Keeping teams fit for maximum performance

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Josh Hogg, a graduate student in sports nutrition and a research assistant at the University of Mississippi, of Oxford, Ohio, oversees operations at the Gilom Center’s gas station for undergraduate athletes. Photo by Thomas Graning / Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

OXFORD, miss. Before, during, and after training and play, student-athletes at the University of Mississippi rely on sports nutrition staff to provide them with adequate energy and hydration to maximize their performance.

Behind the scenes, members of the Sports Nutrition Volunteer Program ensure that tasty and nutritious snacks are ready to eat and that water and sports drinks are readily available.

“Proper energy intake is critical to performance and recovery,” said Melinda Valliant, a registered sports nutritionist and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management. “Many athletes have little to no training on what they need to energize their bodies, so the main role of Sports RD is to educate them about their individual needs.”

Around 20 bachelor students take part in the program and are responsible for catering for the athletes. As part of their required clinical rotations, 10 students from the Coordinated Dietetics Program also work with the program.

The Coordinated Program in Dietetics is a graduate-level internship program that combines supervised practice with graduate coursework and requires 30 hours of credits and 1,200 hours of supervised practice. Graduates earn a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition Services and are eligible to take the Registered Nutritionist certification exam.

Graduate students work with registered sports nutritionists to ensure aspiring athletes get the nutrients they need from food and drink options available at gas stations near sports training facilities and venues.

Addison Shelton, of Natchitoches, Louisiana, recently completed her bachelor’s degree in dietetics and nutrition and is in the first year of the program. She found out about volunteering when a research assistant involved in the program spoke to a class about it.

“My duties can be endless,” Shelton said. “I work in the soccer weight room, so we are responsible for giving shakes to the players between the different lift groups. We make green, chocolate and strawberry smoothies almost every day for post-workout recovery for players.

“We also make protein balls, loads of fruit, and even have snack tables to make sure that the athletes are given enough energy to feed them during their strenuous exercise.”

Students gain a lot more from volunteering than simple credit lessons for their degree, she said.

“I’ve learned so much about the importance of properly hydrating and nourishing athletes, especially at the college level,” she said. “I learned how to use a body composition machine that shows us the total body fat and muscle loss of every athlete. I have also developed on-the-job skills that will serve me well in a future career in sports nutrition. “

The experience also made her aware of career opportunities, Shelton said.

“Working as a volunteer gave me the insight that I wanted to be a sports dietician and eventually one day help and support college athletes.”

Masters student Walid Kherat from Peoria, Illinois recently completed his clinical rotation at Ole Miss Sports Nutrition. His duties included managing all of the volunteers while working exclusively with soccer players.

“I helped with the daily supplies for soccer student-athletes, including refueling, recreation, snack tables, and trash cans in the meeting rooms,” said Kherat.

“I helped them make the right choice of breakfast and lunch based on their individual goals and needs. I carried out body composition tests and interpreted the results as well as carried out individual nutritional consultations with several student athletes. “

Kherat developed educational materials and designed individual meal ideas, plans and meal plans. He managed food supplies and inventory, placed orders as team needs, and worked closely with food caterers on serving and setting up food.

While on the team, he worked on the sidelines of the 2020 Egg Bowl and on several exercises and scrimmages, including managing in-game refueling, cramps, and more.

The volunteer program run by the Center for Health and Sports Performance also offers research opportunities for Ph.D. and graduate students in nutrition and hospitality management.

Research in the program varies widely, including the role of diet in injury recovery, food insecurity and athletes, Valliant said.

Matthew Frakes, a 2020 PhD graduate in Nutrition and Hospitality Management, will join Notre Dame in just a few weeks as Director of Sports Nutrition. A native of Columbus, Ohio, research looked at the impact of nutritional status on concussion recovery.

“The purpose of this study was to observe the relationship between total calorie and macronutrient intake upon return to baseline measurement times in college athletes with concussions,” said Frakes. “My results suggest that meeting total energy needs and consuming carbohydrates can shorten the duration of symptoms after a concussion.”

Kacie Poll, of Mundelein, Ill., Is a food and nutrition services graduate student with a thesis researching food security in high school and college athletes.

“In my research, I evaluated the relationship between high school and college household food security status and current food consumption behavior in a sample of male NCAA Division I college athletes,” she said. “I concluded that high school food insecurity was related to eating preoccupation with male college athletes.

“The food insecurity demonstrated in the sample of Ole Miss athletes in the study is related to food preoccupation and food hoarding among male college athletes. Screening for food insecurity and behavioral disorders in this group is justified. “

Students interested in sports nutrition should know that the practice is not an entry-level field, Valliant said.

“Students who want to become registered nutritionists in sport need to focus on becoming registered nutritionists,” she said. “We don’t have a bachelor-level specialty, but we have a bachelor’s degree in sports nutrition, NHM 319: Foundations in Sports Nutrition, for students to take.”

Sports nutrition focuses at the master’s and doctoral level are offered through the Chair of Nutrition and Hospitality Management.

Graduates find careers in university sports, with professional sports teams and with Olympic athletes.

For more information on the Sports Nutrition Volunteer Program or degrees in Sports Nutrition at Ole Miss, email [email protected] or visit the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management.

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