All Articles by Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the world's largest organization of sports medicine and exercise science professionals. At ACSM's 2011 annual meeting in Denver, over 6,000 exercise scientists, sports dietitians, physicians and other health professionals gathered to share their research. Here are a few of the nutrition highlights.

MomsTeam nutrition expert Nancy Clark reports on the latest research from the ACSM Annual Meeting on the importance of physical exercise, nutrition for the injured athlete, and creatine safety.

Advice from sports nutritionist Nancy Clark on what parents can do to help their young athlete overcome cravings and perceived addictions.

Have you have ever wondered which is the best sports drink, energy bar, or gel? The answer is the best choice is the product that pleases your young athlete's taste buds and settles well in your stomach. Your child, tween or teen simply needs to experiment to determine which products (if any) work best for them.

Does your child know his sweat rate?  Turns out it is the key to replacing fluids lost during exercise, according to several studies presented 2010 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Baltimore, with experts recommending that athletes replace 150% of the weight loss from sweating in the first four hours after sports.

Among the research findings presented by exercise scientists, sports dietitians, physicians, and health professionals at the 2010 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Baltimore was that a standard sports drink was preferred by athletes to coconut water to replace fluid lost through sweating because it tastes better.

Like carbohydrates, protein-rich foods are also an important part of a youth sports diet. While it is true that young athletes have an increased need for protein due to the demands of their sports and the fact they are growing, most tend to consume more than they require.

A recipe for low fat brownie pudding forms its own sauce during baking.  It's a tasty treat for when you are hankering for a chocolate-fix and a yummy way to add a little dark chocolate to a sports diet.

For some, chocolate falls into the category of junk food, a guilty pleasure, and ruiner of good intentions to lose weight.  But ads for (dark) chocolate suggest chocolate is good for us. After all, chocolate comes from plants and contains the same health-protective compounds found in fruits and vegetables. The question is whether chocolate is little more than an alluring form of refined sugar, saturated fat and empty calories or does chocolate (in moderation, of course) have positive qualities that might be beneficial for athletes as a part of a sports diet?