A key strategy for the Potatoes USA nutrition program is to communicate the benefits of potatoes for athletic performance to influencers, including personal trainers, sports dietitians, coaches and those working in a professional capacity as related to sports and nutrition. As part of the fiscal year 2018 program, Potatoes USA has partnered with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, representing 50,000 members and certified professionals.
On Feb. 14, Potatoes USA and ACSM hosted a continuing education credit webinar for more than 1,400 ACSM member attendees. The webinar, titled “The Carbohydrate Conundrum: Are carbs essential or obsolete when it comes to health, fitness and athletic performance?”, was delivered by Katherine Beals, RD, FACSM, CSSD, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology at the University of Utah and nutrition consultant to Potatoes USA. The presentation described research surrounding popular low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets and their impact on health, fitness and athletic performance—including debunking many of the myths and misconceptions about the effectiveness of low-carb, ketogenic diets, and ultimately concluding that a high-carbohydrate diet remains the best choice for endurance athletes who want to optimize performance. The highly engaged audience asked more than 50 questions during the webinar, several of which will be posted, with answers by Beals, to the ACSM blog in upcoming weeks. The webinar is now available to view on the ACSM YouTube Channel and will also be posted to the ACSM website in the near future.
In addition to the webinar, the Potatoes USA partnership with ACSM also includes sponsorship of and presentation at the ACSM’s upcoming International Health and Fitness Summit & Expo in Washington, D.C. in April, as well as a series of blog and social media posts on ACSM online properties.