Louise is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian with professional experience across a range of settings, including high performance sport, food industry, private practice and academia. She has previously provided performance nutrition services to different sporting programs at Australian state-based institutes and was the national nutrition lead for the Australian Sailing team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Louise’s broad experience as a sports nutrition practitioner was applied directly to her PhD research which involved the development and validation of the Athlete Diet Index (ADI), a purpose-built electronic dietary assessment tool for athletes. The ADI is designed to rapidly evaluate usual dietary intake compared to dietary guidelines and sports nutrition recommendations. Dietary intake of specific nutrients relevant to athletes (i.e. calcium, iron) and dietary behaviours that support training and performance are also assessed.
Louise is passionate about inspiring emerging nutrition and dietetic students through sharing her diverse real-world professional experience applied to her teaching and learning.
Professional memberships
- Dietitians Australia (Accredited Practising Dietitian)
- Sports Dietitians Australia (Accredited Sports Dietitian)
- Nutrition Society of Australia (Registered Nutritionist)
- Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport (PINES)
Awards and fellowships
- Nominated for the Chester Goodsell Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the use of technology in the field of evidence-based nutrition analysis for health and well-being, Dietitians Australia, 2023
Professional social media
Research grants
| Grant / project name | Investigators | Funding body and AUD$ value | Year(s) | Focus of research grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Ignition Seed Fund | Capling, L., Gifford, J.A., Slater, G., Flood, V.M., O’Connor, H. | Australian Sports Commission, $15,000 | 2019-2020 | Development of a website to provide ongoing access to the Athlete Diet Index to athletes, researchers and sports nutrition practitioners |
| Sport Performance Innovation and Knowledge Excellence (SPIKE) scholarship | Capling, L., Gifford, J.A., Slater, G., Flood, V.M., O’Connor, H. | Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), $53,050 | 2016-2019 | Development and validation of the Athlete Diet Index for elite Australian athletes |
| Australian post-graduate award (APA) scholarship | Capling, L., Gifford, J.A., Slater, G., Flood, V.M., O’Connor, H. | University of Sydney, $75,000 | 2016-2019 | Development and validation of the Athlete Diet Index for elite Australian athletes |
Research areas
- Diet quality of athletes
- Food choice determinants and dietary behaviours
- Performance nutrition for adolescent and developing athletes
- Technological advances in dietary assessment
Teaching areas
- NUT309 Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Dr Louise Capling's specialist areas of knowledge include dietary assessment methodology in athlete populations, dietary patterns and diet quality of athletes, performance nutrition for adolescent and team sport athletes