Sports Nutrition at Kansas

Anyone that's ever downed an ice-cold Gatorade has experienced the connection between sports nutrition science and college athletics. The field has expanded far beyond keeping players hydrated; some elite programs like the newly-crowned NCAA basketball champion Kansas Jayhawks employ full-time nutritionists to help keep their student athletes in peak condition.

In an e-mail interview, Kansas sports nutritionist Randy Bird talked about the role of a sports nutritionist in college athletics and shared some tips for aspiring coaches and athletes.

Q: Please describe, in general terms, the role of a Sports Nutritionist, with some detail on how you work with the various Jayhawk teams.

A: Sports nutritionists at the collegiate level are generally responsible for nutrition education for teams and individual athletes concerned with lean muscle gain, fat loss, and performance improvement.

I also provide assistance with menu planning for our training table, where our scholarship athletes eat, as well as for pre and post-competition meals.

I perform all body composition testing and analysis, and I also evaluate the safety, legality, and efficacy of nutritional supplements.

Q: How big is the focus on sports nutrition at Kansas? Do you concentrate on specific athletes and their specific needs or a general focus on maximizing performance or both?

A: There is a big focus on sports nutrition at Kansas. I believe our athletes and staff are definitely open to and enthusiastic about the benefits that proper nutrition can offer them. I work with the entire athletic department and see a variety of issues, so I have to focus on both the individual athlete and maximizing performance as a whole. I will give educational talks to teams as a whole, typically at the start of a season. I meet with individual athletes on a daily basis to address a variety concerns, whether it be gaining lean muscle mass, or using nutrition to aid in recovery from an injury.

Q: When I was in college in the early nineties, the closest thing we had to a sports nutrition program was "the athletes get unlimited meal plans as part of their scholarships." How many college programs use sports nutritionists these days? Is it a major advantage for Kansas? Or is it necessary now for any program that wants to "keep up?"

A: Having a sports nutritionist is a major advantage for Kansas. Currently out of 119 schools that are Division 1A in football, only about 17 employ a full-time Sports Nutritionist and a handful of others employ someone part-time.

In my opinion, this is an indictment against those schools that choose not to. They are not only missing out on a great opportunity to improve their athletic programs, but they are failing to provide a necessary service to their student-athletes. More schools are seeing the value of sports nutritionists, but we have a long way to go.

The Big 12 is especially poorly represented; only KU, Nebraska, and Texas A&M have a full-time sports nutritionist.

Q: Do you have any specific "success stories" you can share?

I have many success stories, but these two examples of tremendous fat loss are ones that I (and he athletes themselves) am particularly proud of. One offensive lineman from the football team I worked with lost 27 pounds of fat, while gaining three pounds of muscle over the course of a semester. I analyzed his diet and we met on a weekly basis to monitor progress.

I had similar results with a pitcher on the baseball team. He lost 30 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of muscle.

These two athletes are great examples of how paying attention to what you put in your body will enhance the results you see from your workout.

Q: What do KU ballplayers eat the night before a big game? What about game day?

A: This completely depends on the sport. For basketball, the meals for the night before and pre-game are very similar. I generally have 2 meat options (chicken and a lean beef choice), a pasta dish, potatoes, vegetables, salad, and fruit. Drinks would include: Skim milk, 100% fruit juice, Gatorade, and water.

So for example, a Jayhawk basketball player might eat the following at their pregame meal: a 6oz piece of lemon chicken, a side of baked ziti, a baked potato, a small green salad with Italian dressing, a banana, 12oz of skim milk and 12oz of apple juice. I try to give our athletes a variety of healthy choices at their meals. The focus of the meal is on getting plenty of high quality carbohydrates with a source of lean protein.

Here's one option: Homemade Chili

Q: The Jayhawks' high-energy play -- particularly on defense -- was a major key to the championship run, especially in the first half against Carolina and during the comeback in the final game. How much credit are you taking for that? (That's intended to be a tongue-in-cheek question, but only slightly.)

A: I’d like to think I have a little something to do with all of our athletic teams’ performance, but I will give our guys all the credit for that awesome comeback!

But seriously, how the players take care of themselves nutritionally on a daily basis is directly related to their performance. Proper nutrition and hydration will give them:

1. More energy to train and compete
2. Faster recovery from training and competitions
3. Less down time due to illness and injury

So, taking care of themselves nutritionally allowed the basketball team to see maximal results from the hard work they put in all season.

The meals for our guys were designed to provide the most readily available energy for the game. This, in combination with our hydration strategies, gives our guys the energy they need for the entire game as well as overtime.

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