February Nutrition Athletes of the Month

February Bruin Nutrition Athletes of the Month!

UCLA’s winter sports are off to an impressive start and these February Nutrition Superstars have significantly contributed to their team’s success! Find out how Sydney Sawa and Gonzalo Quiroga use nutrition to excel.

Sydney Sawa-Gymnastics

In the Oregon State Meet on 1/19, Sawa recorded career-best marks on vault (9.95) and floor exercise (9.975), earning a 10.0 from one of the two judges on each event. She also came in as a last-minute sub and scored 9.85 on uneven bars to tie for second place. Sydney earned All-America honors on floor exercise in 2011 and holds career-high marks of 9.9 or better on vault, bars and floor.

In the off-season, Sydney really focused on improving her nutrition and met weekly with Emily to stay focused and ensure that she was “fueling well” to compete at her best!

What is the impact of nutrition on your performance?

Changing my nutrition habits has increased my energy and decreased injuries. I'm able to have quality practices through out the week, instead of feeling completely depleted after one workout. Having good practices obviously leads to being more prepared in competition. It has also helped my improve my performance out of the gym. I have energy to actually pay attention in class and get work done, rather than needing to take a 4 hr nap and waste a day. Life's too short to be missing out on stuff because you don't have enough energy! 

What is your favorite recovery food/drink?

Chocolate coconut water. Tastes fantastic and makes me feel A+.  J

What is the biggest difference that you have seen in your performance when you have made changes to your diet?

Definitely recovery. In past years my body would be completely run down and hurt at the end of every week. Each day of soreness would lead into the next setting me up for being every more injury prone. I realized how important it is to refuel in that 30 min window post workout, in order for me to feel good the next day. Consistency is key with these habits, because you can't expect to have results if you're only doing it when you "feel like it" or just "remember."

Gonzalo Quiroga- Men’s Volleyball

Gonzalo has powered the Men’s Volleyball team to #1 NCAA Ranking and a record 10 straight victories! He has double-digit kills in nine of ten matches this season and set to have his best season of his UCLA career.

In 2013, Earned 1st Team AVCA All-America honors and 1st Team All-MPSF acclaim. In the national statistical rankings he finished the season ranked fifth in aces per set, 10th in points per set, 15th in kills per set and 24th in kill percentage. In the final MPSF statistical rankings, he finished first in aces per set, 10th in kills per set and seventh in points per set.

Gonzalo was nominated due to his consistent dedication to his diet and using food as fuel!

What is the impact of nutrition on your performance?

I feel nutrition helps me to be ready to perform at any time. That way my mind can trust my body

What is your favorite recovery food/drink?

My favorite drink is Chocolate Muscle Milk after practice

What is the biggest difference that you have seen in your performance when you have made changes to your diet?

The biggest difference is that I do not get as tired, as I was before when I was not eating properly.

How do you USE NUTRITION to IMPROVE your GAME?

Fueling the Best,

Emily Mitchell, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE

Director of Sports Nutrition

UCLA Athletics

Food First: Nutrition Superior to Dietary Supplements

This week’s Bruin Mantra Focus on Nutrition over Supplement Use to Allow Bruins Athletes to Perform to their POTENTIAL!

A supplement can not replace a well-balance diet!

*      Food first! 

*      Well-designed diet will safely supply energy and nutrients to fuel the body, enhance training, build muscle, and promote optimal performance.

*      When additional nutrition and hydration are needed, first supplement your meals with foods and beverages that have a Nutrition Facts label.

*      Sports drinks, bars, and gels can be helpful to supplement an athlete’s diet.

Seek your sports dietitian to help you evaluate dietary supplements for safety, legality, quality, effectiveness, dosage, and application to your sport.

*      Know and adhere to the regulations of your sport’s governing body. Athletes are fully responsible for all they ingest.

*      Use only NSF-approved supplements

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH!

*      Check trusted resources that test dietary supplements: NSF International (www.NSF.org), US Pharmacopia (www.USP.org), Informed Choice (www.informed-choice.org), and Consumer Lab (www.consumerlab.com).

*      Bruin Athletes use food first to fuel the body, enhance training, build muscle, and to optimize performance.

*      UCLA Athletic Department are Bruin “food-first” advocates to ensure our athlete’s health and safety!

Have a supplement that you are using! Check with Emily or Ema to see if it necessary and safe!!

Fueling Bruins,

Emily Mitchell, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE

Nutrition for Injury and Immune

This week's focus of being a Bruin is using nutrition to speed recovery or prevent injury or illness!  Bruin athletes know the value of good nutrition for performance, but they also see the value of eating quality foods to protect and heal the body from injury or illness!
Our nutrition department implemented a "Nutrition for Injury" to help our athletes get back on the playing field faster, stronger than ever!

Nutrition for Injury

Speed Recovery and Minimize Lean Body Mass Loss

Calorie Needs and Metabolism

During the first 1-2 weeks after injury, your body actually uses more energy (15-50%) than normal to:

-       react to the injury

-       start the healing process

-       build new tissue

Under-eating can impair your body’s immune response!

Aim for 6 small meals per day with moderate amount of carbohydrate.

(Fill ½ of your plate with vegetables at meals)

Macronutrient (Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat) Needs:

Carbohydrate- Strive for quality carbohydrate sources (whole grains, fruits, low-fat milk). Minimize refined grains like sweets, desserts, and low fiber starches.

Protein- Goal is the have about 1 g protein per pound of body

Fat- 30% of your calories should come from fat. The goal is to increase your omega-3 fat sources and reduce your intake of omega-6, saturated and trans fat sources.

Foods to Choose Daily:

·       ­­­Eat healthy fats

o   Omega-3 fatty acids in healthy fats have natural anti-inflammatory action, which reduces inflammation during healing. Other healthy fats from foods like nuts, ground flax or chia seeds, avocado, and olive oil can also help healing.

·      Eat variety of fruits and vegetables

o   Colorful foods are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals (special plant chemicals) and important vitamins & minerals that help healing.

o   Strive for at least 5-9 servings per day (1 cup-fist size = 1 serving) and choose the rainbow! * Make sure you are steaming or roasting with olive oil or water instead of using butter, vegetable oil, or margarine.

·      Consume lean protein sources at meals and snacks

·      Stay hydrated

o   Your body needs nutrients but also water as building blocks to repair tissue.

o   General recommendation:  About 100 oz per day for men, about 64 oz per day for women (this includes drinks like low-fat milk, tea, or sports drinks).

·      Get in adequate Vitamin A and C and Zinc

o   Vitamin A enhances and supports early inflammation during injury, reverses post-injury immune suppression, and assists in collagen formation

o   Vitamin C is an important antioxidant and immune system booster. It also pays a role in the formation of collagen.

o   Zinc is a particularly important nutrient in the body’s repair process.

·       Questions and want an individualized recovery plan: Schedule with Emily Mitchell, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE-Director of Sports Nutrition or Ema Thake- Assistant Sports Dietitian

·       Email: emitchell@athletics.ucla.edu and ethake@athletics.ucla.edu

Macronutrient/Micronutrient Sources	Eat Daily	Limit
Fats	Omega-3 and Monounsaturated Sources: salmon, canned tuna, walnuts, ground flaxseed, ground chia seeds and pumpkin or sunflower seeds or a fish oil supplement (see sports RD for recommended brand and dose), olive oil, almonds, pecans, peanuts, cashews, canola oil	bacon, butter, cream cheese, lard, sour cream and corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and soybean Oils
Proteins	salmon, white meat chicken or turkey, eggs, low-fat cheese, tofu, beans, lentils, Greek yogurt, nut butters	High fat red meat (prime rib, hamburgers), dark meat chicken and turkey
Vitamin A	sweet potato, yams, winter squash, kale, spinach, carrots, oranges, cantaloupe, apricots, tomatoes
Vitamin C	papaya, red bell pepper, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, kiwi, kale, cauliflower
Zinc	lean meats, yogurt, beans, almonds, hummus and non-sugary fortified cereals