Nutrition Roadblocks

Taking on the duo-role as student-athlete at the collegiate level can present challenges that are both stressful and rewarding at the same time. Balancing early morning practices, frequent double workouts, classes, class work, sleep and a social life leaves little breathing room and can hurt the student-athlete academically and athletically if they are not managing their time effectively.

Furthermore, these same time constraints can put a hitch in previous eating norms that allowed the athlete to perform at peak in high school.

This month’s case study is about one student-athlete’s journey to overcome such roadblocks with a custom nutrition plan designed to maintain optimal energy levels for both academic and athletic achievement. 

Client Description: Emily is a 20-year-old collegiate track and cross-country athlete who came to me determined to learn the nutritional strategies that would combat her lean body weight loss and ultimately rebuild strength and endurance as a runner so that she could earn herself a return trip to the Division-II National Track Championships and clinch All-American honors her junior season. Well-intended concern from her coach exacerbated her stress as did a tough class load that sometimes inhibited an ideal eating schedule leading up to her afternoon practices. Her her immune function was also compromised.

Nutritional Obstacle #1: Meeting energy demands without overloading the stomach before training.

Previous attempts to increase food intake generally ended in stomach woes (stitches or a sloshy stomach) at practice and also seemed to trigger some personal demons stemming from an eating disorder Emily battled as a teenager. Nutrient timing was a challenge for Emily, as she tended to be heavy in volume when she had time to eat. Often, her pre-practice meal ultimately left undigested food in her stomach and caused stomach woes during her runs.

Solution: To help mute lean body weight loss and support a training regimen that included up to two hours of both cardiovascular and light weight training during the week, Emily was prescribed a 2,100-calorie baseline menu with an additional 300 recovery carbohydrate-focused calories added for every hour of exercise. 

To prevent overloading her stomach at any one meal and also to encourage more stable energy levels during the day, Emily’s calories were split into five smaller meals containing about 400-500 calories with her three main meals being a bit more calorie-dense than her two snacks. Her pre-practice meal, generally consumed 2-3 hours in advance, was carbohydrate-focused with small amounts of protein (up to 25 grams) and fat (up to 20 grams) and contained no more than 10 grams of dietary fiber to encourage full digestion before starting her runs.

Because she was not always able to sit down for a snack, Emily was instructed to hydrate with a solution containing half 100-percent fruit juice and half water during the day as well as carry a peanut butter sandwich cut into quarters or an energy bar that she could nibble on between classes providing an additional calorie punch between meals and before practice.  

The composition of her diet was altered to include more healthy fats (such as carrots dipped in hummus, sliced avocado on sandwiches or salads, nut butter on bread or a sliced banana), which helped increase her calorie intake without overwhelming her with excessive food volume.  Overall, 20-25 percent of her calories were to be derived from fat, an increase from the 14 percent she had been consuming. 

Finally, Emily was instructed to carry a bottle of sport drink during practice as means to promote hydration as well as help her replace some of the calories she was struggling to consume on top of her baseline needs. To help jumpstart her recovery and again provide additional calories to compensate for her workout expenditure, Emily was instructed to drink a meal replacement shake or chocolate soy milk immediately after practice and before heading home for dinner.

Upon making such changes, Emily’s stomach problems diminished and she reported better energy levels during her workouts as well as a marked improvement in her recovery times. Furthermore, Emily was able to maintain her lean body weight during the entirety of her track season.

Nutritional Obstacle #2: Improving recovery nutrition after preliminaries.

As a 5000-meter track specialist, Emily struggled with poor energy levels during track meets that was causing her endurance to wane when it counted in the finals. (For those not familiar with the track format, athletes have to compete in a preliminary 5000-meter race in order to qualify for the 5000-meter finals, which generally are run within 24 hours of the preliminary race.)   

Solution: Emily was prescribed a carbo-loading meal plan leading up to the 5000-meter preliminary race as well as the 5000-meter finals as means to help boost her endurance for both races (see Track Menu Spotlight). Carbohydrate-loading, more commonly followed by athletes preparing for three-plus-hour events, can help enhance a track athlete’s recovery by quickly replenishing depleted carbohydrate/glycogen stores, thereby preparing them for peak endurance on consecutive days.  

In contrast to previous nationals trips, Emily noticed a dramatic improvement in her endurance during the preliminary race and even more so with regards to her recovery after the race, which allowed her to clinch All-American honors in the 5000 at the Division-II National Track Championships this past May in North Carolina. Way to Go Emily!

Want more tips to help improve your fitness  performance? Kimberly Mueller, MS, RD, founder of Fuel Factor Nutrition, is a registered sports dietitian and competitive endurance athlete who provides nutrition counseling and customized meal planning to athletes worldwide. More information on Kim’s services can be found at www.Fuel-Factor.com, and she can be reached at kim@Fuel-Factor.com.