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:
• 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!
• 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!
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.
Melissa Crowson Director of Sports Nutrition mmcrowson@liberty.edu Phone: (434) 582-8562 Fax: (434) 582-2205
Follow Us on: @Performance_LU
Helpful Links: • Assess Your Fueling Habits • Dessert on Your Mind? • Flames Grocery Guide • Flames Food Log • General Guidelines • Hydration Guidelines • In Body Testing Preparation • Meal Prep Ideas • Meal Performance Assessment • Quick and Easy Recipes • What’s On Your Plate?
Website Links: • Eatright.org • Scandpg.org • SportsRD.org