Chef De Mission, 2020 Paralympic Team, Kate McLoughlin; Paralympics Australia Team Dietitian and member of the MLA-SDA Partnership Advisory Group, Siobhan Crawshay; MLA Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lisa Sharp; Paralympics Australia Team Dietitians and SDA members, Gaye Rutherford and Kylie Andrew at Paralympics Australia’s Tokyo 2020 Games preparation seminar.

Announcing the partnership yesterday at Paralympics Australia’s Tokyo 2020 Games preparation seminar held in Sydney, MLA Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lisa Sharp, said the partnership came about because of the shared goals of both organisations.

“With both MLA and SDA dedicated to supporting a healthier Australia, the partnership will work to develop practical nutrition resources and information for active people,” Ms Sharp said.

“As part of MLA’s So What’s for Dinner? program, the partnership will support communication activities that provide guidance on meal portion sizes to suit different levels of physical activity, as well as tips on how to get enough protein into meals throughout the day to boost muscle health, which is important for physical performance every day and for those involved in sporting competitions.

“This is an exciting partnership that will first and foremost provide practical healthy eating information from nutrition experts and position the nutritional benefits of red meat within the context of a healthy diet.”

The partnership with SDA follows and complements MLA’s announcements to partner with the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams to positively promote Australian Beef’s nutritional benefits through its association with elite sport and Olympians and Paralympians.

Paralympics Australia Team Dietitian and member of the MLA-SDA Partnership Advisory Group, Siobhan Crawshay, said communicating the importance of nutrition for active people was vital.

“With the increasing community discourse around the benefits of plant-based diets, sports dietitians have an important role to ensure athletes continue to get enough iron and zinc for good health,” Ms Crawshay said.

“We know iron, zinc and protein are critical for active people, with iron being particularly important for female athletes undertaking high impact sports.

“This partnership will strengthen awareness around red meat’s place in a balanced diet and help active people ensure their diet is giving them what they need.”

Source: Meat & Livestock Australia