Michael Sun reports on what challenges student athletes face in balancing their finances and giving their bodies the fuel they need to compete
Four thousand to 5,000 calories—a calorie-count equal to six to seven Big Macs. That’s what Carleton swimmer Ward Verschaeve said his trainer told him he needs to eat per day when he trains.
Verschaeve, who swims for three hours, three times a week, sought out a personal trainer after talking over the benefits with some teammates. He said it makes him feel less tired and more energized, but the cost of eating that quantity of food can be a burden.
“My parents know this guy is helping me because they were not happy with how scrawny I was to the end of last year,” he said.
“So, they’re pitching in a little bit, but we’ll see what happens because in January, if I have no money, I’ll probably just go back to the sleazy, groggy ways I used to do it.” – Ward Verschaeve, third-year commerce and varsity swimmer
Verschaeve is one of many student athletes at Carleton who face challenges to get proper nutrition.
Unlike other students, athletes also have to balance their sports schedule and additional nutritional needs.
Athletes’ nutritional needs
David Jenkins, a professor in the department of nutritional science at the University of Toronto, said athletes require more protein and nutrients than non-athletes, although he said that needs may vary depending on the sport.
“Remember, if you take more volume, you get more protein, so I think a healthy diet is the way to go.”
Verschaeve said carbohydrates and eating “a rainbow of food” is also important. The thought is echoed by Carleton women’s basketball players Alyssa Cerino, Emma Kiesekamp and Cynthia Dupont.
“It’s funny because a lot of people— when they think of eating healthy, they think salad,” Dupont said. “Yeah, that’s important once in a while but I think carbs, especially as an athlete. is important because a salad is not going to give you any type of energy during practice.”
It’s an experience she went through previously after eating carbs only following games or practices.
“[I] realized I never had energy and I was like, ‘what the hell, why, I’m eating so healthy’ but realized it had to be like the inverse.” She now eats carbs before practices.
Cerino calls herself “somewhat vegan” and said she tries to stay away from meat, eggs, and dairy. During her first year at the University of Windsor before transferring to Carleton in 2017, she said, she didn’t really look out for nutrition and “ate whatever.”
“When I kind of went vegan and more gluten-free, I definitely noticed a difference—lighter and I just feel better in general,” she said. “Even energy-wise, I feel like I have more energy.”
Carleton’s nutrition setup
While some teams at Carleton have a nutritionist—most notably female sports—some do not. Instead, those teams and sports may only have a few sessions a year, Bruce Marshall, Carleton Athletics’ health and wellness manager, said in an email.
The Ravens women’s basketball and women’s hockey teams have the same nutritionist: Dr. Beth Mansfield, an Ottawa-based sport nutrition specialist and dietician at Peak Performance.
Mansfield has multiple sessions with both teams every year, and Alain said she emphasizes nutrition and hydration.
Both Alain and Ravens women’s basketball head coach Taffe Charles stressed the importance of educating and informing athletes.
“I think the biggest thing is knowledge,” Charles said. “If the kids have knowledge and know what they’re eating, I feel they can make better choices.”
He added that players heading into university “don’t know what they’re eating.”
Kiesekamp and Cerino said the sessions add insight and details, including the amount of water they need to drink and recommending wet foods.
“I drink more water now that she’s mentioned it,” Kiesekamp said. “I find that does help. You might not realize you’re dehydrated but you actually are and you should be drinking more.”
Charles said the education on nutrition has changed “massively” over time since he played at Carleton.
“We used to drink during the week,” he said. “Some of my colleagues would drink before the game, smoking before the game. It’s crazy just health-wise, just the education around and what’s accepted and what it does to you.”
Challenges of Eating Healthy
Poor nutrition affects athletes’ performances, according to Kiesekamp.
“There’s been games where you haven’t gotten the proper meal before and you just feel terrible. I feel like I’m empty, no energy at all,” she said.
Charles highlighted time as a big challenge, especially since many players have classes right before practice.
“You start making poor choices because you don’t have as much time,” he said. “‘I only have an hour . . . I’ll just put some calories in me,’ versus if we start the education, planning ahead and spending the time before you come to school so that you make better choices.”
Athletes and coaches said while it is challenging financially, it is possible to eat healthy with proper preparation. Cerino suggested home-prepared meals.
Dupont said she looks at grocery discounts. “I know it sounds so dumb but people don’t look at it,” she said. “You get flyers every week and I know that I’m very careful when I look—‘okay, peppers are cheap this week, let’s go get some peppers.’”
Kiesekamp agreed it can be costly, but it is worthwhile.
“It’s your body. You’re trying to give it stuff that will help you in the long run.”
To further assist with managing finances, Mansfield meets with players on the hockey team individually and takes them to the grocery store to show what food options are available and also provides recipes, according to head coach Pierre Alain. “Very practical,” he calls it.
Control over foods
While Alain and Charles said the nutritionists highlight foods to avoid, it is ultimately the athlete’s responsibility.
“They’re on their own. It’s tough to control but we trust them. We think what we provide them in terms of sessions and workshops will help them . . . I’m not a control freak on that but I can tell you they know and they believe in what we do.” – Pierre Alain, women’s hockey coach
Alain said he seldom orders pizza for the team. Charles said he doesn’t order soda for players on road trips—they can buy it on their own. He also used to ban fries, but no longer does.
Dupont said each coach is different, something she said she learned from personal experience.
“I remember my old coach at Champlain [College Lennoxville], if we went somewhere, no fries. If he saw that someone ordered fries, it was the end of the world,” she said. “Taffe allows us to but he knows that we’re more aware, more responsible for what we eat.”
Charles said Carleton doesn’t have the money to control what athletes eat—for example, cooking food for them—and that providing food may not be beneficial either.
“At the end of the day, the mind’s a strong part of it,” Charles said. “If that’s what they eat and that’s what makes them feel happy, then you’ve got to be careful. Now I start to mess with taking [them] out of [their] routine, that’s an issue.”
Charles said the nutritionist does recommend healthy snacks on road trips and even recommends menu items at the restaurants they regularly visit during road trips.
Male versus Female athletes
Marshall said that women’s teams make nutrition more of a priority than male teams do. Charles echoed that sentiment.
“It’s attainable,” he said. “Honestly, part of it is body image. They’re a bit more aware, they’re more conscious of it. Guys don’t worry so much. They eat as much as they want.”
Charles said male athletes value quantity of food over quality because of athlete size and additional nutritional requirements. Female athletes can have a healthier diet, according to him.
“One of the big factors is they don’t eat as much, so it’s a little bit easier to eat healthier and better because you don’t eat as much of it,” he said.
He estimated that, for example, while the men’s basketball team also has a nutritionist and sessions, he says only one of out 15 [players] follows it, adding that about half of the women’s team follows their nutritionist’s advice.
The future
Charles and Alain both talked about how the nutrition plans highlights healthy eating beyond sports.
“If you eat properly as an athlete, then you keep eating properly after your days that you’ll be an athlete, then you’ll have a better life.”
Cerino said every team should have a nutritionist so they can access the important background information.
“A lot of people don’t know and [don’t] take the time on your own to research it,” she said. “What people have been told to eat, they kind of just go along with that because it’s been a part of your life for so long, you don’t really think about it.”
The Ravens women’s basketball team hasn’t been able to bring Mansfield back so far this year, due to scheduling conflicts, Charles said.
“We’re still trying to work out how we’re going to do that,” he added. “We haven’t done it this year yet, but this is the first in 12 I haven’t and I don’t want to keep that.”
Kiesekamp, who was a first-year student last year, said having the sessions this year is particularly important as the team has seven new players.
“Last year, it was super helpful for me,” she said. “I don’t think [the first-year players] even knew about it though. They don’t know what they’re missing out on.”
Both coaches also said they hope Carleton has a full-time nutritionist for all the sports programs. Charles said it’s feasible within five years, if not sooner.
“At the end of the day, having a full-time nutritionist on staff is something we probably need to do,” he said. “That’s definitely what the university has got to start really. If you have a strength and conditioning coach, you need a full-time nutritionist. It’s the bottom line.”
Graphics by Paloma Callo
Feature photo by Jasmine Foong
Photo by Andy Campbell
