New Program Shows Colorado State Athletes That Good Eating Means Good Performance
Tuesday, February 25, 1997
FORT COLLINS--Behind every successful athlete at Colorado State
University is a nutrition
counselor armed with a calorie counter and plenty of sound advice.
A new program at Colorado State pairs graduate students pursuing
nutrition degrees with Ram
athletes who are trying to make the most of every performance, despite daily
temptations of high-
calorie meals, sweet snacks and heart-clogging fast foods.
The program, which began fall semester, involves seven graduate and
undergraduate students
who are responsible for teaching healthful eating habits to 12 men's and
women's athletic teams that
compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Participating teams
include men's and
women's track; cross country, golf and basketball; football; swimming; and
women's softball and
tennis.
The mentors meet regularly with the teams as a whole to discuss issues
specifically related to
their nutritional needs, then hold regular office hours so athletes can get
help individually or ask
questions.
"We're trying to show our athletes there is a direct link between
healthful eating and
performance," said Paul Goldberg, assistant strength coach at the varsity
weight room and founder of
the mentoring program. "What an athlete puts in his or her mouth relates to
their ability to train and
compete."
Good nutrition advice for a member of the track team may not be
helpful for a football player.
That's why mentors focus on the specific needs of each athlete while
training, working out and
competing--even in the off-season.
For example, track athletes and football players use different energy
systems during
competition, working out and training. A female distance runner relies on the
body's aerobic system
during competition, using fat as energy. Healthful food choices for the
distance runner in the days
prior to competition may include pasta--a low-fat food full of carbohydrates.
Having enough
carbohydrates stored in the body enables the athlete to burn fat for energy
during competition.
Meanwhile, a 300-pound lineman on the Rams football team is more
likely to burn glucose as
a source of energy, making low-fat foods consumed over the entire week ideal
for optimum
performance.
"Many of the athletes have not been taught the importance of good
nutrition," said Laura
Watne, one of the mentors and a graduate student in exercise sports science
and human nutrition. "We
try to give them a good mix of advice that gets them thinking about how to
make better food choices
and to also emphasize that their needs are different before and after
competition."
To reinforce the message, this group of food helpers publish "The
Daily Grub," a bimonthly
newsletter full of sound eating advice and recipes for quick and healthful
snacks.
Mentors say the most common nutrition questions from athletes include
the use of weight-gain
supplements, how to maintain energy levels before competition, what to eat on
the road, maintaining
weight and staying hydrated.
College athletes have difficulty meeting nutritional needs because
they are often on tight
budgets and hectic schedules, said Mary Harris, assistant professor of food
and human nutrition at
Colorado State.
"Many of these student athletes must eat a great deal of calories to
maintain their body weight
and the energy levels necessary to train and compete," said Harris, who also
supervises the nutrition
counseling program. "These counselors give our athletes helpful tips and
advice on how to meet their
nutritional needs within their budgets and academic schedules."
Goldberg and the team of nutrition mentors will develop a four-year
program that addresses
the different needs of athletes as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Organizers expect the
program to be put in place by next fall.
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