Sport Nutrition for Coaches is a complete resource for coaches looking to ensure that athletes achieve optimal performance through proper nutrition. In its practical and easy-to-understand format, this text supplies coaches, personal trainers, and fitness specialists with a wide range of information, including balancing nutrients, monitoring supplement use, and dealing with disordered eating. This book also contains several planning tools that can help readers to put the information and strategies to use. As one of only two nutrition books on the market geared toward coaches, this is a valuable resource for people working with athletes. This comprehensive guide for coaches is divided into three parts. Part I covers the basics of nutrition for athletes. It includes information on proper nutrients, hydration, supplements, and overall diet as well as eating schedules for competitive events and eating to reduce body fat or build muscle. Part II describes how coaches should train athletes with unique circumstances, including those who follow vegan diets and athletes with eating disorders. Part III offers coaches advice on helping their athletes plan healthy diets. Sport Nutrition for Coaches is unlike any other book on the market not only because of its simple format and ample information but also because it gives coaches the tools they need in order to create their own sport nutrition plan for their teams. Coaches who complete the tasks highlighted in the text to create a Coach's Notebook will have a custom-made resource for implementing proper nutrition with their teams. And readers can use the many tables and forms available in the book to develop their sport nutrition plan. With its practical information and resources, Sport Nutrtion for Coaches is sure to guarantee coaches success in helping their athletes to be fit and healthy with proper nutrition.

Author Biography

Leslie J. Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN is the director of sport nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is a certified specialist of sport dietetics, and she has been working in the areas of sport nutrition and general nutrition for over 20 years. Bonci works with sport teams and athletes at all levels. Her work at the professional level includes consulting with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers as well as the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She also works with the University of Pittsburgh and University of Texas at Austin athletic departments and with coaches and athletes at 45 high schools. Bonci also works with Olympic athletes as a member of the USOC sport nutrition network. In addition to working with these organizations, Bonci has been a featured speaker at several conferences, including the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the American Dietetic Association, and state coaches' meetings. She is a regular contributor to the Training and Conditioning Journal and has appeared on NBC's The Today Show. In her spare time, Bonci enjoys running, weight training, and watching all levels of sporting events. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Frederick, and two sons, both of whom are athletes.