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Professional sports nutrition organizations

July 2021

Natalie Christensen, RDN, CSSD, LD
SCORE Program

Sports Nutrition has been a fast-growing field of study with new career opportunities developing all over the world.  If you are interested in learning more about sports nutrition and how to network with professionals within the field, these professional organizations provide great opportunities!

Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA)

CPSDA held its second virtual conference in May. The theme: Leading the Way with Practical Nutrition Science. This three-day event covered topics such as Performance and Gut Health, Iron Considerations for the Athlete, Supplement Safety, Military Nutrition Initiatives, and Business Models for the Sports RD Entrepreneur.  Speakers boasted credentials ranging from CSSDs to MDs and PhDs in psychology, exercise science, business, and more. Thus the content is diverse and robust. This conference even provided virtual yoga breaks and virtual networking rooms!

• If you are interested in increasing your sports nutrition knowledge and in networking with other sports RD’s, this is a must-join association (sportsrd.org)!
• Next year’s conference will be held in Scottsdale, AZ.

Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN)

SCAN is a professional organization offering education and networking opportunities in sports nutrition. SCAN is a practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2021, SCAN expanded into two arms:

• Sports and Human Performance (SHPNDPG.org) is a group of nutrition practitioners working with athletes and people at all levels of human performance to optimize holistic health for a lifetime.
• Cardiovascular Health and Well-being (cvwell.org) equips members to be the nutrition experts in promoting cardiovascular health (prevention and treatment), well-being, and physical activity.

My Sports Dietitian

Another great sports nutrition symposium held online this summer was hosted by My Sports Dietitian  The conference started in 2020 and plans to continue as an annual, worldwide virtual event. Presenters discussed topics such as EIMD (exercise-induced muscle damage), protein metabolism and recommendations, mindset and fueling, creatine and performance, and food insecurity in athletes.

• Check out the free resources on their website (mysportsd.com) including an athlete's grocery list, pre-workout supplement information, and a list of 23 snacks for athletes.