With over 17 years of expertise, including a decade-long tenure at the National Sports Institute (ISN) and a role as Head of the ISN Northern Zone, Ms. Loo has been a central driver in transforming how Malaysia’s youth athletes train, recover, and compete. We sat down with her to discuss the specialized sports science required to fuel elite performance at the state level.
Do different sports require different nutrition strategies? If so, how do team, combat, and racquet sports differ?
Absolutely. While the fundamentals of healthy eating apply to everyone, the performance requirements differ significantly because the physiological requirements of the sport are different.
Team & racquet sports athletes focus on agility and reactivity. They require high energy turnover, typically consisting of 50–55% carbohydrates and 15–20% protein. Because match times in racquet sports are less predictable than the fixed halves of team sports, their fueling plans must be more flexible.
The priority for combat sports is weight class management. Their strategy shifts based on their qualification phase. Post-weigh-in, the focus moves rapidly toward aggressive rehydration and refueling to ensure they enter the ring at full strength.
Regardless of the sport, we generally recommend 1–4g/kg of carbohydrates (1–4 hours before exercise) to fuel the athletes for their training and 5–7ml/kg of fluids (2 hours before) to ensure their body is well hydrated.
Managing hundreds of athletes in a state team for SUKMA is a massive task. What are your biggest challenges?
The primary challenge is the shortage of qualified sports nutritionists and limited budgets. In Malaysia, we often see teams relying on sports science students. While their passion is great, it can affect the depth of support.
To manage a large contingent, we use a “Priority Tier” system. We direct specialized services—like precise body composition monitoring—toward high-medal prospect sports (e.g., Taekwondo) while providing broader nutritional foundations for others (e.g., Archery).
How about during the actual SUKMA competition? Do you also cover all athletes?
There is always a lack of manpower to closely monitor a large number of athletes. So we would prioritize the high medal potential athletes or sport teams. However, to minimize any last minute nutrition issues, the nutrition team has started preparing and strategizing as early as one and a half year ahead of SUKMA.
We would start with nutrition education for all the sports and provide individual sessions and closely monitor selected athletes. That way, athletes and coaches from all the sports are aware of nutrition and how important it is in their sport. Then, we would then focus on doing basic nutrition screening to all the athletes to ensure athletes are not nutrition deficient or stunted, and minimize potential nutrition-related issues during the training leading up to SUKMA selection.
Finally, closer to SUKMA competition, the nutrition and support team will need to familiarize themselves with competition routines, including travel, environment, and schedules to better support the team.
For teams without a full time nutritionist, are they in trouble?
Not necessarily. They aren’t “in trouble,” but they do need to be proactive. We suggest working with external sports nutritionists for short-term engagements or workshops. The key is early preparation. For SUKMA, our team begins strategizing one year in advance. We start with wide-scale nutrition education and basic screening to ensure no athlete is nutrient-deficient or stunted during their growth phase. By the time the competition arrives, the focus shifts to competition routines—travel, environment, and specific venue schedules.
Since you’ve been in this industry for almost 20 years, what are the common nutrition mistakes that are still happening?
There are three misconceptions that persist regardless of the era:
- Carb-Phobia: Many athletes overemphasize protein while undereating carbohydrates. Carbs are the primary fuel for high intensity performance; without them, recovery will be slow and injury can happen easily.
- Supplements over Food: There is a belief that performance comes from a “magic bottle”. In reality, most performance plateaus stem from a deficit in daily calories, not a lack of supplements.
- The “Zero Sugar” Myth: While we advocate for health, high-performance athletes often need “quick calories” to prevent low energy, cramping and support recovery. In the right context, simple sugars are a vital tool for the elite athlete.
What is your final advice for athletes unsure about seeing a sports nutrition professional?
Don’t wait for a problem. Many athletes only seek help when they experience stomach issues, frequent cramps, or unexplained weight loss.
We recommend that all youth athletes undergo nutrition screening at least once in their early competitive career. Whether you are a growing athlete, recovering from an injury, or simply looking for that extra 1%, professional guidance ensures your diet supports your growth and your goals. At SNAc, we provide everything from dietary assessments to individualized menu planning tailored to your specific health conditions, growth requirements and performance goals.
The Sports Nutrition Academy (SNAc) is a resource hub for athletes, coaches, and sports enthusiasts. Co-founded by three experienced sports nutrition professionals formerly working with the elites at the National Sports Institute, SNAc specializes in evidence-based knowledge to optimize health and maximize performance.
Start your performance journey today at www.snac.my