Healthy eating should always be a priority, but it’s even more important for athletes who need extra calories to fuel their sports performance while still growing. Athletes need enough calories to achieve peak performance. Without enough calories, their bodies may break down rather than build muscle.

What is a Sports Dietitian?

A sports dietitian provides individual and group/team nutrition counseling and education to enhance the performance of competitive and recreational athletes.

Some responsibilities include: 

  • Counseling individuals and groups on daily nutrition for performance and health;
  • Translating the latest scientific evidence into practical sports nutrition recommendations;
  • Serving as a food and nutrition resource for coaches, trainers, and parents;
  • Providing sports nutrition education to athletic teams, and community groups.

What type of nutrition services and counseling do we offer? 

  • Nutrition assessment and analysis of current diet;
  • Determining caloric needs, protein needs, hydration needs and other macro- and micro-nutrient needs;
  • Sport-related improvement through better nutrition;
  • Under- or over-nourished athletes;
  • Weight gain or weight loss;
  • Body fat assessment (triceps skinfold) for athletes;
  • Female Athlete Triad (syndrome involving energy deficiency, menstrual disturbances and bone mass loss);
  • Meal planning for athletes;
  • Food/supplement selection and buying advice for athletes;
  • Specialty diets (i.e. plant-based, allergy/intolerance restrictions, etc.) in athletes;
  • Help to manage gastrointestinal symptoms during performance;
  • Recovery from injury;
  • Medical condition (i.e. low iron, compromised bone health) related to poor nutrition for active, otherwise healthy, individuals;
  • Specific sport (i.e. gymnastics, running, baseball, etc.) nutrition consultation.

About Your Visit

If possible, please keep a detailed food log of everything you eat and drink during a three-day period to help our dietitian have a better understanding of your eating habits. You don't need a special form. Just write everything down, including the time of day, your best estimate of the portion size, and the specific brand of food you have eaten. Bring it with you on the day of your appointment.

Typically, a visit will last one hour and include nutritional analysis, evaluation, and a nutrition prescription. Follow-up is encouraged, but not required. Body composition testing is available by request and will be done by skinfold calipers and/or bioelectrical impedance, a method based on the rate at which an electrical current travels through the body.  

Payment 

Not all insurance companies cover nutrition services. If your insurance company does not cover this service, we offer a self-pay option. The self-pay rate is $96 for an initial visit and $48 for a follow-up appointment and collected at the time of your visit.

A referral order is required for patient's who choose to bill their insurance company.

Setting Up An Appointment

Call CHKD’s Sports Medicine office at (757) 668-7850 to schedule an appointment with our dietitian.