Miriam E. Nelson

Nutrition education for elite female runners

In brief: Suboptimal nutrition practices that may limit performance and promote injury prevail even among informed top competitors. A survey of the dietary habits of elite female runners showed that while most do fuel themselves with nutritious foods, others in the group only believe they eat wisely (but actually may have a suboptimal intake), and still others exist on hit-or-miss nutrition habits. The authors review the characteristic eating patterns, nutrition knowledge, and attitudes about body weight and food in this group of athletes, and recommend ways to counteract their performance-limiting habits.