, nutritional requirements of specific types of para-athletes (those with cerebral palsy; amputees; and those with perceptual or intellectual impairments, to name a few), and challenges or barriers to effectively delivering nutrition information to such athletes. By identifying the population of Paralympic athletes and providing the rationale for specialized study of nutrition for this group, Broad provides tremendous service to the field. As this volume makes clear, Paralympic athletes are indeed athletes, but their nutrition needs can be unusual.'

-- C. Hauff, University of South Alabama in Choice Connect vol. 57 (2020)

'The book is laid out like other sport nutrition books, but it really delves into the unique needs of Paralympic athletes, highlighting the challenges to dietary changes in para athletes, differences in hydration, fiber, and clinical needs. [...] Some unique chapters that will not be found elsewhere cover nutrition and spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and acquired brain injuries, as well as the medical issues, pharmacology, and nutrient interactions. The chapter on assessment of body composition gives a thorough overview of assessment tools used: surface anthropometry; air displacement plethysmography; dual energy x-ray absorptiometry; and bioelectrical impedance. [...] The chapter discussing practical sports nutrition and challenges focuses on the specific needs and practical guidance for food preparation in the kitchen.'

-- Amy Hess Fischl, University of Chicago Medical Center

Book Information
ISBN 9781138589001
Author Elizabeth Broad
Format Hardback
Page Count 366
Imprint CRC Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 680g