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Fueling Flames

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

Vision:
Fueling Champions for Christ. Every athlete. Every meal.

Mission and Philosophy:
The Department of Sports Nutrition at Liberty University (LUSN) will create a culture of awareness on fueling for performance, growth and recovery. This will be done through both individual and team education on sport-specific needs and through creating programs and resources to support our vision of “Every athlete. Every meal.”

Our expectations are that student-athletes will be more thoughtful in the preparation and timing of their meals and fluids for their unique phases of training and competition. LUSN will promote a food first approach in fueling our student-athletes, working with local and national vendors, emphasizing a varied diet built on a foundation of complex carbohydrates, high quality proteins, color-rich fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy (including alternatives) and healthy fats.

Liberty F.L.A.M.E.S. are encourage to:

F

 – Fuel Completely and Frequently
• We believe every nutrient provided by food is important for growth, development, athletics performance and overall well-being. Our student-athletes are encouraged to either have a meal comprising at least 3 out of the five food groups or a snack, comprising at least two of the food groups every 2-3 hours they are awake.

L

 – Love Food

• This doesn’t mean over indulgence but enjoying food for what it can do for you. Food is fuel and having the right fuel at the right time can make all the difference in their performance. Our student-athletes are educated on what foods are essential and when is best practice to have them. We are not the food police but we do stress the importance of when it’s ok to have your cake and eat it too! 

A

 – Add Fruits and Vegetables to Every Meal/Snack
• Our student-athletes are encouraged to increase their fruit and vegetable intake which provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients to promote health, fight disease, reduce inflammation and enhance performance.

M

 – Make a Plan and Stick to It
• Planning goes a long way in training for athletics performance and fueling habits should be planned too. Our student-athletes are encouraged to think ahead to that road trip and plan to have snacks to meet their fueling needs, in their pregame and recovery meals after practices and competitions and thinking ahead to that next morning workout and what they can do that night to prepare their body to perform again. More specific guidance is given by LUSN for individual student-athletes as needed. 

E

 – Eat Breakfast

• It kick starts your body’s metabolism, plays a part in fueling your body for the day, can continue to aid in recovery from the previous day’s training all while adding important vitamins/minerals to your diet, and can help curb hunger later. Every meal is essential and important in the life of a student-athlete but that first meal gets things rolling!

S

 – Sleep, Rest and Recover
• Refuel after practice or a workout with whole foods and or a recovery shake, with both protein and carbohydrates to aid in replenishing and repairing muscle tissue and start the refueling process. Adequate sleep is critical for physical and cognitive performance as a well fueled student-athlete can feel under-fueled and not perform well because they are sleep deprived.


 

LUSN Services Offered: 
• Team nutrition education talks
• Grocery store and dining hall tours
• Cooking demos
• Restaurant and menu selection for game day and recovery meals
• Body-composition testing
• Individual nutrition consultations
• Fueling station management encouraging healthy snacking and recovery daily
• Distribution of NCAA-compliant products
• Nutritional supplement reviews * 

*All supplements taken by an NCAA student-athlete must follow NCAA guidelines. If these guidelines are not followed, the student-athlete may risk failing his or her required drug testing due to banned substances in some products. Questions about supplements can be directed to the Sports Nutrition Department and should be posed prior to consumption.