It’s no secret how much time student-athletes dedicate to achieving excellence.
Nights spent in the weight room and afternoons spent running sprints are just some of the ingredients in the recipe to make an elite athlete.
But the training doesn’t stop with athletic activity.
The correlation between a well-balanced diet and on-field performance is obvious, according to a CNBC report. But only 28 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football programs have registered dietitians on staff.
Two of those programs, LSU and Alabama, played in the BCS National Championship game on Jan. 9.
Jamie Mascari, LSU coordinator of sports nutrition, was named to her position this fall and is the first to hold the job at LSU.
“The sports nutrition profession is really growing,” she said. “The [Southeastern Conference] has the most sports dietitians hired with their athletes, but all the other conferences are kind of catching on when they see how much of a benefit it is.”
Mascari said she meets with each team individually in the fall to educate the student-athletes about sports nutrition.
“They spend so much time in the weight room and so much time on the court or the field practicing,” she said. “They don’t always realize that wherever they eat, that’s part of their training, too.”
Mascari works with team trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and even dining-hall employees to make sure LSU’s student-athletes make the right decisions regarding their diets.
“All of the staff is in close contact to make sure we’re on the same page,” she said. “Consistency is the key in everything.”
For the most part, all active athletes need to get their nutrients from the same places, regardless of the sport they play, Mascari said.
A 110-pound, 5-foot-2 gymnast would consume about 2,200 to 2,400 calories a day, though the calorie levels vary depending on the season. A 300-pound, 6-foot-5 football player would consume more than twice that, at roughly 4,500 to 5,000 calories a day.
“We want them getting their calories from lean meats, from good carbohydrates and heart-healthy fats,” Mascari said. “We try to stay consistent with that, but just change the quantity of it.”
Senior men’s basketball forward Storm Warren said the team’s strength and conditioning coach Ryan Filo keeps every player on the team in line.
“We sit down with him and he pretty much goes through what’s your favorite food, what’s the things you eat on a daily basis and gives you suggestions on certain things if you have to make changes to your diet,” Warren said.
Warren said Filo and Mascari never tell the athletes they can’t eat, but instead give them nutritious alternatives to keep the athletes satisfied while maintaining their health.
Senior golfer Sang Yi said the changes he made in his diet and exercise routines have made a noticeable impact on his endurance while on the course.
“The biggest thing is, after each tournament round, you’re not as tired,” he said. “You’re not making poor choices because you’re tired. It’s not like you’re playing 18 holes; it’s like you’re playing 15 or something like that.”
For some student-athletes, the right way to eat becomes ingrained in their daily activity.
“I’ve been on my diet for quite a while, so it’s pretty much what I know,” Warren said. “It’s just the way I eat now.”
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]
Diet plays important role in LSU athletes’ health, well-being
January 25, 2012