Nancy Clark (1) (1952–)

I've read multiple Human Kinetics books and consistently find them credible and readable. Sports Nutrition equals that standard, and I can see why it's now in the 5th edition. Clark gives a lot of general guidance about what and how to eat, plus a lot of specialized advice for specific sports and situations. It's a big book, but the last half is recipes. Perhaps the most valuable component are the frequent call-outs to common conceptions, e.g. you need to eat directly after exercise to take advantage of the recovery window.… (mehr)

This book is great, but it is a doorstop! It is not for the casual seeker of tidbits of nutritional expertise. You have to get past the lack of frills. Even the cover looks like it means serious business. But surface appearance aside, this book is both extremely thorough, and easy to understand. It has a ton of tips on eating healthy, and reading it cover to cover may make you feel that you are now a nutritional expert, but you can also glean a lot by reading it in small doses. It doesn't have a lot in the way of menus, but it does have a lot of healthy meal suggestions. It is also very good on the 'why' of nutrition. What are the health benefits of coconut water versus actual water, and why are they both better for you than diet soda? What are the best things to eat before, during, and after a workout, and why? What are the best things to eat for a winter workout? How can you safely lose weight, and how do you know whether you are losing weight in an unsafe way, and what the effects of that lifestyle might be? Nancy Clark knows a lot about nutrition, and so will you, after reading this.… (mehr)

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook is jam-packed with all sorts of information, including eating disorders (which is something I didn't encounter with a few other nutrition-for-athletes books I have read). While a great deal of the information is useful I also felt there was a great deal of repetition and common sense "fillers" that took up space (like her comment on plastic water bottles). I enjoyed the clean and well organized chapters but didn't try any of the recipes in the back.… (mehr)

I wish I would have had this book ten or even fifteen years ago. It is a great book, and does three things really well.

1) It explains in easy terms the key concepts, diets,, assessment methods, etc. Everything in the book is easy to understand.
2) It gives good details. This is not a thin book, but it is not overwhelming - especially when you search for a topic. It gives you what I think is pretty much the perfect level of detail. It has subsections for different types of people and athletes. For example pregnant women, winter sport athletes, etc. Great way to give specific advice that really helps.
3) Nancy has hit the trifecta with the last point - examples and visual aids. Be it a diagram of a plate, or tables of different recovery nutrients, or great recipes, this book is not just an ivory tower guide, it gives you practical and easy to understand information.… (mehr)