Sport Nutrition

Sport nutrition provides the optimal fuel for student-athletes to truly enhance performance and should be one of the most important parts of a student-athlete's career. Student-athletes often concentrate on conditioning and training, but forget that proper nutrition supplies them with the most efficient source of energy allowing them to compete at the top levels. Please check out the below sport nutrition resources for more information.

Nutrition Tips

Bulking Up Without Adding Fat

Increasing your weight

To add 1 pound of body weight per week, you need to consume an additional 500 calories per day above your normal intake. Some athletes are hard gainers and require more calories that other people to add weight. Here are examples of 500 calorie meals:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk
• 2 slices of plain pizza
• Bagel with cream cheese and yogurt
• Large handful of trail mix and cup of 100% fruit juice

Extra protein to build muscle?

You need extra calories not extra protein to increase muscle mass. The calories should come primarily from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates fuel your muscles so that the muscles can perform intense muscle-building exercise. Your muscle fibers will increase when you overload them with weight lifting and other resistance exercise, not with protein.

• To gain a pound of muscle a week you only need an extra 14 grams of protein per day. This can easily be met by adding one of the following 16 oz of milk, an extra serving of meat, or 2 eggs

Boosting your calories

To gain weight you don't just want to eat all the junk food you can. Junk food and fried foods contain excessive amounts of unhealthy fat. Large amounts of fat in your diet can leave your muscles not properly fueled. You want to eat good foods to fuel your performance and muscles. Plan to have food on hand at every eating opportunity or try these tips:

• Eat an extra snack
• Eat larger than normal portions at meal time
• Eat higher calorie foods
• Foods that have "good" fat and lots of calories are: peanut butter, nuts, olive oil, tuna fish, salmon, dried fruit, and granola

Patience is a Virtue

Slow weight gain is better. It is recommended to gain no more than 2 pounds per week. This ensures you are gaining muscle instead of fat. If you are still not gaining weight after a month, look at your family history, if your family is naturally thin you are more likely to be that way too. Also, age can determine your rate of weight gain. If you are still growing or in your early 20s your turn to bulk up may still come.

For more information please contact Kristen Hamilton at kristen.hamilton@villanova.edu.

Recipe of the Month

Green Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 ounces arugula ,any tough stems removed, chopped (about 6 cups)
• Pinch of salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Position oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook broccoli and water in a large skillet over medium heat, covered, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread pesto evenly over the crust, top with the broccoli mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 323 calories; 13 g fat (4 g sat, 7 g mono); 19 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 15 g protein; 3 g fiber; 511 mg sodium; 241 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (45% daily value), Calcium (34% dv), Vitamin A (31% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 medium fat meat, 1 1/2 fat

For more great recipes check out www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus.

Campus Coordinator of Nutrition and Fitness Programs

Kristen Hamilton, RD, LD
kristen.hamilton@villanova.edu

To schedule an appointment with the Kristen you can either call (610) 519-7407 or email joyce.minogue@villanova.edu.

As the Coordinator of Nutrition and Fitness Programs, Kristen provides students with one-on-one and group education sessions as well as working with peer educators to develop nutrition and fitness programming.  She also teaches Healthy Habits, a 10-week, healthy lifestyle class to students, staff, and faculty.

Why meet with the Campus Nutritionist?

• To IMPROVE overall health and wellness
• To OBTAIN a healthy balance while eating on campus
• To INCREASE energy levels
• To REACH and MAINTAIN an optimal body weight
• To OPTIMIZE athletic performance
• To RECEIVE nutrition education for medical concern

Sport Nutrition Resources