Nutrition

Regardless of the sport that you play, in general, athletes require more protein than the average person. Beyond protein’s well-known role in building and repairing lean muscle, protein supports strong bones, ligaments and tendons, helps in the movement of oxygen to muscles, controls many metabolic processes in the body, aids in repair of body cells and plays a role in healthy immune function. But how much protein do you really need and what type of protein should you be eating?

Determining Your Protein Needs

After five years without a “ticket” to the Class 4A state swim meet, mom-daughter coaching team Adria Colver and Aly Brinkema couldn’t be more proud.

The Holyoke girls swim team captured their first large trophy – third place in the Metro 8 – and watched junior, Dani Brandt, qualify for state, all while juggling their academic studies so well that they came within inches of winning this year’s 4A Academic Team Championship Award (an award the school last won in 2001).

Usually, September is a month we anticipate with optimism. The summer heat transforms into cooler days and families feel rejuvenated for the new school year routine, drawing closer together to enjoy what fall has to offer such as watching football, harvest celebrations and delicious seasonal food to share. 

Today's blog is an interview with Director of Sports Nutrition at Colorado State University, Pamela Bartz, RD, CSSD, CSCS. Read on to get tips straight from the CSU athletics RD for your next run, ride or game!

You help athletes at CSU learn how to eat properly for their best athletic performance – what are some of the surprising things you have learned in this job?

You don’t have to be a sommelier, or own a yacht in the Bahamas to host a cheese pairing party. Cheese is a simple and failsafe food that’s easy to serve for any entertaining occasion. Simply select a handful of cheeses and offer a few accompaniments that complement the specific flavors; invite some good friends, and have fun.

Consider These 7 Things When Hosting a Cheese Pairing Party:

1. Variety –Aim for five or six different cheeses with a variety of “strength” of flavors (strong-flavored/strong smelling cheeses vs. milder cheeses).

Now, more than ever, the choices available in your grocery’s dairy aisle might be just a bit overwhelming. Do you choose the red cap or the blue cap, the organic or the regular, chocolate, lactose free, or dairy-free? And that’s just fluid milk – let’s not even talk about all the yogurt options (we’ll do that in another post altogether)!

You’ve probably heard it said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Yet, over 30 million Americans skip it each day. One of the top excuses for skipping this morning meal is lack of time.

You’ve heard that “milk does a body good.” But perhaps you didn’t know that milk is not only beneficial for healthy bones and teeth, but milk and other dairy foods are a nutrient-rich alternative to sports drinks. Many of your favorite athletes refuel with milk after a strenuous workout, and for good reason…

It seems like everybody’s been talking about probiotics. Then prebiotics joined the conversation. But what actually are they?

Probiotics are “live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host,” according to the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Protein-packed cottage cheese is substantial enough to form the basis of a meal, yet versatile enough to be used as a dip for celery sticks or mixed into a creamy pasta sauce. Nutrient-rich cottage cheese is unique because it’s naturally low in carbohydrates and high in protein.

What Is Cottage Cheese?