Football season is rapidly approaching, and players across the NFL are heading into their annual training camps. The Dallas Cowboys are no exception. This is the time when players showcase their offseason work in hopes of setting a winning tone very early. But that extends beyond the field and weight room; nutrition is also a huge part of a winning game plan. As the official nutrition partner of the Dallas Cowboys, Dairy MAX knows that what you put in your body affects how you perform – and performance is huge in professional football.
At the start of the 2016 season, the Dallas Cowboys moved into their new world headquarters and training facility, The Star. It’s a major upgrade from the Cowboys’ former home, Valley Ranch. For starters, the team has a full-service dining space: the Fuel Up Training Table.
The Fuel Up Training Table
At Valley Ranch, meals were brought in for players every day, and they would crowd around tables in a small break room. When former Cowboys players saw the Fuel Up Training Table at The Star, they all agreed that having a dedicated dining area makes a huge difference. The Fuel Up Training Table has lots of options, but the focus on nutrition is the same. It offers daily breakfast, lunch and dinner for players and coaches working late into the evening. There’s a grill, made-to-order station, rotisserie and frozen yogurt. Even comfort-food classics receive a healthy update.
The Team Dietitian
The players also have tremendous support in maintaining healthy habits from the team dietitian. Scott Sehnert, Dallas Cowboys director of sports performance, ensures that players have the fuel they need to win. He manages the day-to-day nutrition planning for the team and helps guide the menu at the Fuel Up Training Table. He even designs unique diets for each player. His menus focus on helping players get all the nutrients they need, and dairy is a big part of that.
Dairy Is a Star Player
Dairy is important to the Cowboys and helps players achieve optimal performance or recovery from injury. Scott recently shared his philosophy on dairy:
“Dairy plays a big part in the nutrition planning for our team. The daily needs that dairy provides are exceptional – with the calcium and potassium, along with the other nutrients that help regulate things that are important to athletes.”
Needless to say, there’s lots of milk, cheese and yogurt at The Star. And because high-protein foods like dairy are critical to players who are trying to build muscle, there’s also a special snack cooler full of milk, yogurt and cheese sticks for the guys to grab after working out.
As you can imagine, the Dallas Cowboys eat a lot. Every month, the team consumes over five tons of food.
That’s more than six times the weight of the entire offensive line – some of the biggest, strongest guys on the team. Every month, the team eats 1,000 pounds of dairy. That’s like drinking 2,000 glasses of milk!
Good nutrition, including dairy, fuels the Cowboys' star performance.
