Trigger warning: this article contains discussion of diet culture language, weight and nutrition that may be distressing to some readers.
The Schacht Center recently hired a new dietician, Samantha Meyers RDN, as a student resource, who has been hosting open hours for athletes in Ainsworth Gymnasium. Students were encouraged to come with questions about the new resource or about sports nutrition in general with the incentive of “healthy snacks” to boost attendance. Certain athletic teams were also given more in-depth presentations and mediated conversations to cover the nuances of nutrition to fuel their specific sport.
The presentations and conversations acknowledged some of the harm that strict regulation of food can cause. However, it still featured a chart of optimal calorie consumption based on body weight, specific carb- to- protein ratios for post-practice snacks, and the recurring rest/easy/hard training day plates. This is the constant struggle with sports nutrition; there are obviously ideal ranges for nutrient and ratios and calorie needs that maximize athletic performance, but this resource needs to recognize that collegiate athletes are not just athletes, they are also students and humans with bodies that have different physical and mental needs that change constantly.
Students who attended were given pamphlets at the open hours that showed the differences between “hard” and “easy” training day meals versus rest day, offseason or meals for injured athletes taking time off. Easy days and rest days had fewer carbs and fats with an optional “weight management” line that further restricted carbs. Suggested foods and drinks included diluted juice, low fat cottage cheese and lean, non-fried meats. The suggestions featured no desserts, and the diagrams mostly depicted “clean” or whole foods.
These handouts were reminiscent of elementary school food pyramids or the government’s MyPlate: encouraging rigid food ratios and leaving little room for any “fun foods,” or even just convenient foods that are so crucial to getting enough nutrition in a busy college student’s life. These guidelines also differentiate the amount and type of food based on the level rather than the type of training and fail to take into account the extra energy needed for recovery for injured athletes or following a hard training day, race or game.
The hyper-specific, individual nature of nutrition would make it ideal to have individual nutritionist appointments available, but the process to get these appointments is long and not conducive to the busy student-athlete lifestyle. Students must first schedule an appointment with a primary care provider at the Schacht Center and then ask for a referral to get an appointment, and even then, similar to the counseling services, there is only enough availability for each person to get a single consultation, unless they need “crisis care.”
With Smith’s astronomical endowment of 2.6 billion dollars and the advertising of expansive and accessible mental and physical healthcare, this resource needs to be more accessible before students are in crisis. Moreover, the resources need to be framed in a way that promotes a healthy relationship with food and exercise above all other aspects of performance nutrition and works to actively dismantle the diet culture that is so prominent on athletic fields.
Smith Athletics is not immune to this diet culture. At Student Athletic Advisory Committee meetings with the dining hall staff, instead of addressing more expansive dining hours to accommodate long practices or offering more vegetarian protein options, the main grievances were the lack of protein shakes and grilled chicken at dinner and the plethora of “unhealthy” breakfast options like croissants, hashbrowns and pancakes that are fan favorites with the rest of campus.
Smith athletes have unlimited access to trainers five days a week, state of the art facilities and every cross-training machine and injury prevention method under the sun, and yet there is such a lack of nutritional resources, which is such a key element to maximizing performance and maintaining health.
While lack of nutrition education is harmful, the blatant promotion of diet culture present in these resources can be even more damaging to athletes that are already pushing their bodies to the limit day after day. Athletes already face so much pressure to maintain certain weights or body compositions to optimize aerodynamics or speed. Encouraging weight management and strict portion control can amplify these pressures and make athletes susceptible to injury or greater health problems that can be permanent. According to an article from The Sport Journal, student athletes are a population that may be particularly at risk for developing eating disorders.
In particular, menstruating athletes risk loss of period and current and future fertility if they do not get enough calories and fats to support their reproductive organs. It is also important to acknowledge that Smith athletes are also college students outside of their athletic careers and should be encouraged to have fun meals with their friends and take advantage of quick fuel sources rather than being worried about which category their training falls into each day to determine their plate.
The addition of a nutritionist at the Schacht Center is an important first step to expanding our community’s — athletes’ in particular — nutrition education, but the focus needs to be on fueling enough and realistically instead of fueling for a certain size.
