You watch those behemoths jockeying for position from one end of the basketball court to the other and back again, or the boys of summer, leaping after pop flies, diving for line drives and sliding into third, inning after inning.
What keeps them going?
Increasingly, they get a boost from highly specialized diets developed by dietitians who parse and program restrictions and requirements to tailor meals to each player’s precise needs.
And that doesn’t necessarily mean the same meal for the same sport or, for that matter, the same meal for every person on the team.
For athletes, the “D” word has nothing to do with Atkins, South Beach or any trendy weight-loss diet.
It means the use of food as fuel to propel elite athletes to the top of their game, whatever that game is. It means planning and structuring a nutritional program that will prepare them to compete, sustain them during play and help them recover from exertion.
Sport nutrition has become such a hot issue among trainers that it is now a component in the nutrition curriculum at Johnson & Wales University, believed to be the first of its kind.
For more information about sports nutrition:
• “Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” by Nancy Clark; $23, available from Amazon.com, Sports Nutrition Services, 830 Boylston St., Suite 205, Brookline, Mass. 02467, or ;
•
Developed at the campus in Providence, R.I., sports nutrition takes culinology – a term used to describe the integration of science and food preparation – into sports, the better to understand how food affects performance.
That’s what attracted Adam Sacks to sports nutrition. Sacks, a former high school wrestler and sports enthusiast, long ago learned he got bad information about what he should and shouldn’t eat.
He is now a chef instructor in nutrition science at J&W in Denver.
“After being told to not drink water because it would affect my weigh-ins, and getting knocked on my butt because I was dehydrated, I did independent research,” he says. “There wasn’t much information about nutrition and sports.”
The further he delved, the more interested he became, ultimately leaping at the chance to teach sports nutrition.
His course, “Athletic Performance Cuisine,” focuses on creating menus for the training table. Students have to apply their knowledge of nutrition, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology to develop individual assessments and menus for specific disciplines.
It is serious business.
Just ask Steve Hess and Michael Osterman. Hess is assistant coach for strength and conditioning with the Denver Nuggets. Osterman is the team chef. Together they plan the four daily meals served to the team, meals that are more about nutrition than simply pumping food into players.
“Nutrition is a huge component of anyone’s life, but especially in the NBA,” Hess says. “It’s fuel in the form of the proper balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein, and it manipulates the body to suit the weight of the individual player.”
Case in point: Nene, the $60 million Nugget’s power forward recently sidelined by knee surgery. While recuperating he gained weight as a result of inactivity. The weight gain, in turn, limited his ability to train as vigorously as he needed to.
“With a player like Nene you can’t just put him on a diet,” Hess says. “He’s 6 feet 11. He needs a regimen that will help him lose weight without losing muscle. At one point he was at 14 percent body fat, now he’s at 2 (percent). He started at 278 (pounds) and is now below 250, so dropping the weight made recovery easier because there is less weight on the knee.”
Nutrition for athletes has value beyond accelerating recovery from serious injury. A scientific approach helps determine how much fuel a player needs to jump-start the system and maintain it during play. It also examines what is needed to restore depleted electrolytes and burned calories.
To meet those requirements, the Nuggets hired Osterman to work with Hess in designing a meal program for each player.
That’s right: each one.
“We provide them with a daily ration of chicken, salmon, rice, vegetables, salad, and potatoes,” Osterman says. “We use olive oil sparingly, but add lots of garlic and herbs like basil and thyme for flavor.”
On average, Osterman prepares 70 meals a day – no monosodium glutamate, no sugar substitutes and little salt.
In addition to eating breakfast, a midmorning snack and lunch, team members get an afternoon snack to take home with them. This leaves the players responsible only for dinner. Hess and Osterman pray for no detours to fast-food joints.
Sports nutrition as a discipline has risen to prominence in recent years, although the concept is not new, says Jacqueline Berning, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs biology professor, who is in her 20th year working with the Denver Broncos.
“When I started with the Broncos there was just a handful of (sports nutritionists),” says Berning, who worked with the Cleveland Indians for 17 years and has worked with CU athletes for three years.
“Now you’d be hard-pressed to find a team that doesn’t have someone. Everyone is looking for that competitive edge,” she says.
Married to an athlete, Berning became interested in how athletes eat when she was a nutrition student in college.
“I couldn’t get over what people told him to eat to increase performance,” she says. “Stuff like ‘you gotta find that herb that makes root beer taste like root beer.’ It was wild.”
Today she takes athletes grocery shopping. They read labels and examine ingredients as she explains the extent to which their success is contingent on eating the right foods. She extols the virtues of the Crock-Pot, so they can put a meal on before they leave for practice or a game and have a meal waiting when they return.
“Dealing with the Denver Broncos is like dealing with a set of Porsches,” she says. “you must have the fuel balance right. If they put diesel in a tank made for super unleaded they can’t even back out of the driveway.”
Sports nutrition first garnered attention in this country when Lake Placid hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics, says Nancy Clark, an author and noted nutritionist. A great deal of planning and effort went into creating menus for an international array of athletes. Not only were they from different countries and cultures, they were from a variety of sports.
The field has now grown so much that the American Dietetic Association has created a specialty in sports nutrition.
“It’s the wave of the future,” Clark says. “Weight and stress management are forever an issue among professional athletes, and balanced meals are key. It’s a growing trend and owners are realizing it’s worth the investment.”
And a growing opportunity.
For example Miriam Seligson, a student from J&W/Providence, is is doing an internship at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, modifying some of their soup recipes to reduce sodium, and saturated fat. She’s also helping sports dietitians to develop handouts for athletes about grocery shopping.
Now that she’s completed Sacks’ class, J&W/Denver senior Amanda Mauser is taking a second look at her career plans. The idea of meal planning tailored to sport-specific needs appeals to her. For Sacks’ recent 10-hour final exam, each student had to create a day-long meal plan for a figurative athlete from a real country, Vietnam.
“We did a beef pho for breakfast; a lychee-jackfruit smoothie for midmorning; a vegetable stir-fry for lunch and stuffed squid for dinner,” Mauser says. “Our athlete was a ping pong player, so based on his weight, height and caloric use, we had to plan meals to keep him going.”
So heads up, runners, cyclists, marathoners, linebackers, point guards and power walkers. Somewhere waiting for your body electric is a meal plan with a purpose beyond filling you up.
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-954-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Oatmeal Pancakes
Developed by registered dietitian Nancy Clark, author of “Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” these light and fluffy pancakes are perfect for carbo-loading the day before an event. Clark is in private practice in Massachusetts. As a gift, serve them for a surprise breakfast in bed or as the highlight of a special brunch. Yields six 6-inch pancakes, or 3 servings.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked oats, quick or old fashioned
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk (or milk mixed with K teaspoon vinegar and left to stand for a few minutes)
- 1/2 to O cup milk
- 1 egg or 2 egg whites, beaten
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, as desired
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup flour, preferably half whole wheat and half white
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine oats, yogurt, and milk. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to let the oatmeal soften.
When the oatmeal is through soaking, beat in egg and oil; mix well. Add sugar and salt, then baking powder and flour. Stir until just moistened. For best results, let batter stand for 5 minutes before cooking.
Heat a lightly oiled or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat (375 degrees for electric frying pan).
For each pancake, pour about N cup batter onto the griddle. Turn when the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look dry.
Serve with syrup, honey, applesauce, or yogurt.
Best-Ever Banana Bread
This recipe has been included in each edition of Nancy Clark’s “Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” who says athletes love this banana bread for fueling up before and refueling after workouts. For best results, use bananas covered with lots of brown speckles. Makes 12 slices.
Ingredients
- 3 large ripened bananas
- 1 egg or 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups flour, preferably half whole wheat and half white
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Mash bananas with a fork. Add egg, oil, milk, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Beat well.
Gently blend flour into banana mixture and stir for 20 seconds, or until just moistened.
Pour into a 4-inch-by-8-inch loaf pan that has been lightly oiled, treated with cooking spray, or lined with wax paper.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan.
Avocado Fruit Salad
From the Cleveland Clinic’s sports nutrition website, sports-health.org. Serves 1
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed baby greens
- 1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced in half rounds
- 1/2 cup cantaloupe, cubed
- 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
- 2 walnut halves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fat-free raspberry vinaigrette
- 1/8 teaspoon grated lime peel
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped basil
- 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1/2 ripe avocado, pitted, and peeled and sliced
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine mixed greens, kiwi fruit, cantaloupe, strawberries and walnuts.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette, lime peel, lime juice, basil leaves and dry mustard.
Pour dressing over salad and toss until coated. Arrange the salad on a plate, season and top with avocado.
Shrimp “Fried” Rice with Broccoli and Garlic
This recipe was created by registered dietitian Mindy Hermann and adapted from the Reader’s Digest website, rd.com. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting chemical. Garlic helps boost immunity, and lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 2/3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
- 2 2/3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Directions
In a nonstick pan, heat peanut oil. Add garlic and green onion, sauté until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add rice, shrimp, and water chestnuts, sauté about 1 minute. Add broth or water, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Stir to combine, cover pan, and cook until all ingredients are warm, about 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve with a generous portion of broccoli with garlic as a side dish.
Broccoli With Garlic
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
Directions
Combine ingredients in a microwave-proof bowl. Cover and microwave until broccoli is cooked but crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
Fish Chowder
“Survival Around the World” is the third official cookbook from the Australian Institute of Sport. When faced with the challenge of eating in unfamiliar environments, and with limited time and resources, athletes need recipes that are nutritious, quick, delicious and foolproof. This recipe is adapted from the book. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
- Olive or canola oil spray
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 1/2-inch-thick slices ham, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups fish or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups Carnation Light & Creamy Evaporated Milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pound white fish fillets (such as flathead, whiting), cut into chunks
- 1 10-ounce package frozen yellow corn kernels, thawed
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
- 4 large or 6 small bread rolls
Directions
Spray a nonstick saucepan with oil and sauté onion, ham, celery, carrot and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add flour and potatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock, milk and lemon juice, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add fish and corn. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chives. Serve with bread rolls.
Turkey Sunshine Burger
Developed by Adam Sacks, chef instructor and sports nutritionist at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, this post-training meal is designed to be eaten within an hour of activity. This recipe can also be used for meatballs or a meatloaf. Makes 6 burgers.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
- 1/4 cup low-fat feta
- 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Tomato slices, avocado wedges for garnish
Directions
Combine turkey, chickpeas, walnuts, carrots, zucchini, feta, basil, thyme, hot sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. From into patties and grill until internal temperature reads 165. Serve on buns or bread with toppings of your choice.
Post-Training Blueberry Smoothie
Adam Sacks, chef instructor at Johnson & Wales in Denver developed this smoothie to address the final four nutrition needs for any athlete: electrolytes, fluid, carbohydrates and protein. The bananas have potassium, the yogurt provides protein, and the cayenne acts as a vasodilator that boosts the immune system. Best if served immediately after workout. Serves 2.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cup vanilla soymilk or 2 percent or other lowfat milk
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Combine yogurt, milk, bananas, blueberries, wheat germ, honey and cayenne in blender and purée until thoroughly mixed.
Black Bean Brownies
This recipe developed by Adam Sacks, registered dietitian and chef instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. These brownies are designed to introduce solid protein, fiber, “good” sugars, and other micronutrients not found in ordinary brownies. Makes 16 portions.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ounces unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Place beans, eggs, applesauce, syrup, cocoa powder, flour, milk powder, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder and chocolate chips in a food processor and mix thoroughly.
Pour mixture into a well greased, nonstick baking pan
Bake until center is firm and toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Allow to cool before cutting into portions.
Rice Krispy Treats with Attitude
Adapted from a recipe developed by Johnson & Wales chef instructor Adam Sacks; N cup chocolate chips or dried fruit may be added. Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
- 4 cups Rice Krispies
- 4 cups whole-grain Cheerios
- 2 cups pretzel sticks, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup almond slivers, toasted
- 1/2 cup dry milk
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
Directions
Heat large saucepan and add oil; add marshmallows and stir continuously to prevent burning. When marshmallows are melted, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to sheet pan or baking pan. Form and allow to cool. Cut into desired portions. This snack is best eaten 20-30 minutes before or during activity.
