The integration of environmental sustainability in the athlete’s plate nutrition educational tool
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Dietary choices have a direct impact on the environment, contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity among others. Furthermore, food choices influence health. Red meat and processed foods high in sugar, salt, are associated with chronic disease and cancer. Recent recommendations are calling for “The Great Food Transformation” with significant reductions in meat and processed food to improve both planetary and human health. While some dietary guidelines are starting to include envi- ronmental concepts in the general population, a better understanding of the environmental impact (EnvI) of food production and consumption patterns is needed to support its inclusion also in active individuals and athletes. \nThe aim of this research was to validate the Athlete’s Plate (AP) nutrition educational tool, calculate its EnvI and integrate sustainability principles in a revised AP. The AP is a visual tool for athletes and active individuals to adjust food intake to training load. In athletes energy and nutrient needs exceed those of the general population to ensure maintenance of health and promote optimum adaptation to training. Sport nutrition guidelines are generally focused on higher energy, carbohydrate and fat intake with in- creased training load. Further, the quality of nutrients, especially from animal protein, is a critical element of the athlete’s diet for optimal muscle development and repair. While protein recommendations are rel- atively modest for athletes, recent evidence and trends show higher amounts, especially from meat and dairy. This raises concern, as these foods contribute to environmental degradation. In addition, there is a significant gap in research on plant-based diets relative to muscle protein balance. Considering that animal protein has a higher EnvI than plant protein, it is important to evaluate the AP to ensure it meets sport nutrition guidelines and is practically useful in athletes, to quantify the EnvI of the AP through Life Cycle Assessment and identify hotspots to decrease impact in athletes, and to develop a revised AP that meets both guidelines for sport nutrition and sustainability. \nContribution I, “Eat as If You Could Save the Planet and Win!” Sustainability Integration into Nutrition for Exercise and Sport analyzes the current body of literature and highlights the need for better inclusion of sustainability in sport nutrition. Contribution II, Validation of the Athlete’s Plate Nutrition Educational Tool: Phase I, confirms the AP as a valid sport nutrition tool for energy and macronutrients except for pro- tein. Contribution III, The Athlete’s Plate Education Program: An Experiential Intervention, shows that the program provides athletes sufficient knowledge to apply the AP model in a practical setting. Contribution IV, The Environmental Impact of the Athlete’s Plate Nutrition Education Tool shows that the EnvI of the AP varies with training load, meal type, and sex, being higher by males, dinner and hard training days. It is also dependent on the animal protein content on the plates (higher with higher meat and diary), but it is not the only concern as other variables have to be taken into account such as: processing, RD variability and fresh food. \nIn conclusion, this study validates the AP, highlights the usefulness of the AP Educational Program, and quantifies the AP’s EnVI, emphasizing the need to integrate sustainability principles into sport nutrition tools for athletes and active individuals.
Author: Reguant Closa, Alba
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7038755658