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Introduction

This information was prepared by professors Louise Burke (Australia) and Ron Maughan (UK) for the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Commission and is based on the conclusions of the IAAF Consensus Conference on Nutrition for Athletes, held in Monaco in April 2007.

The information in this article is designed to provide an overview of the latest guidelines in sports nutrition. While there is no such thing as a magic diet or food, there are many ways in which eating and drinking well can allow athletes at all levels of performance to achieve the special goals of their training. It makes no sense to train hard and ignore the benefits that follow from good food choices.

A well-chosen diet offers many benefits to all runners, irrespective of sex, age, distance or level of competition. Eating well will help you:

  • Achieve optimum gain from your training programme;
  • Enhance your recovery within and between workouts and events;
  • Attain and maintain your ideal body weight and physique;
  • Reduce the risk of injury and illness;
  • Boost your confidence in being well-prepared for events;
  • Help you become a more consistent runner;
  • Increase your enjoyment of food and social eating occasions.

Despite these advantages, many athletes do not meet their nutrition goals. Common problems and challenges include:

  • Poor knowledge of foods and drinks and inadequate cooking skills;
  • Poor choices when shopping or dining out;
  • Poor or outdated knowledge of sports nutrition;
  • Inadequate finances;
  • Busy lifestyle leading to inadequate time to obtain or consume appropriate foods;
  • Poor availability of good food and drink choices;
  • Indiscriminate use of supplements and sports foods.