| The current project aims to develop a 6-week nutrition education curriculum, for administration by a Sports Dietitian, that promotes an adequate intake of nutrient-dense, carbohydrate foods for optimizing energy availability among male and female high school cross country runners. To facilitate behavior modifications necessary to increase carbohydrate intake, the curriculum also addressed barriers to change, motivational factors, and self-efficacy. Each 30-minute lesson emphasized a specific topic including 1) Overview of carbohydrates; 2) Visualizing portion sizes and carbohydrate needs, 3) Meal planning to optimize nutrient-dense carbohydrate intake, 4) Carbohydrate nutrient timing, 5) Ideas for preparing convenient and nutritious carbohydrate-rich snacks, 6) Applying lessons to "prepare and share" a favorite recipe containing nutrient-dense carbohydrate foods. All lessons followed a similar format, beginning with a discussion activity or reflection, leading into an interactive presentation, a small group activity integrating the concepts from the presentation, and an assignment for applying the weekly lesson to the upcoming week. |
