All growing teens need good nutrition, but speed skaters have an additional challenge in making every calorie count to fuel their performance.<\/p>\n
They also need to know how to prepare quick, easy meals to fit around school schedules and long hours of practice.<\/p>\n
A unique partnership between students in UWM\u2019s Nutritional Sciences program and the Academy of Skating Excellence at the Pettit National Ice Center teaches young Olympic hopefuls what to eat to maximize their athletic efforts and their time.<\/p>\n
The project started when Katherine Reutter, who coaches the skaters\u2019 short track program, approached Susan Kundrat, a clinical associate professor and director of the Nutritional Sciences program in the College of Health Sciences, for advice on providing sound nutrition information to her trainees. Kundrat has known and consulted with Reutter, a two-time Olympic medalist, for years. She thought her Nutritional Sciences students could help the skaters \u2013 and learn more themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to get our students involved in a way that could contribute to their skills in educating others about nutrition,\u201d Kundrat said.<\/p>\n
The students in Nutritional Sciences 470 teach the skaters about nutrition and provide food demos to show the skaters how to prepare healthy meals in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed learning about food and how it affects you,\u201d skater Jackie Bernico said. In fact, she became so interested in what she was learning that she transferred from Marquette University to UWM this year to study Nutritional Sciences. Her eventual goal \u2013 after the Olympics \u2013 is to work with other athletes on nutrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Nutritional Sciences program is a fairly new major,\u201d Kundrat said, \u201cand this project gives our students some really unique experiences to get involved in the sports nutrition area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The young skaters joined the UWM students for several sessions over the summer, then came to the \u201cHub,\u201d a new wellness center and instructional kitchen in Enderis Hall, for some hands-on cooking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of our skaters are still in high school,\u201d Reutter said. \u201cThey are 15- and 16-year-olds who have a whole lot of potential in skating, but haven\u2019t learned to cook for themselves. They don\u2019t understand what\u2019s a good carbohydrate or a lean protein.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crystal Sciarini, a senior in Nutritional Sciences who helped lead the session, introduced them to a recipe for \u201cmock fried chicken.\u201d The recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a nonstick skillet to reduce fat. It is easy to prepare, high in protein, and fits well into an optimal recovery meal for the skaters, according to Kundrat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so good. It tastes just like fried chicken without all the fat,\u201d Sciarini said.<\/p>\n
The skaters\u2019 nutrition needs can differ from those of other athletes and from each other. For example, short track speed skaters compete in such fast sprints that they don\u2019t need \u201ccarbohydrate loading\u201d like runners, Reutter said. But, they may compete in multiple events in one day, resulting in a need for food that keeps them fueled for 10 to 12 hours at a time.<\/p>\n
One need the students focused on over the summer was \u201crecovery nutrition,\u201d or planning and preparing quick, healthy snacks and meals to help the skaters bounce back after a strenuous workout, Kundrat said.<\/p>\n
Like many teens, the skaters are conscious of their body image, but burning thousands of calories a day means they shouldn\u2019t focus too much on weight loss, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cKatherine is very passionate about making sure her athletes know what to do nutrition-wise,\u201d Kundrat said. \u201cShe\u2019s really aware of all of the outside factors affecting her skaters, and if athletes want to lose weight, she wants to make sure they do that in a healthy way with the help of a Sports Dietitian. Our students are also an important resource for teaching healthy eating habits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with Susan and her students has given my athletes the knowledge they need to make a difference in their performance through nutrition,\u201d Reutter added. \u201cWe train four to six hours a day, six days a week. These athletes have to know how to fuel their bodies while also staying lean. That’s hard for any teenager to know how to do. Having Susan as a resource as well her support from UWM gives our team an opportunity to learn and grow that we wouldn’t have otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nutritional sciences students at UWM help Olympic hopeful speed skaters develop healthy eating habits that can help fuel their performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":24882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[250],"section":[135],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[154],"class_list":["post-24788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-student-success","section-health","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","uwmnews-feed-health-sciences"],"yoast_head":"\n