Manitoba Sport Nutrition Network

10/06/2022

Want to learn more about Female Athlete Health? Sign up for this exciting and informative virtual webinar! The event takes place on Tuesday Oct. 11, 2022 at 2:00 pm central. Email jorie@cscm.ca by Oct 9 to register!

03/02/2018

Just a reminder that our awesome event, "Can Nutrition be a Tool to Protect Against or Treat Concussions" will be happening in less then two weeks!!

Follow the link below to find out more, and to register for this exciting event!

http://cscm.ca/programs/manitoba-sport-nutrition-network/

Whether you're a Registered Dietitian, Physiotherapist, Athletic Therapist, Sport Physician, nutrition student, coach, or athlete, this is an important topic to discuss! If interested, please register by March 9th!

The Manitoba Sport Nutrition Network is hosting another amazing sports nutrition session that expands beyond only sports dietitians. Can Nutrition be a Tool to Protect …

01/30/2018

Thank you to all the MSNN members who came out to our MSNN social night! Definitely a lot of learning, chatting, and networking done. Special thanks to the Tri-Chairs for organizing everything, as well as to Jorie for hosting all of us! Overall, a great night with some great people!

Keep an eye out for our next continuing education coming out in March, details to follow soon!

01/24/2018

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to a scheduling conflict with our location, we are no longer able to host our MSNN Social Night event there. However, one of our board members has graciously offered to host our event at their household!

Please RVSP with Tennile Sonnichsen at tsonnichsen@gmail.com by noon this Thursday receive the address. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Sincerely,
~ The MSNN Team

11/27/2017

“Are all supplements safe to use?”
While food should always be the first choice, supplements are still a valid and beneficial tool when used correctly. Creatine can improve anaerobic performance, caffeine can improve alertness and reduce exhaustion, and protein powder can help increase total protein intake, especially if an athlete is reducing the amount of food they eat to meet a weight class.

However, not all dietary and sport supplements are created equal, and some may even be detrimental to an athlete, depending on how the supplement was made, tested, and used. To preface this, several sports follow the World Anti-Doping Association code, which outlines banned substances not allowed for usage in competition. Examples of banned substances include (but are not limited to) certain steroids, hormones, stimulants, and growth factors.

Thus, it’s important to know that whatever supplement being used will not contain these banned substances that could lead to a positive drug result. For example, a supplement may utilize or be contaminated by a stimulant that is on the WADA banned list. If an athlete's uses this “contaminated” supplement, and they are tested during competition, a positive reading can occur. In this scenario, the athletes performance in the competition is forfeited, and their career may potentially be at stake, depending on the sport and federation.

In order to verify whether a supplement is “clean” and safe to use leading up to and during competition, there are several databases available that are run by 3rd parties which test and confirm if a supplement is “safe” or not. Examples of these third parties include “NSF Sport” and “Informed Choice”.

Overall, supplements can be a viable and beneficial tool that can aid an athlete's training, recovery, and performance. However, it is important to verify that any supplements being used are safe, high quality, and approved for competition. Supplements can be a tricky subject, and a Registered Dietitian specializing in sport can help you with the process!

WADA 2018 Banned Substance Document:
https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/prohibited_list_2018_en.pdf

Third Party Supplement Testing Databases:
http://www.nsfsport.com/
http://informed-choice.org/

10/30/2017

“Minerals & Athletic Performance”

Last week, vitamins were discussed, and this week we’ll examine minerals. Minerals are inorganic substances that are found naturally in food, and are required for many biological and metabolic processes in the body. This can include muscle contraction, oxygen transport, immune function, nerve signals, and more. Some major minerals include (but not limited to) zinc, magnesium, calcium, and iron.

Zinc and magnesium are each part of roughly 300 enzymes in the body. Zinc is involved in muscle energy production, and protein synthesis. Magnesium is involved with muscle contractions, protein synthesis, and oxygen delivery. Calcium important role is the maintenance of healthy strong bones, especially in response to the demands of sport. Poor calcium status can be a problem with young women involved in weight class based sports.

Iron is a critical part of oxygen transport in the body, which is especially important for athletes performing endurance, aerobic-based exercise. A deficiency can result not only in poor performance, but poor health too, in the form of iron-based anemia. This is also a potential issue for those in weight class or endurance based sport, particularly for women. A more detailed post about iron and athletes is linked below.

Thus, it is important to ensure that athlete is consuming an adequate diet for their health and sport. While supplementation of minerals will not necessarily improve performance in a properly-nourished athlete, any decreases in performance caused by a mineral deficiency may be fixed by correcting the mineral deficiency. A Registered Dietitian will be able to assist in these matters!

Curious about finding a Registered Dietitian specializing in sport? Find out more at our page.
http://www.mbsportnutritionnetwork.org/

Iron & Female Athletes:
https://www.facebook.com/MBSportNutritionNetwork/posts/564321507111575

Sources:
https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Factsheets/Vitamins-and-Minerals-for-Athletes.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129162/

Providing Nutrition Support Fo r Gold Medal Performance

10/23/2017

“Vitamins & Athletic Performance”

The micronutrients can be overlooked by athletes and sport professionals alike, but they are an important component in maintaining health, and in some cases, can affect performance as well. Vitamins are essential organic substances that need to be consumed, as they are part of many metabolic processes in the body. Some vitamins relevant to performance include (but limited to) the B-vitamins, Vitamin C & E, and Vitamin D.

Many of the B-Vitamins are involved in metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and help with releasing energy and repairing tissues. Vitamin B12 is a particular important B-vitamin, helping maintain healthy blood cells and nervous system, thus helping with oxygen delivery and muscle activation. Deficiency in the B-vitamins can impair anaerobic and aerobic performance in athletes.

Vitamin C and E are considered anti-oxidants, and protect the body’s cells from damage. Vitamin C has been shown to improve performance when an athlete is Vitamin C deficient, but in a well-nourished athlete Vitamin C has no noticeable effect. Provided the athlete is well-nourished, anti-oxidant supplements should not be necessarily taken, as research has been mixed on its positive and negative effects.

Vitamin D is important for maintaining healthy bones, helping with absorption of calcium, and also helps with ensuring muscles are working properly. Some research has suggested a positive relationship between Vitamin D and decreased risk of stress fracture, inflammation, and other injuries. Vitamin D intake may be of particular concern for athletes, especially in areas with less exposure to sunshine.

Overall, a focus should be placed on getting adequate vitamins through a well-planned and adequate diet. However, vitamin supplements may be beneficial, such as athletes in weight-class sports, who live in northern climates, or who are vegan. A Registered Dietitian can help with these kind of situations!

Curious about finding a Registered Dietitian specializing in sport? Check out our page here!
http://www.mbsportnutritionnetwork.org/

Food sources of vitamins can be found here:
https://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Vitamins.aspx

Sources:
https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Public/noap-position-paper.aspx
https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Factsheets/Vitamins-and-Minerals-for-Athletes.aspx
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-1-2-1

Providing Nutrition Support Fo r Gold Medal Performance

10/16/2017

“The Importance of Proper Protein Intake”

Proper and appropriate protein intake is important for all individuals, some requiring more, or less, than others. Athletes are one population that will tend to require more, with the amount depending on their background, bodyweight, and sport of choice. Getting the adequate amount of protein is important for supporting muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition development. You can find our post about specific protein requirements below!

While several amino acids (building blocks of protein) can be made in the body, there are nine amino acids which cannot be made. These are called “Essential Amino Acids” (EAA), and can instead be supplied to the body through food and supplements. Generally speaking, protein should be acquired through food, as food also contains important nutrients (such as vitamins & minerals) which are important for maintaining health. However, supplements (such as protein powder) can be considered in certain circumstances, and are beneficial tools when used properly.

Some good sources of proteins include most meat products (chicken, beef, eggs) some dairy products (milk, yogurt), some seafood products (fish), and certain plant products (beans, lentils, tofu).

However, it should be noted that animal products have a higher biological value (better utilized by the body) and contain all nine EAA, while plant products do not, and have a lower biological value. However, having a combination of different plant products, and adjusted intake can help compensate for this!

A Registered Dietitian here can help ensure that your protein intake is adequate, and well-planned, for your sport and training!

Check out our page here for more details about getting in contact with our members!
http://www.mbsportnutritionnetwork.org/

How much protein do we need?
https://www.facebook.com/MBSportNutritionNetwork/posts/574350762775316

10/09/2017

10/02/2017

Good morning everyone!

The ISNN has released a 2017 stance on nutrient timing, and covers a range of interesting sport nutrition topics topics such as strategies for glycogen replenishment, protein ingestion and timing, pre- and post-training nutrition, and hydration strategies.

Check out the details below!

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review regarding the timing of macronutrients in reference to healthy, exercising adults and in particular highly trained individuals on exercise performance and body composition. The following points summarize t...

09/25/2017

Hello everyone!

For anyone whom may be in the area at the time, or is interested, the CNS will be hosting "Advances in Nutrition from Daily Living to High Performance Sport" in Toronto on Saturday, January 13th, 2018.

Check out the posters below for more detail!