Is your trainer fit to give diet advice?
Researchers find that fitness experts don’t necessarily know about nutrition
Qualified fitness trainers know all about the right way to do a workout. But do they know the right way to eat?
Despite the seemingly natural link between diet and exercise, most trainers have no more than a few hours of nutrition education. Yet even with this limited knowledge base, they often assume the role of diet guru to their clients.
“Gym members like the idea of one-stop shopping,” dietitian Lisa Rutledge said. “But I don’t advise people on how to squat, and trainers shouldn’t give advice on how to eat.”
Rutledge says gym culture perpetuates a diet culture, largely due to the number of people who equate exercise with weight loss. Other diets popular with the gym crowd come with promises of bigger muscles or improved athletic performance. Yet despite the tendency for trainers to feel confident in their ability to provide diet advice, there’s little to suggest they have the appropriate training and knowledge to counsel clients about what to eat, much less reach lofty goals by changing their diet.
How much nutrition knowledge do trainers really have? A group of Australian researchers from the University of Sydney decided to find out. They recruited 161 fitness trainers, 36 dietitians and 357 members of the general community to take a questionnaire designed to evaluate nutritional expertise, divided into four sections: dietary guidelines, nutrient content of food, making healthy food choices and knowledge of diet/disease relationships.
The goal of the study was to see where trainers ranked compared to dietitians and the general public. Also noted were the age, gender and education level of all respondents.
Not surprisingly, the trainers scored significantly lower than the dietitians in three of the four sections, with healthy food choices the only segment in which the trainers and dietitians had a similar number of correct answers.
As for how trainers’ knowledge compared to respondents from the community, the only area in which they scored higher than the general public was in understanding nutrient content. Also interesting to note is that trainers with an undergraduate degree in exercise science didn’t score higher on the questionnaire than peers without a related degree.
“Given that our results demonstrate limited nutrition knowledge among exercise professionals, the accuracy and effectiveness of the nutrition advice provided must be questioned, particularly with regards to specific medical nutrition advice,” the researchers said.
This is an important message, especially considering the tendency of trainers to dole out suggestions related to eating for health. A previous study performed by the same group of researchers noted that 51 per cent of 286 fitness professionals polled stated they provide nutrition advice related to heart disease, 48 per cent provided counsel about diabetes and blood sugar, 44 per cent talked about supplements, 39 per cent discussed nutrition deficiencies and 35 per cent advised about food allergies and intolerances.
“A lot of damage can be done when it comes to offering advice about food,” said Rutledge, who claims poor guidance can set individuals off on a path of disordered eating that can last years. Beyond the obvious risk of counselling someone to consume foods that may negatively affect physical health, Rutledge says that suggesting success in the gym is linked to certain dietary habits is sending the wrong message.
“People start to believe that if they follow a particular diet, they will be strong, healthy, thin and accepted,” Rutledge said. “Yet no studies have shown that diets are successful in the long run.”
Rutledge agrees with the Australian researchers in recommending that fitness professionals stay within their scope of expertise.
“Of course clients are going to want to talk about food, but that doesn’t mean trainers need to have all the answers,” Rutledge said. “Instead, they should let their clients know that their role is to help them get fit and strong.”
Having a registered dietitian on staff or available for consultation at local gyms can help trainers avoid the trap of answering questions for which they lack expertise.
Clients also need to understand that fitness professionals are trained to prescribe workout plans, not diet plans, and that despite their apparent fitness, most of their dietary knowledge is limited to their own experience. The science of food is complex, so trainers should stick to what they do best.
“Fitness trainers should be a source of body positivity,” Rutledge said. “They should stay away from diet talk and teach people how to move through life with strength and in good health.”