Nutrition Support for Athletes: An Interview with Sports Dietitian Megan McCann, MS, RDN, CDN, LD
One of LEL Therapy’s Eating Disorder Therapy experts, Caroline Kirby LMFT, interviews Megan Mcann MS, RDN, CDN, LD also known as the @former.athlete.dietitian on IG ! In eating disorder/disordered eating therapy, often times RDs and Licensed Therapists work together to provide collaborative care. Caroline and Megan talk the importance of nutritional support for athletes and share their expertise below!
Megan McCann MS, RDN, CDN LD
Caroline, Kirby LMFT at LEL Therapy
Get to Know Megan:
Caroline: Tell me a bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today with your career?
Megan: I grew up knowing nothing about nutrition. I played soccer and did high jump and triple jump all throughout high school. I never ate breakfast, my legs always felt dead by the weekend especially if I had hard practices that week, I would get home and feel ravenous eating dinner and then snacking all night long because I could never get full. At the time I had no idea it was all related to under fueling and did not know that fueling my body effectively would prevent these struggles. It was very challenging in the transition out of sport when I got to college. I did not know how to work out on my own and felt lost in the dining hall with what and how much I should be eating. Freshman year is when I discovered the field of dietetics. The more I learned about nutrition and health and wellness the more I became invested in it. I loved learning how we can prevent illness and disease through food as well as use food for treatment. Due to my athletic background, I always felt more aligned with sports nutrition and wanted to gain as much experience in the field as I could. In undergrad as well as grad school I would spend all my free time in the athletics building working with athletes, managing the fueling stations and gaining insight from other sports dietitians. For the past 7 years I have worked with D1 athletes as well as youth athletes and their family learning how to fuel and feel their best.
Roles & Objectives When Working With Clients
Caroline: Can you describe what your role/objectives are in your work with athletes?
Megan: I always want to provide evidence-based nutrition education that is simple and practical for athletes (and their family). I think it is important to always know the WHY behind what they are doing so that an athlete can develop confidence in the autonomy of their health and wellness. I want all athletes to learn the importance of nutrition for life, and build the foundation that they can take with them as they get older, while also reaching athletic potential and goals.
Caroline: What are common challenges you see athletes come up against as it relates to food/fueling their bodies?
Megan: A common challenge that I see is lacking a basic understanding of nutrition and the body. Athletes are more susceptible to believing in nutritions myths and participating in fad diets when they don’t know the fundamentals to then filter out inaccurate information they are exposed to. Many athletes are also not eating enough for their energy expenditure. They become more prone to injuries, illness, and poor performance because they are not eating enough calories. So many athletes put all this effort into lifting, conditioning, practice, games, and never make progress or get the outcomes that they want because they are not fueling in the ways that will support all of their efforts.
Caroline: What do you know now that you wished you knew as an athlete yourself?
Megan: I wish that I knew how much of the body was influenced by nutrition. Bone, brain, and heart health as well as digestion, energy levels, concentration, immunity, and sleep are all affected by our food choices and are the foundation to our health and wellness. When it comes to sport, our body composition, speed, power, strength, decision making and recovery are all tied to what we eat/drink. At the end of the day if you don’t have a solid foundation you will never reach your athletic potential or compete at the highest levels. I wish I knew there was only so much that could be done in the weight room or at practice and if you really want to get faster, with more power and build muscle you have to focus on the diet.
Nutritional Advice
Caroline: What advice would you give for those who don’t know where to start in terms of fueling their bodies appropriately?
Megan: This is a good place to start: Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. I would recommend 3 meals and 2 snacks a day as a good baseline. Main meals should include a carb, protein, and color (fruit or vegetable) to help ensure you are getting the nutrients you need for the day and provide long lasting energy and satisfaction. Snacks should have a carb paired with a protein/fat. Prioritize lean proteins, whole grains, nutrient dense fats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. If you can be consistent with eating enough every day and choose high quality foods, you will make big strides.
Caroline: Can you explain how you view the relationship between diet, mental health, and athletic performance?
Megan: The body uses food for all functions such as digesting, thinking, breathing, walking, sitting and it also needs energy to perform athletic abilities such as sprinting, jumping, weight lifting, and technical skills etc. The diet can be tailored to improve athletic performance optimizing muscle growth, recovery, endurance, power, and speed. The two are very much correlated. Mental health and the diet have a bidirectional relationship. Food impacts our mental health and our mental health affects our food choices. Mental health is also an important pillar in performing well on and off the field so the three fields are all interconnected.
Caroline: What are some misconceptions about sports nutrition that you often encounter, and how do you address them?
Megan: The most common one I see is the fear of sugar which is ironic because it is the body’s preferred source of energy and what we need the most of. Foods consisting of mainly sugar can help fuel an athlete during exercise, help reach energy needs for the day, be used for fuel when short on time or navigating nerves. Another one is thinking that if diet is prioritized for sport, then an athlete won’t be able to eat certain things or enjoy their favorite foods. There is no food that is off limits and food is more than fuel. Food preferences should always be included in a fueling plan.
Caroline: What is the most rewarding aspect of your job as a dietitian working with athletes?
Megan: I love providing athletes with the resources that I never had and know how impactful it is to gain the knowledge that will stay with them throughout all stages of life. It is very rewarding to support athletes and watch the transformation of feeling overwhelmed, confused, and falling short of goals to feeling the difference that proper nutrition can have on their overall health physically and mentally as well as the impact on their performance.
The Link to Eating Disorders
Caroline: What are some challenges you face when working with athletes who have eating disorders or disordered eating patterns? (may not be applicable to you!)
Megan: I do not specialize in eating disorders so while I don’t work with athletes who have eating disorders there are some common challenges that I see when it comes to disordered thoughts around food and eating. A lack of knowledge in nutrition and how the body works allowing an athlete to be easily influenced by misinformation. Lack of confidence in fueling throughout the day to meet needs. Struggling with body image and more often than not feeling like they need to be smaller which is not indicative of better performance. And lastly, something that I commonly see that will always set an athlete back is searching for the quick fix. A supplement or product will never be more important than consistently doing the basics well. Changes in the body take time so it's important to stay the course and not get discouraged when progress doesn't seem to be made overnight or even in a week.
The Importance of Fuel
Caroline: What’s the importance of fueling appropriately before competitions and how can under fueling impact performance?
Megan: Fueling properly before competition is important in order to play at your highest level. The easiest analogy to make when it comes to fueling is comparing your body to a car. If you are about to go on a road trip and you don’t fill your gas tank you are not going to go very far and you are also going to put a lot of unnecessary stress on your car. You want to give your body the necessary fuel going into competition (and throughout competition!) in order to prevent fatigue, slow decision making, loss of technical skills, less endurance, cramping, increased risk of injury and overall poor performance. Throughout the season if you are not fueling well enough throughout the week and on the weekends this creates a situation where your body is constantly breaking down, never recovering properly, and will always fall short of full potential. Not only is underfueling bad for performance but also detrimental to your health as well.
Caroline: What would you say to those who feel guilty about having cravings throughout the day or late at night?
Megan: First, I want to say that cravings are normal and there is nothing wrong with having the foods that you crave and leaning into your food preferences. Any time that you mentally restrict (tell yourself you can’t have something) or physically restrict (don't keep something in the house or avoid eating something) it only makes you crave the food more. It takes up even more mental space. Another thing to consider when it comes to cravings is to make sure you are eating enough throughout the day. Not eating enough can lead to overeating and the need to snack at night because it is the body’s way of saying it needs more food. Most things that people crave are higher in sugar which is a carb. Adding protein to a snack can help to regulate blood sugar, provide longer lasting energy, and help keep you full. So for example, if you want some oreos try pairing them with some greek yogurt to help you feel your best.
More on the Role of a Sports Dietitian
Caroline: Do you see any common trends amongst athletes who are adjusting to life outside of their sport (i.e., those who are ending their careers as athletes, those who are done with competing at a high level/now playing the sport at a more relaxed level)?
Megan: This can be such a difficult time especially if an athlete never received any nutrition education (which is the case for a lot of athletes). Energy expenditure changes and needs change and it can be hard to navigate this on top of adapting to their new lifestyle and environment. There is no need to cut out major food groups or avoid foods because they are no longer an athlete. It is important to be prepared for exercise, food, and their body to change. A lot of mental shifts need to occur and I think this time is very important to give the body a break and be surrounded by community. Learn how to move the body in new ways that feel good outside of sport. Maybe that’s finding new ways to compete or maybe that’s just meeting up with friends for a workout. Accept changes in body composition that are meant to happen in this new season of life. Eat in a way that makes you feel good and for longevity, enjoy new experiences, and make memories that perhaps were missed out on before.
If some of these ideas resonated for you and you’re looking for more support with food & body image. Learn more about our therapy services here and if you’re ready to take the next step reach out to a therapist on our team to book a free 15 minute consultation today.