Sports Nutrition is an Art and a Science

Just mentioning the term “Sports Nutrition” conjures up images of muscle bound body builders in a gym. This image has partially been created by the marketing industry that has portrayed products for weight loss and bulking in this manner. However, the truth of the matter is that sports nutrition is not just for the body builders. It is in fact for anyone who breaths, moves, eats, or lives. It is a lifestyle that leads to optimum health. Sports Nutrition involves what and how we eat, what nutritional supplements we take, and how we exercise. This has lead some individuals to refer to sports Nutrition as a Art and a science.


According to Cory Holly, the art “consists of nourishing an active body with high quality food and natural health products in a skillful, safe, and consistent manner. (Holly).” This does not only apply to what we eat, but includes how, when, and where as well. What natural health products (NHPS) we use is driven by many variables. Some of these include metabolic status and state, athletic goals, training volume and intensity, body composition, injury status, lifestyle, ethnic origin, blood type, and acid alkaline balance. The new science of nutrigenomics (Holly, Sports Nutrition Update Volume 8N5C: Interview with Michael Colgan, 2009) further suggests that the foods we eat and NHPs we consume is decided by our genetic makeup. The art of sports nutrition is the ability to balance all of these variables to achieve your health, fitness, and nutritional goals


Understanding the ART of Sports nutrition is not even possible without understanding the science of sports nutrition. The science tells us the how and why. Through observation and experimentation, we have found out how the use of NHPs affects the health, recovery, and performance in athletes when combined with controlled exercise.


The precise application of the art and science of sports nutrition can give athletes the foundation to meet their fitness and athletic goals and at the same time remain injury free. The art and the science go hand in hand. Both are needed to be applied.