Courses

Short Course in Integrative Sports Nutrition

Short Course

in Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
(Over 4 Weeks)

Certificate of Integrative Sports Nutrition

The Certificate

Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
( ~ 9 Months)

Featured

Certificate of Integrative Sports Nutrition, Diploma in Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition

Level 7 Diploma

in Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
(1-2 Years)

Individual Speciality Units (CPD/CEU)

The Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition
The home of integrative thinkers, where 'health feeds performance'
Courses & Dates
Short Course in Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Discover the transformative power of integrative sport and exercise nutrition
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The Certificate of Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Now accepting applications for the 27th of May 2025 start date!
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Level 7 Diploma in Integrative Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Prepare for a powerful career in integrative sport and exercise nutrition.
Now accepting applications for the 27th of May 2025 start date!
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The Centre for
Integrative Sports Nutrition

The home of integrative thinkers, where 'health feeds performance'

Welcomes Students for 2025

Centre For Integrative Sports Nutrition

The world’s first course to bring integrative thinking into sport and exercise nutrition

What is integrative sports nutrition?

In the context of health and human performance, the word ‘integrative’ takes on pivotal meanings. Rather than simply viewing food as ‘fuel’, we must honour the incredible sophistication of nature, and recognise that our day-to-day dietary choices have the power to nourish all of our mind-body systems. Gastrointestinal, immune, detoxification, musculoskeletal, neuroendocrine, bioenergetic, and mental-emotional health all integrate with one another to such a degree that their function is completely inter-dependant.

Another use of the word ‘integrative’ pertains to the interaction of ‘professional perspectives’, meaning that different practitioners can add value to an athletic client’s experience by supporting them in different ways. With this in mind, the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition (CISN) teachings draw from a diverse set of clinically experienced lecturers; this team approach is designed to help you to build your own clinical experience and unique perspectives.

Why is integrative health important for physical performance?

The main paradigm that has existed within the academic enquiry of sports nutrition for the past half century has centred around the conviction that macronutrients are required as ‘fuel’ for exercise endeavours. This notion provides an important basis of quantitative nutritional support, but what happens, for example, when your active client lacks adequate digestive health to assimilate these foods, and in the process creates an inflammatory tone in his or her body?

The central thesis of integrative sports nutrition (within all CISN courses and modules) is ‘health feeds performance’.

By consuming highly nourishing foods in a personalised way, your athletic client should experience increased health resilience. By also helping them to manage their life loads, reduce toxic exposure, balance training demands, and carefully choose bespoke supplementation, they can better tolerate demanding performance-focused strategies, and optimise training adaptations.

History of integrative sports nutrition

Integrative and functional thinking in health is not a new notion. It has been visibly incorporated in medicine since the 1980s, and long before this time within traditional practices. How this evolving discipline of integrative sports nutrition came about was that CISN founder, Ian Craig, was asked to deliver a postgraduate sports nutrition module by a nutritional therapy institute in 2007. At the time, he could not find a suitable textbook for the course, so he set about bridging the principles from integrative and functional medicine into conventional sports nutrition teachings. Since that time Ian has developed and delivered an array of integrative courses and conferences, edited the Functional Sports Nutrition magazine, and built up extensive clinical practice. These experiences eventually culminated in the launching of the CISN Certificate of Integrative Sports Nutrition course in 2018, which has since diversified towards our current portfolio of courses and modules.

Learn integrative sport and exercise nutrition

CISN is the first (and currently only) organisation to apply integrative thinking into the context of sport and exercise nutrition.

Our key objective is to train and mentor sport, exercise and nutrition professionals, plus students of these subjects, to embrace the complexity and individuality of an exercising person: to nourish an athlete’s health and performance through an expansive way of integrative thinking.

Within the context of heavy training loads, often alongside significant life stresses, practitioners trained in this way can support the robust health and performance of active individuals in a personalised way. Not only should this approach maximise an athletes’ potential sporting success, but it can extend the length of their athletic careers, plus provide them with tools to maintain active health throughout their lives.

Read more about integrative sport and exercise nutrition, read the article by Ian Craig

Portfolio of Courses

Certificate Course

Join our innovative founding course for a 9 month immersion

Certificate Course

Develop your integrative sports nutrition knowledge and expertise within a highly progressive learning environment.
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Level 7 Diploma

Prepare for a powerful career in integrative sport and exercise nutrition

Level 7 Diploma

Industry accredited path to profound personal growth and expansive understanding of sport and exercise nutrition.
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Natural Sports Cookery

Energise your athletes through food selection and preparation

Sports Cookery

Excite your taste buds, expand your culinary repertoire, and improve your athletes’ health-based performance.
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CPD/CEU Modules

Short Course

Introductory 4-week course in integrative sports nutrition at an accessible price

Short Course

Dip your toe into the world of integrative sport and exercise nutrition, encompassing our value of health-based performance.
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Hypertrophy

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

Hypertrophy

Explore training and nutrition for hypertrophy, including the ‘gut-muscle axis’, for muscular strength and function.
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Mitochondria

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

Mitochondria

Harness the mitochondrial energy of your athletic clients via exercise, nutrition, and psychological intervention.
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Gastrointestinal

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

Gastrointestinal

Explore the effects of exercise load on gut function, plus nutritional and clinical strategies for gastrointestinal resilience.
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Ergogenics

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

Ergogenics

Identify healthy nutritional ergogenic aids to use with athletes, with the aim of improving competitive performance.
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REDS

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

REDs

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is a multifactorial syndrome that can negatively impact health and performance outcomes in both male and female athletes.
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Mind-body

Specialty 4-week module as part of the certificate and diploma courses, or as CPD/CEU

Mind-body

This mind-body perspective in sport module is set up as a postgraduate speciality unit of study for exercise and nutrition practitioners, and final year and postgraduate students.
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The Short Course and all specialty modules, are approved by the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT®) to provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for Nutritional Therapy Practitioners.

The Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition is accredited by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists℠ (BCNS℠) to provide Nutrition Professional Continuing Education (NPCE) credits for Certified Nutrition Specialists® (CNS®).

What we offer

The Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition hosts an array of sports nutrition educational opportunities, all taught from a base of integrative thinking and applied practice in mind. You can choose a short immersion, such as our 4-week short course and specialty modules that are intended for professional development (CPD/CEU). Or you can attend our well respected practitioner-focussed certificate course or our flagship Level 7 (postgraduate equivalent) 1 to 2 year diploma course.  

+ Read More

CISN (the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition) trains and mentors exercise and nutrition professionals to manage an athlete’s health and performance through an expansive way of integrative thinking.

We bridge the gap between what has historically been two very separate disciplines: conventional sports and performance nutrition, and the integrative/functional medicine and nutritional therapy approach.

At CISN we believe that if an athlete is to achieve their performance goals, they must firstly build a solid foundation of optimal health. This doesn’t just enable them to perform well in one race, one competition, or one season – but to perform well for life.

What makes us different

Why our approach matters

Centre For Integrative Sports Nutrition

18%
Between 5% and 18% of athletes reported negative impact of oral health or trauma on performance

(Ashley P, et al., 2018)
50%
Between 30 and 50% of endurance athletes experience gastrointestinal problems during exercise (de Oliveira, et al., 2014)
(de Oliveira, et al., 2014)
35%
Prevalence of low energy availability in athletes ranges from 22% to 58%


(Logue DM, et al., 2020)

Reviews

Student Reviews

Nicola MillsNutritional Therapist
Kindest and thank you for this course. It is well put together, extremely detailed, which in most part I have found challenging, but it has definitely expanded my knowledge, which I can take further. And I have wholeheartedly resonated with the whole body approach…
Scott Murray Coach & Researcher
I did the Short Course in Integrative Sports Nutrition with Ian and his team in April/May 2023. Great introduction to the subject matter and it gave me an opportunity to work with practitioners with different skills & perspectives and leave with some real world, practicable learning. I’d recommend this course to others.
Fiona HayersShort Course
The short course provided a superb introduction to sports nutrition and above all made me realise that there is no magic set of numbers to search for it is about using my base knowledge plus more specific sports nutrition knowledge and applying this to each different scenario.
Janie Perry Nutritional Therapist
I have loved every minute of this course. I have learned such a lot and could not recommend the modules more highly (particularly for me, module 2). It’s also been a total pleasure meeting other like-minded, motivated and inspirational people from around the world. Thank you!
Lisa HannabyNutritional Therapist
Also just wanted to say thank you – I’m learning so much from the course so far! More, dare I say, than I have from my MSc. I’m really enjoying it.
Sim Lee BPharm MBA DCH AACNEM
It has been my pleasure to be able to do this career-transforming course. I have truly enjoyed the learning journey despite still having a long way to go. The advice, support and mentorship Ian and Simone have given me has been so valuable, especially in clarifying my confusion in defining my role as a pharmacist practitioner.
Charlene Hutsebaut
I am delighted to have completed The Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition course! This sports nutrition course has a great depth of knowledge brought together by Ian & Simone using their experience & citing research plus bringing in other professionals to lecture as well. This is a must experience course for nutritionists, coaches and personal trainers. I highly recommend this course to deepen your practice and enhance how you can serve your clients
Adam Lloyd
Doing this course has completely changed my practice. It filled in all the gaps between my nutritional therapy thinking (functional medicine) and my sports nutrition practice (macronutrients, periodisation). I would say to anyone thinking of trying to understand how we bridge that gap and start to put the health of the athlete at the forefront of our practice to give this course a go. A huge thank you to Ian, Simone and Rachel for all their support throughout. The best career choice I have made to date
Lynette Cronk
I found this course very informative, interesting and of good value. I would most certainly recommend CISN to any health professional looking to improve themselves as well as the lives of there clients, family and friends!
Paola
I have recently completed the short course in Integrative Sports Nutrition and I've truly enjoyed it! I am a registered Health Coach with a background in professional sport and for many years I was struggling to find a nutrition course specifically tailored for the sport industry. This has exceed my expecations because there is also so much attention on the person as whole, with a true holistic approach to the athlete's needs. The short course just gave me a glimpse of what looks like a very complete and unique nutritional course. Ian is probably one of the most knowledgable and passionate person I have met so far. If you are in the sport industry and want to learn how to best nourish your athlete in a natural way this is the right place to start!
Caroline Macgregor
I recently completed the long course and I cannot rate it highly enough. Ian Craig is such a wonderful teacher and mentor, his passion and knowledge make this an invaluable course and an absolute must for anyone wanting to know more about sports nutrition from a holistic perspective. I will no doubt continue to study the short modules as I enjoy the learning so much!
Kathryn Watson
I have just completed the short course in Integrative Sports Nutrition with Ian. I would highly recommend, and it has really inspired me to study into this area more. I hope to do the longer course at some point. I enjoyed the structure of the short course with a combination of live Zoom sessions, including a presentation along with discussions and case study each week, plus ‘homework’ in between of both reading and short video presentations. A very manageable hour of extra study a week. Generally I thought it was pitched well, with a good balance of science and practical applications, and the pace worked well for me. Thank you
Vicky Smith
CISN is the place for nutritional CPD at a pace that works for you. Leaving you with so much more than just an advancement in nutritional theory and application, but an appreciation for how it underpins all areas of health & performance.
Helen Brooker-Collins
I've just completed the Applied Sports Nutrition module - I loved it! It was great to hear sports nutrition contextualised from a functional perspective too - and delivered by Ian, someone who is so knowledgeable, clearly passionate about the subject and really wants the very best for us students and the profession at large. Participants come from a wide range of backgrounds too, so it was great to hear other people's perspectives on how they currently practice. Can't recommend it highly enough - now I just need to decide which module to complete next
Jennifer Clarke
I recently completed the short course in integrative sports nutrition with Ian and would highly recommend it for anyone who wants an insight into the world of sports nutrition, from a holistic perspective. As a naturopathic nutritional therapist & pharmacist, I enjoyed Ian's approach and found the weekly modules both interesting and informative. Ian has a vast knowledge and experience in this area and was always open and quick to respond to questions. Overall a great taster into the world of integrative sports nutrition.
Christine Kjellberg
The Diploma in Sport Nutrition provides an excellent base for anyone wishing to work and support active individuals at all levels. Great lecturers with up to date knowledge and always willing to explore student questions.
Janie Perry
I loved every minute of training for the Certificate in Integrative Sports Nutrition. I learned such a lot and could not recommend the modules more highly. It was a total pleasure meeting like-minded, motivated and inspirational people from around the world. Thank you!
Janie Perry
I loved every minute of training for the Certificate in Integrative Sports Nutrition. I learned such a lot and could not recommend the modules more highly. It was a total pleasure meeting like-minded, motivated and inspirational people from around the world. Thank you!
Kirsten Camerson
This was without a doubt the very best course I have ever done. I learnt a lot, it was practical and theoretical, it had amazing experts contributing to the course and all in all it was a completely professional set up. I cannot recommend enough.
Tracy Alexandrou
Great course well taught and would highly recommend if you are serious about sports nutrition

Ian Craig

MSc DipCNE INLPTA FBANT

Is the founder of the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition. With his joint academic backgrounds in exercise physiology and nutritional therapy, and an extensive sports grounding as a middle-distance athlete and coach, he has been developing the concept of integrative sport and exercise nutrition for the past twenty years. This is a fast-evolving discipline that considers both the health and performance of an athlete from an integrative health perspective.

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