blog #11 diet for an athlete first year college student

My good friend Kayla is on scholarship at Barry University in Miami Florida where she plays catcher/outfielder on the softball team.

This fall is Kayla’s first semester away from home and living on the dorms. She is instructed not to cut her calories but asked me “what kind of food should I eat as an athlete with not a lot of money? What should I eat to stay healthy on campus at my dorm?”

Goals

• Her goals are weight maintenance, but her coach wants her to get stronger for games.
• Kayla is eating a moderate calorie range diet due to being extremely active

Background on Kayla:

• Weights with the team Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
• Tuesday and Thursday she does plyometrics

Resources: she has a microwave and a school cafeteria.

Current diet: she eats at the cafeteria daily

Recommendations for Kayla:

Kayla needs to consume LEAN PROTEIN for a clean diet to aid in muscular development. Kayla should take a serving of lean protein powder as a snack between meals for a clean protein source. Kayla should invest in staple items for her dorm like: oatmeal (made in microwave) nuts, broccoli, protein powder, fruit, cereal, canned tuna, and clean protein bars.

I recommend:

When i was a freshman I read Eating well on campus by Ann Selkowitz Litt, M.S., R.D. and L.D. This book was very insightful and an appealing read for college students.

• Write down what you eat (either through a phone application (read blog 10) or in a notebook, AND MEASURE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE!)
• when Kayla eats at the salad bar I recommend her to make fresh selections, and limit most if not all sauces offered. When eating salad use oil and vinegar, or no dressing because salad dressing is 100% fat!

Protein powder can be consumed without blending! Keep it simple by using a shaker bottle which can be purchased at any Vitamin Shoppe or online for cheap. You mix a scoop of protein and water and shake and go. (remember to clean after each use!)