Q&A with Carli Davis, Sports Dietician - RD, LD
Carli is a former Dallasite (who sadly moved to Austin in 2024) and a former collegiate runner who continues to find passion in the sport. We are now super fortunate that she has decided to use her wealth of experience and knowledge in sports nutrition to help other runners. Though she can help runners with the whole spectrum of dietary guidance, she specifically has noted “as a runner myself, I have a strong desire to especially educate and guide my athletes to stay RED-s informed, to keep them out of injury and feeling their best.”
Carli was kind enough to answer a few questions about sports nutrition and how she might be able to help you to stay healthy and unlock your full potential as a runner.
What is your personal sports background and/or running story?
Ever since a young age my mother had me in something. I was in ballet, soccer, softball, gymnastics, and then what really stuck was competitive cheerleading and then eventually lacrosse. My story doesn’t start with running.
When a lot of people think of cheerleading they think about those who just cheer on the sidelines. But when I was little, I was actually traveling to different states, NOT cheering a football team on, and was competitively cheerleading for Celebrity Cheer (Not sure if this name has changed since or they have combined with any other gyms). For those who are familiar, this takes a lot of dedication from always conditioning, stretching, and quite literally flipping and twisting not only on the ground but in the air (I was also a flyer).
My freshman year of high school, I made varsity cheer at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. This was when I eventually DID participate in football games but that program took competitions very seriously and we were state champs year after year. This too came with a lot of time and dedication. We had to do cardio before every practice (which was daily). I spent my Saturdays at the gym, working on different skills to master in the air and on the floor. It was a totally different world than running, let's just say that.
I played lacrosse in the spring during my “off seasons” when I was in middle school and high school and was a midi (I got to run a lot and I liked that). I continued this through junior year in high school. Even when I wasn’t actively in a season of sport, I would go out for runs in my town- to clear my head, to be outside and enjoy nature (If you have been to New Hampshire in summer or fall, you understand). I still remember the day when I made an internal decision to switch gears completely. I was at lacrosse practice my Junior year of high school, and I looked over at the track team running by. I said to myself, “All I want to do is run”.
As fate would have it, my chemistry teacher that year was actually the cross country coach. I got into communication with her about running, and also connected more with others on the team. I started running more and getting to know the cross country and track team. I joined them at a summer running camp the summer before senior year that was hosted at Keene State College. I got to meet the other collegiate runners, the coach, and got to run on all their beautiful trails. I got to know the head coach and met with the older girls on the team at the time and they encouraged me to stay in touch with them. I ended up running cross country for Pinkerton that fall of my senior year of high school and did winter and spring track.
I eventually decided to go to Keene State after I did a recruiting trip.I had an amazing experience as an athlete there, and the running team was my family. I was top 7 throughout my time on the team, and by junior year we made it to nationals for the NCAA Championship at Winneconne, WI in 2015. That was the first time the women’s team had done that in 9 years. After this year, my closest running friends had all graduated before me and with a more than busier senior year ahead of me, and an internship to get into, I took senior year off. Coach wasn’t so happy, but again I was also here for my education after all. And I didn’t stop running.
My senior year of college I ran my first half marathon at the Clarence Demar half in downtown Keene, NH and took first female. Fast forward to getting matched to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, moving across the country and starting my career, I eventually crossed paths with the Dallas running scene and to this day continue to pop back into running/training distance and continue to have a healthy balance with it all. I now live in Austin, Texas and have friends in both the Austin and Dallas running community. I’ve needed to take a step back from training with a big move, and the start of my own practice. But that’s the joy of it. Running will always still be there and you don’t need to be racing to go out your front door and enjoy some easy miles. Running will always be my “internal shower” of choice! If you know, you know.
What is your professional background and what drew you to sports nutrition?
After going for health science with a specialization in nutrition, I never looked back. I made it into an internship first round and started in the clinical setting. This looked very different from what I do now. It was a lot of acute care, tube feedings, and parenteral nutrition (basically IV nutrition) for those in the intensive care unit, and eventually was in oncology working in bone marrow transplant.
I made the switch to preventive care 5 years after working in clinical and started working at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. I was a part of their weight management program so I eventually became board certified in working with many people in that area, but I also was personally taking a dive more into sports nutrition research. If there was an endurance runner in clinic, they’d send them to me. I was still seeing a lot of different cases more so around prevention or getting people off the slope of chronic disease such as those with pre-diabetes or fatty liver. It wasn’t until I got into private practice I was able to fully commit to that specialty switch.
Private practice is a lot of work, but I think I am a better practitioner in doing so. I feel I am able to spend a lot more time researching, studying and going for other continuing education that supports my clientele better. I can also personally relate to those who are runners, so that makes it a lot of fun. After taking a Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport master class and certification course, I not only got an amazing review of the literature and mentorship, but I connected so many dots I hadn’t in my own running and athletic career. There was a lot I did wrong, some injuries I believe I could’ve avoided, and sometimes I wonder if I knew then what I know now, what other accomplishments I may have been able to achieve. There was very little education around sports nutrition at the college I went to, and as a female I don’t ever remember being asked about my menstrual cycle. This happened not only at D3 schools but also D1 from what I learned later. But man, is that an important part of maintaining your health and strength as a runner for the long term. I think this is starting to change… but there is still a lot of work to be done in this area in terms of education and awareness.
What is the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist?
An RD is recognized as a medical professional. They have obtained at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited program and since 2024 are now required to have their master’s degree. They are required to complete over 1000 hours of supervised practice in an internship, pass a national exam and obtain licensure by the state (and other states they practice in). They are also required to stay on top of their research including 75+ hours of continuing education every 5 years to maintain their credential.
Any one can call themselves a nutritionist, with no requirements on who can or can’t use it. They may hold some certifications, education, and may or may not have formal training and experience counseling people about food and healthy habits. The specific education and experience is not held to the same standard.
Do you focus on a specific type of athlete or area of sports nutrition?
Endurance sports- mainly runners. I’m currently working with people who have been athletes all their life and some who recently got into the running world. I enjoy working with both! I also work with active people in general. So many people lump themselves into the “sedentary” population but are doing several hours of physical activity weekly. This only leads to nutrient deficiencies, poor exercise tolerance or adaptations to training, hormonal issues, or injury to name a few. I have worked with both the sedentary population and the active - trust me, their needs are very different!
What are one or two of the most common dietary mistakes you see endurance athletes make?
Running fasted (you’re not alone I did this a lot before I knew any better), and downplaying how much energy and nutrients they need in a day. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, and micronutrients are all very important and are very individualized per person. But when it comes to endurance, carbs are king. I don’t mean that we throw protein and the others away! I simply mean, many runners don’t realize how much they actually need. We see a lot of breakdown in the body when we are seeing these low carb high protein/fat diets in the endurance world. We have solid research to show that even if an athlete is getting in enough energy (calories), but lacks the required carbs, we start to see dysfunction in the body. It takes a lot of intentionality in getting in the nutrition needed to support the demand you are asking of your body. Whether you are training for a half marathon and especially a full. Just so everyone is aware, the typical recommended dietary allowance for energy the government sets for our country, is for the sedentary population.
If you are training, and running multiple times a week (and most are also doing strength training), you should not be shooting for </= 2000 calories per day.
What are one or two simple dietary changes an athlete can make to improve their sports health and performance?
1. If you never eat before running early, start to! You fast all night and your glycogen stores become depleted, so when you decide to run on empty, this doesn’t set you up to feel your best, perform your best, and recover well. You can start with something as simple as a 2 graham cracker sheets or a banana, or a gel or a some fruit snacks (Which are very similar to those other sports chews you see). The hour before you run or workout, think simple carbs so it doesn’t upset your stomach. Start small. Everyone’s goals will look different, and preferences will be different. To avoid GI distress, avoid high fat/ high protein/dairy/ and anything carbonated right before you go out. If you are 3-4 hours before a workout or run, you should be fine to have a well balanced meal with a regular source of protein, some fiber, and fat.
2. I know during a race you may plan to use water stops, but if you are training, invest in training with a hand held water bottle you are comfortable with and work with an RD who can help you put together a hydration plan (which includes electrolytes). Get used to sipping on this, not chugging during your run. Sweat sodium losses per hour can vary widely, again working with an RD can help you find your sweet spot. And you might find you decide to keep the bottle with you for your race- and perform better. Regardless, always practice what you’ll be doing on race day.
What type of athletes might benefit most from working 1:1 with a dietician and why?
Any! You don’t have to be in an active training block. There are many reasons to work with a dietitian. For example those who:
Are wanting to optimize their off-season training
Want to hone in their pre, post, or intra-run fuel or hydration plans
Struggle with low ferritin (stored iron) or other micronutrient deficiencies
Struggle with recovery from an injury or who want to work on their relationship with food
Have pesky GI symptoms that are not going away
May need assistance mapping out how to build their meals or snacks to meet their needs so they aren’t crashing during the day
Struggle with sleep quality when training gets higher (this can be linked back to not getting enough throughout the day)
May feel like they are always thinking about food or “sugar” - Again this can be due to not getting enough quality nutrition around their workouts or during their day (Your body is trying to communicate with you)
There are plenty of registered dietitians out there with many different specialties and credentials. If they are an athlete and are shooting for a new personal best, look for an RD who is in the sports world. Reason being, we all know there is nuance to nutrition, but the sports space is a niche. We know how your nutrition should look in and out of seasons. We know how lab trends can be affected by under-fueling, what symptoms to watch out for, and know what it takes to get someone out of an underfed state, and into a well-fueled state to perform their best. We know how nutrition may change for an athlete who is injured and one who is not. We can debunk a lot of “sugar” myths and diet culture. We typically have other professionals in our sphere to support a more interdisciplinary approach. A big part of our job is to stay on top of the most recent nutrition literature to continue to inform our practice. Nutrition is nuanced and it takes an educated and experienced practitioner to be able to meet the individual where they are at. Find an RD you click with and trust- Just like you would want to do with any other provider.
What is one question I didn’t ask, but should have asked, and how would you answer it?
“What is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and how does it present and how does it impact performance?”
My answer: When an athlete intentionally or unintentionally develops low energy availability (LEA), which is a mismatch between an athlete’s energy intake and energy expenditure. This leads to unavailable energy to support the body’s functions to maintain optimal health and performance.
Signs and symptoms can include:
-Dysfunction of the GI tract (increased frequency and severity of diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pains; decreased immune system (might get sick a lot)
Increased depression or obsessive behaviors;
Increased cholesterol and/or abnormal heartbeats
Iron deficiency anemia
Increased risk of stress fractures
Decreased sex hormones/libido
Decreased metabolic hormones (cortisol, insulin growth factor, leptin, ghrelin, and growth factor)
Impacts on performance:
Decreased training adaptations and recovery
Decreased concentration and endurance performance
Irritability and depression
Decreased glycogen stores and muscle strength
Decreased concentration and coordination
Increased risk of injury