Good eats for athletes, year-round training table approved
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 14, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 CHRIS BACKLEY/Daily Bruin Craig Bragg
(right), Audie Attar and other members of the
Bruin football team load up on food Tuesday night after
practice.
By Daniel Miller
Daily Bruin Contributor
The old adage “you are what you eat” has always rung
true for UCLA athletes ““ but not necessarily in the
off-season.
That will change this year as the chief executive officers of
the Pac-10 approved a rule change that will provide athletes with
year-round training table meals as opposed to solely providing
in-season meals.
“The coaches urged athletic directors to change the rule,
because it was beneficial to student athletes,” said Jim
Muldoon, assistant commissioner of public relations for the
Pac-10.
Proper nutrition is a vital part of athletic and academic
achievement, and UCLA stresses this, with an emphasis on the
education of athletes.
“The underlying principle is education,” UCLA team
nutritionist Felice Kurtzman said. “We make sure the athletes
learn the principles of nutrition for athletics. We educate them so
that they can make their own choices. They leave with applicable
knowledge.”
Currently, athletes receive a training table dinner each day,
and the meal is set up buffet style so that athletes can choose
what they eat.
According to Kurtzman, sports can be grouped into categories by
the type of diet that they require. The two major types of diets
are endurance and strength diets. Some sports, like the decathlon,
require a diet that is a mix of both categories.
A principle part of the daily diet is protein. In terms of daily
protein intake, an athlete competing in a strength sport such as
gymnastics or football needs 1.6-1.7 grams per kilogram of body
weight while an athlete in an endurance sport like cross-country
needs 1.2-1.4 g/kg of body weight. To put that in perspective, the
daily consumption of protein for the average man is 0.8 g/kg of
body weight.
A cross-country runner has fewer protein needs than a strength
athlete, but has a greater need for carbohydrates. According to
Kurtzman, cross-country runners and athletes in other endurance
sports make sure they eat a great deal of food like pasta, french
fries and bananas.
A female gymnast has high protein needs, but also has higher
calcium and iron needs due to a woman’s dietary requirements.
The average daily caloric intake of a female is 2,200 calories per
day, while the average UCLA gymnast’s is 1,700.
This season, the football program has stressed nutrition for its
freshman athletes. Every freshman kept a detailed week-long diary
of what he ate and Kurtzman interpreted the data. The athletes
received information on their diets so that they could make
modifications, and in some cases, athletes met with Kurtzman to
discuss specific dietary needs. The freshmen also have a weekly
hour-long nutrition meeting and take quizzes on material they
learn.
“They definitely take care of us and make sure we are
educated so that we can make the right choices,” said Steve
Seigel, a redshirt on the football team. “We take it
seriously. Eating is a big part of football.”
According to Kurtzman, football players lose up to five pounds a
day during two-a-day practice sessions, so proper nutrition is a
must.
“Nutrition is a key to success,” football strength
and conditioning coach Mike Linn said. “We tear their bodies
down in practice with lifting and running, and they build it back
up with proper rest and nutrition.”
Some athletes approach their weight-maintaining regimen in a
less than scientific way.
“The only thing offensive lineman avoid is low-fat
food,” junior tackle Bryce Bohlander said. “Fat-free
food doesn’t keep our weight up. I consume 6,000 calories a
day.”
Junior lineman Mike Saffer added that he eats “anything
““ my dietary program is I eat until I am full. The training
table is good because it helps us save money.”
In the past, the lack of a year-round training table was a
recruiting disadvantage, according to Linn.
“Not having a year-round training table was a literal
recruiting difference, it wasn’t just perceived,” he
said. “There might have been other programs that didn’t
use their year-round training table to their advantage but we
intend to fold it into to our recruiting process.”
Healthy eating maximizes recovery, so athletes receive a fitness
shake each day after they finish working out, which supplements the
athletes with carbohydrates and protein. The shake replenishes
nutrients and helps build muscle mass.
“A lot of guys will take shakes like Metrix in order to
gain weight, especially if they’re on a weight lifting
regimen,” sophomore men’s basketball player John
Hoffart said.
Senior free safety Marques Anderson maintains a healthy diet of
his own volition.
“I stay hydrated with water or Gatorade,” he said.
“I keep my weight up by eating a lot of protein. I eat a lot
of green vegetables and I never really drink beverages that contain
caffeine ““ especially during the season.”
Anderson said that a year-round training table is a good idea
because it is “an option for teammates who wouldn’t
normally eat properly if they weren’t given a healthy
meal.”
While the football team, along with other programs, will not be
able to judge the benefits of year-round training table meals until
the off-season, Linn expects there to be appreciable benefits to
the new regimen.
Even if it won’t affect the offensive line.
