Aspire guide
Team Resources
Team Resources manual
When Nutrition Becomes a Safety Issue: The Coach's Protocol
A coach-facing recognition and referral protocol for eating concerns, low energy availability, risky products, heat illness, and medical nutrition needs.
Why this matters
A coach does not need to diagnose a nutrition problem to respond well.
Read time
6 min
Audience
Coach
Use it for
Team Resources
Start here
A serious nutrition concern needs a protocol, not a pep talk.
Coach prompt
If this happened tomorrow, could your staff name the exact escalation chain without guessing?
Quick reference
Topic snapshot
The printed sheet
Read time
6 min
Audience
Coach
Best next move
Use it this week
If this happened tomorrow, could your staff name the exact escalation chain without guessing?
Quick reference map
Use the topic like a clear checklist
In the library
Format
Read the topic here, then download the PDF only when you need an offline copy.
Best use
Open the sections you need, then share the same topic link with coaches, parents, or athletes.
Recognizable options
What this can look like at the store
These are familiar examples, not a required shopping list. Use the food category to find an option that fits your athlete, budget, and allergy needs.
Brands are shown only as concrete examples, not endorsements. Ingredients, labels, and availability can change; check the current package for allergens and fit. Image sources and rights notice.
Quick start
Start here
A coach-facing recognition and referral protocol for eating concerns, low energy availability, risky products, heat illness, and medical nutrition needs.
What counts
Repeated dizziness, restriction, rapid loss, or stress injury is not just a nutrition talk
- It becomes a safety concern once health risk or collapse enters the picture.
- Patterns matter more than coach intuition alone.
Coach job
Stay factual and boundaried
- Document what was seen, heard, and when it happened.
- Keep language concrete: meals missed, dizziness reported, injuries repeated.
Escalate
Move the concern through the right chain fast
- Use the trainer, parent, AD, nurse, counselor, or physician path in place.
- A defined referral path makes the coach response safer.
Context
Overview
A coach does not need to diagnose a nutrition problem to respond well. The job is to notice observable changes, protect immediate safety, speak privately and respectfully, follow school policy, and connect the athlete with the right adults.
This guide supports recognition and referral. It is not a substitute for district policy, the emergency action plan, safeguarding rules, or medical care.
Coaches can
respond to immediate danger through the emergency action plan;
describe facts they directly observed;
ask whether the athlete feels safe and whether symptoms are present now;
listen without arguing about food or bodies;
involve the athletic trainer, school nurse, counselor, administrator, and parent or guardian
according to policy;
provide ordinary food and fluid access when medically appropriate;
document the referral using the minimum necessary information.
Unlock the rest of the manual
Full access opens every section and the ebook PDF.
Evidence
References
The sources behind this topic. Where a citation carries a link, it opens the record so you can check the original.
- 1.Mountjoy M, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57:1073-1097.DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994
- 2.Casa DJ, et al. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses. J Athl Train. 2015;50(9):986-1000.PubMed 26381473
- 3.NCAA Sport Science Institute.Mental Health Best Practices
What to do next
Use it this week
If this happened tomorrow, could your staff name the exact escalation chain without guessing?
Related tool
Red flags and referral guide
Sort a repeated pattern from one bad week, then take the questions it prints to a parent or guardian, a physician, and a sports dietitian.
Open the referral guideSource topics
coach nutrition safety protocol • eating concern athlete coach • RED-S referral coach • athlete nutrition concern protocol • coach nutrition boundaries • athletic trainer referral