Fueling Up on Campus, From an Athlete’s Perspective
When you’re a college athlete, your health is one of your biggest priorities. What you eat plays a big role in how you take care of your body. It’s essential to not only have energy throughout the school day, but also for early morning practices and late night games.
For me, cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field take a lot of energy, and they can’t be done without proper fuel. Eating well—and enough during a busy school day—can be tough. I’ve had my fair share of times where I ended up feeling lightheaded or drained of energy by the time I went to practice because I didn’t plan out my eating schedule accordingly.
“Everyone’s bodies are different in their own complex ways, so it’s important to listen to what your body and what it needs. As long as your body and health are taken care of, it will be smooth sailing.”
Colleges are notorious for having limited nutritional options, but eating a balanced diet can still be done with careful planning. After a couple years of managing collegiate running and a school schedule, I’ve found what dining options on campus work best for me.
Though it’s been said many times, it’s true—breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I always make sure on the days when my team is in the weight room in the morning to eat a little something before so I’m not hungry afterward, whether it be a granola bar, a protein shake, or dry cereal. When I’m done lifting or finished with a morning practice, the breakfast at the Chat is a great choice for a meal. Typically I will have an omelet or a waffle if I’m not as hungry.
In between classes I pack snacks, like pretzels, Goldfish, or trail mix so that I’m not hungry later. When I have a long day of classes, three meals a day isn’t enough to hold me over. I recommend keeping small baggies of snacks, particularly ones that are more substantial like the ones I mentioned, in your backpack for when you have a break in or between classes.
For lunch, if I’m at the Chat, my go-to’s are the paninis, wraps, and the grilled chicken sandwich. More often than not for lunch options I look for the salads, which are sold at the Chat, Easton Cafe, and the Global Cafe, and take them with me back to my apartment. If I’m at Easton or Global, I also like to get an iced coffee for a pick-me-up, especially if I’ve already had practice earlier that morning.
For dinner, I try to make use of the Dining Hall whenever I can because it has the most options and the biggest variety. Typically they serve two or three options for meat, a couple choices of carbs and grains, and different servings of vegetables. They also have a fruit and salad bar, which I often use to get extra nutrition.
Later in the evening at my apartment I always make another snack or another small meal because I burn through calories quickly by running. Everyone’s bodies are different in their own complex ways, so it’s important to listen to what your body and what it needs. As long as your body and health are taken care of, it will be smooth sailing.
