the Huskers nutrition podcast
for the Huskers. You are
listening to the Huskers
nutrition podcast presented by
Midwest Dairy and your local
farm families. Here is your
host, Jessica Cootie. Hi
everybody and welcome back into
another season of the Huskers
nutrition podcast. I'm Jessica
Cootie in this podcast series
brought to you by our friends
at Midwest Dairy once again,
and over the next few weeks,
we're going to be talking about
the Huskers nutrition podcast
for the Huskers nutrition for
Husker student athletes.
There's a lot more that goes
into it than just fueling these
student athletes. There's a
lot of training, a lot of tools
that are provided, and so
we're going to dive into all of
that with. Lisa Ko Becky, the
director of performance
nutrition and her staff today
joining us is Jake Blattner
associate R D N. Got that
right, right? Lisa Let's start
before we get into all the fun
stuff because you guys have a
lot of cool stuff to talk with
us about. But tell us about
your staff because we're going
to be talking about the
nutrition team. We've got 10
registered dietitians on staff
that work directly with all of
our student athletes. So each
team has. A dedicated
dietitian or more. For example,
football currently has three,
so all of us have specific
sports that we're responsible
for, and that includes
education, making sure that
they're fed. They understand
their hydration needs and body
composition testing. How
important is that to have
someone that's dedicated for
each sport and can maybe dive
in because it's not all the
same. It's just a different
thing. It's a different
environment. Not everybody
eats and fuels the same. We
have endurance athletes that
require different specific
needs as our strength athletes
do. And it's just really
important to get to know them
so that we can help them play
coach when they come through
the training table, help them
troubleshoot anything that may
come up throughout the year.
And Jake, you work with what
sports I'm with the men's
basketball team with coach
Fred Hoiberg and then our
track and field team with
Justin St Clair. That's
awesome. That's awesome.
That's awesome. That's awesome.
How did you get to Nebraska?
Tell us your backstory. Um,
actually grew up a small town
farm kid, so grew up in
Rochester, Minnesota, Balen
Hay, Milken cows grew up on a
dairy farm. So yeah, so dairy
has a little special place in
my heart. And then I knew I
knew I wanted to be a sports
dietitian since I was like 15
years old, you know, like that
was like the main goal. So went
to a small private institution
called the turbo in La Crosse
Wisconsin. No one's ever heard
of it. Senior year. I really
wanted to be that sports
nutrition and Victoria
Rosenfeld or Lambert actually
was one of my mentors and she
really got me integrated into
sports nutrition. And after
graduating, I was like, Oh my
goodness, there's only like
five sports dietitians in the
U. S. Like how do I get a job?
So I was doing research and
development for like GNC
vitamin shop and I got a phone
call from Florida State. They
said, Hey, come on down. Spent
three years of the Seminoles
and then they paid for my
graduate schooling. Got a
phone call from Dave Ellis and
Lisa Coppeck. And then I got
a phone call from the
university of Florida. And I
got a phone call from the
university of Florida. And I
got a phone call from Dave
Ellis and Lisa Coppecky up
here and. Shoot what? Five
years later. Here we are. So
that's awesome. Well this is a
crazy time of year because
you got a lot of new students
that are filing on campus. A
lot of freshmen that are
probably learning how to eat
properly for the very first
time and fuel themselves
properly. You're laughing with
What is that like when you get
these new freshman in and how
you guys kind of get them
acclimated? Well a lot of
people on the street asked me
what is the most important
thing that you do to keep
your body healthy and then
perform? Well no it's not that
simple. Number one, not
everybody comes from the same
background. Not everybody has
been exposed to what
macronutrients are.
Carbohydrates for fuel for the
body. Protein which is our
building blocks. It helps us
build and repair muscle. Also
helps keep our immune system
strong. And then fat. Fat is
essential for many functions in
the body. It cushions all of
our organs. It boosts our immune
system. It helps us keep our
body healthy. And then make sure
that these kids coming in
understand that all those
components are really
important when they are fueling
their bodies. And for the first
time many of them are on their
own as far as fueling their
bodies go. Mom and dad aren't
there to remind them it's time
to eat to make sure they had
breakfast or money in their
school account. And it's up to
them to make it happen. This
time of year we have student
athletes kind of rolling
through here and a lot of them
are on campus either practicing
or taking classes. So how
important is this time for these
kind of groups that are trying
to get set for August, September
and that time of year? Yeah.
We're building our building
blocks right now. So like Lisa
said, it's you know, we're
building that foundation of hey
this is how we're going to get
through the season. This is
what a performance plate should
look like for you. So right now
is kind of that that key
building period or onboarding
period for the student athletes
so. Great example this morning.
I was watching our volleyball
team come in and half of our
students were playing volleyball
and it was just fun to watch
them build their plate and then
for me to make suggestions.
How about you add a carb here?
Can we get a good protein
source right now? How about
something high in calcium such
as Greek yogurt, so sending
them back in to try again to
make sure they have all the
components of their plate. I
know you guys play a big role
in recruiting these. Freshman
mobile when they're in high
school. How big is that, too?
And I think that's a really
important part of the student
athletes recruiting process
that they always mentioned the
nutrition stop and how
important that that is for them
developing as a student
athlete. Absolutely and moms
and dads are concerned about
their kids getting fed when
they're off at college, and I
think we're one of the few
institutions that's actually
offering breakfast, lunch and
dinner to all of our student
athletes. I've been to a few
different institutions. I've
uh, you know, I've looked
around within the N C double
and I've seen a lot of them
that are not really doing
anything. So I think they're
talking to them. There's a lot.
Yes, their eyes are really big
and they're just taking it all
in. They don't even notice
probably half of what we have
to offer in the training table
because there's so much. So we
have to have constant visuals
and reminders. These air things
before practice. These air
things that are helpful for
recovery. And just
continuously training and
reminding them making sure they
know how to make their own
decisions. And so I think
that's what we're doing. But
there's a lot of teaching that
goes on. Late night studying,
intense practice cramming for
that big test. Take a moment to
reset yourself with dairy.
Dairy foods like milk and
yogurt allow you to stay in the
game with immunity boosting
nutrients like vitamin A
vitamin D, zinc and protein to
keep you fueled without the
crash. Trusted by athletes and
supported by science, a message
to the world. So I think that
that's what we're doing.
So we have the food, but then
there's also the hydration part
of it. Tell us about the
importance of that and that
education part of it. Yeah, I
mean, everyone's looking for
that secret little edge and.
You know, I had to think about
that one time I was giving a
presentation. Everyone's like,
Well, what are your top five
secrets? I'm like, well,
there's no crazy secrets. I
mean, eat three meals a day,
drink some water and sleep,
guys. It's it's sometimes
hard to tell. But I think
that's the key. I think it's
important to think about
that. Because athletes first
come in like how much water
should you be drinking? You
know, half your body weight
announces to say. I'm a 200
pound athlete like I don't know
if you guys can see that. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. So you know, hey,
I'm 200 pounds. I should be
getting at least 100 ounce of
water. This surround 32 ounces.
So at least three of these bad
boys a day. It's just a
starting point for us. And
then after you get done
working out, we have. Yes,
just a regular bottle of
aquafina. I'm not sure if I'm
going to be able to do that.
I'm going to be doing it for
16 ounces, 20 ounces. So
depending upon how many ounces
of fluids you need today, you
can figure out or plug them
into a little equation. So I
know, hey, at least three
bottles of water for myself
and then for if you jump on a
scale before practice and then
after practice for every pound
of water that I sweat out,
looking at 16 to 24 ounces. So
say I was 200 pounds before
practice, jump on a scale
after practice, and I'm 199. I
know I'm not going to be able
to do that. I'm fine. Are you
constantly to like, Hey, drink
you need a drink when you got
to practice? Because I know
you guys are embedded with the
teams you travel with them.
And so when are you constantly
making sure that, Hey, you
need to drink a little bit
more. Make sure you stay
hydrated during games and
stuff. I know like we've
already calculated out. We
have like fancy sweat patches
and sweat rate testing and
stuff. So I know, Hey, how
much someone's going to lose
permitted on the court or out
on the field sweating. So we
have a quick calculation. I
know that. I know that he
sweats like no other. It's
ridiculous. Um so like we have
to stay on top of him and make
sure he's replacing that fluid
that he just lost and make
sure he stays hydrated during
a game. And some of our
student athletes are losing
more sodium than some of their
teammates are heavy sweaters.
The kids that you see the salt
residue on their face when
practice is done, so we're
keeping an eye on them as well
to make sure they understand
that they either need to
heavily salt their food
between practices or they're
adding some electrolytes in.
So tell us about the kind of
plate. You have a thing called
a performance play. Yeah, So
I'm going to show you an
example here. Um this is our
moderate training day. So this
is a good visual to help
student athletes understand
what needs what components need
to be on their plate when
they're fueling. So for an
athlete that's doing moderate
training, maybe up to three
hours of training a day. There
might be some sports specific
training or some strength and
conditioning, but they're going
to want to divide that plate
into two parts. So we're going
to have a fast carbohydrates
plate. So our fast carbohydrates
plate is coming from
carbohydrates. We want higher
fiber carbohydrates for long
term, sustained energy, and
then we're going to use fast
carbohydrates around their
training. So some examples of
some fast carbohydrates might
be fruit snacks. Um applesauce
pouches or potentially a bar
that's made predominantly of
carbohydrates. So that would
be the performance piece around
their training. And back to
their performance played at
their meals. We're also
looking for that last third to
come from fruits and vegetables.
Okay, so I think I skipped over
apart. Tell us about macros.
Well, the macros that's the
protein, carbohydrates and fat.
So all three of those are
essential at every meal and
need to be a part of every
athlete's performance plate.
And then how we divide that
plate depends on the cycle of
training that an athlete may be
going through. That's one of
the very first things that you
say. So that's one of the
important things that you're
talking about. So that's one
of the things that you're
talking about. And then the
very first things that you say,
Hey, this is what a plate the
things that combine or make up
a good performance plate,
right? And before we can get
them to put it on the plate,
they need to understand what
it's going to do for their
body. So I always ask our male
athletes when they come in if
they're looking to gain muscle
and every one of them raises
their hand. And so then my next
question is, what do you
suppose you need to eat more
of? And they all say protein,
which is not the correct
answer because we typically
don't have a hard time getting
protein. But what they actually
need is more carbohydrates.
They need more fuel because if
they're under fueling, then
that protein they do consume
gets used for energy and not
building and repairing. How
much do you find to it? They
commented. Oh, I don't like
fruits. I don't like vegetables
that you have to show them.
Hey, there's a lot of different
options that you can find. Yeah,
we find that frequently,
actually. So some of our
student athletes will be doing
daily or weekly challenges,
trying to get them to just try
other fruits and vegetables or
other things that they can't
eat. So I'm going to say, well,
I only like steamed broccoli.
Okay, well, broccoli isn't on
the menu today, but we can
teach you how to make your own
broccoli and our life skills
kitchen. Or could we hide
spinach in a smoothie and you
don't even know it's there if
we put a lid on it and you
can't see the green color. So
and then going back to the
hydration part of it, it's not
just water, right? There's
there's other things in terms
of liquid that you need to be
putting in your body and
replacing with. Yes,
definitely. So like one of my
favorite go to is like just
like I said, I'm a high school
student that. You know, like I
said, we grew up a dairy farmer
and everyone's like, well,
chocolate milk, chocolate milk.
Well, why chocolate milk? I
mean, you're getting some
electrolytes and there's some
sodium, some calcium, but
you're also getting that
protein for recovery after a
workout. So. Actually chocolate
milk is a great hydration
solution and a protein
solution, too. So and then what
else besides chocolate milk?
Do you do you like to hand
student athletes? Well, I mean,
our sodium. Um I mean, like
we're getting some sodium
in our body. So we're getting
some sodium in our body. So
we're getting some sodium in
that and then also like just
little pretzels, little snacky
things. Um obviously Gatorade.
You need to replace those
electrolytes. So that's
something we lost in our sweat,
sodium, magnesium, stuff like
that. So just some salty snacks
to keep around the dorm room,
the backpacks. Um I was a high
school student keeping my
locker, just some little
pretzels to make sure we're
getting that sodium replaced.
So when you are losing this
electrolyte, you're not
getting that sodium replaced.
Especially our kids that come
from Europe. They are not used
to drinking electrolyte
replacement drinks, so they're
looking for alternative
options. So can they salt
their food a little more
heavily to get what they need?
And you might have dived into
this a little bit earlier, but
just so you're talking about
all the different amounts in
the ounces that you need to be
putting in your body. But does
that change with? Depending on
the activities that you're
doing as well. Yes, definitely.
So we're going to need more
liquid to help cool us down.
Colder liquids help us cool
that body temperature down. We
used to use like electrolyte
popsicles or just freezy pops
like that was a half watermelon.
Yeah watermelon. Um you know,
just things to help cool that
core body temperature down to
so. Um, watermelons great
freezy pops just cold water.
And when you're so hot, and
sometimes you don't want to
eat or you don't want to drink.
How do you reinforce the need
for that? The thing that we
have to do is we have to
reinforce the need for that
this time of year, so it's not
uncommon when students come in
from training and they're
supposed to be eating a meal
and they have no appetite
because their body still
trying to recover from that
training, so we will continue
to use fluids, electrolytes,
slushies. Cold salads, frozen
grapes to try to cool that body
temperature will get them to
consume some carbs right away,
and then hopefully within a
couple hours, they're ready for
a meal, so we may have to send
them to the gym. I think we
covered a lot of you. You can
tell it seems like you guys
are on the same page. How
important is that with your
team? And we're gonna hear a
lot again from a lot of them.
Just It seems like they're all
kind of bought into the
messaging that you're telling
us. That's our main goal is to
really standardize our
messaging so that we can help
all of our student athletes. I
may not understand all the
intricacies of one of Jake's
basketball guys, but if he
comes in and I can ask him, are
you a weight game guy or a
weight game guy? I'm a weight
game guy. Jake isn't present
and vice versa. All right.
Well, this is gonna be fun
over the next few weeks. I'm
learning a lot. I'm sitting
here trying to take notes and
take it all in because I think
it's important, not just for
athletes, but for everybody
for a healthy day today,
right for the general public.
All right. Well, Lisa Kobecky,
Jake Blattner with. Oscar's
performance nutrition. We've
got much more coming up here
on this series throughout this
summer, so make sure you
subscribe and like where we
do. Olay Park and Lesley
Menahrow. Don't forget our
website and N T for making
you