Half a plate of fruits and vegetables. An emphasis on whole grains. A varied source of lean protein.
These foods are considered the building blocks of a healthy meal by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). But can eating meals that feature an appropriate amount of each food group—and learning recipes that integrate them—improve the on-field performance of professional athletes?
Over the summer, students in Rausser College's Master of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics (MNSD) program provided a six-session crash course on the fundamentals of nutrition and healthy eating to the Oakland Roots, a professional soccer club competing in the USL Championship league. MNSD students Yixuan Zhang, Tamar Saskin, and Jiwon Lee taught the first session, and the following five were developed and led by second-year students Marley Mainelli and Mikeila Martinez. The pair of longtime athletes—Martinez played college soccer and Mainelli is an avid runner—are familiar with how principles of nutrition and dietetics can support athletic performance.
"Soccer is a strenuous sport that can get really tiring after a while," Martinez said. "When I was playing, I always thought about what I could eat to feel better during a game and last longer on the field."
During the sessions, Mainelli and Martinez taught Roots players about the importance and metabolic roles of macronutrients: the core food groups that help our bodies function. Protein from sources such as beef, fish, or tofu helps the body grow and repair cells, especially those worked during strength training or conditioning exercises. Whole-grain carbohydrates, such as brown rice or breads made from whole-wheat flour, provide the body with the energy needed for both quick sprints to intercept a player and hours of running up and down the soccer pitch. Fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant-rich foods play a crucial role in recovery and are essential to immune function.
But good nutrition requires more than knowing what nutrients do for your body; it's about knowing how to combine them to create a meal that meets your dietary needs. Mainelli said a portion of each session was dedicated to understanding federal MyPlate guidelines, the published dietary recommendations developed and published by the USDA. "But even then, athletes have specified nutritional needs that the general population isn't going to have," she said.
Mainelli and Martinez introduced players to useful MyPlate modifications that provide athletes with the necessary nourishment for various training durations and intensities. These plates are popular among sports organizations and differ from federal guidelines by featuring a greater proportion of carbohydrates or lean protein. These modifications are essential for meeting an athlete's increased energy demands on game day or could help them recover more quickly after a training session.
Each session included a hands-on cooking activity, which Martinez said helped reinforce their main points and demonstrate that healthy and nutritious meals can be made relatively easily. "There are a bunch of really great and efficient ways to make a quick meal," she said, pointing to options like canned tuna or bagged salads, which are pre-prepared and portioned, or cooking methods like one-pot meals that cut down on the number of dishes needed.
"We also know players travel a lot, so we wanted to show them ways to stay consistent with their nutrition and routine regardless of where they are," Mainelli added. Home cooking provides athletes with more control over their nutrition, she said, and can help them avoid common pitfalls—like not knowing how much fat is in a meal—that could throw off their nutrition plan.
The students also collected survey data from the players, which Mainelli used to assess changes in players' nutritional knowledge and eating behaviors, and Martinez used to track whether specific sports performance indicators—like their total distance and top running speed, as well as perceived muscle soreness and fatigue—differed before and after the sessions. They will report their preliminary findings during the MNSD program's capstone poster session later this summer.
The concept for the curriculum and recipes was adapted from the Personal Food Security and Wellness (NST 20) course.
