ROUSES_Fall2023_Magazine

“SOME GUYS GET SUPERSTITIOUS, WHERE THEY EAT THE SAME MEAL ON GAME DAY. ONE OF THE COACHES MUST HAVE HIS BIG WAFFLE IN THE MORNING AS A GAME DAY MEAL, AND THAT’S HIS THING.”

Photo courtesy of New Orleans Saints

snacks to get the Saints through their games, to setting all the good for-you foods out in the locker room, these staff members make sure everything is taken care of on the logistical side of the dietetic equation. “We’ll all work together with the hotel and airline staff to coordinate meals. I’ll develop menus, and they’re very, very specific depending on what our players need. There could be different food allergies, food restrictions or diet restrictions, and that’ll all come into play when we are in different stadiums, so I’m always in contact with somebody — no matter what.” Developing a deeply researched and nuanced science-backed nutrition program for professional athletes has meant ensuring there’s plenty of data to support every (delicious) decision. “There is a performance purpose behind the types of food we feed them, the times of day we feed them, hydration, as well as proper and safe supplementation. Everything is important for these guys, and I make sure that it’s all backed by science, and effective and safe.” This also means respecting, and understanding, a less evidence based tradition: player superstitions around eating “lucky” foods before each game. “Some guys get superstitious, where they eat the same meal on game day. One of the coaches must have his big waffle in the morning as a game day meal, and that’s his thing. You’ll see a lot of players, if they eat something and we have a good game, they’ll make sure they eat the same thing the next week until, say, we lose — then they’ll change it up. Our former quarterback had a specific pasta that he always had to have the night before [the game], and it’s actually still on the menu — I dare not take it off!” For game days at the Superdome, Meeks has developed a thoughtful and robust menu of dining options for Saints players before, during and after taking the field. A typical noon-game, day-of-eating bill of fare would look something like this: Continues on next page.

habits, but changing those cultures, and it took time.” On a national scale, the early 2010s marked a shift in how both collegiate and professional football programs began to approach nutrition. “You started seeing schools, one by one, hiring a dietitian here and there. It was right around when they deregulated all of the feeding rules that had tied our hands when it came to what we could and couldn’t feed players. Once we could feed them a lot more, in 2014, you saw colleges hiring dietitians to help. From there, the NFL followed, so the NFL was actually behind colleges on that.” Meeks’ innovation, dedication to sports nutrition and unflinching ability to build a successful dietetics program, collaboratively, from the ground up was recognized in 2015 when she headed home to New Orleans to become the first-ever, full-time sports dietitian for the Saints, overseeing all facets of care and feeding for the NFL players as part of a tight-knit team. “I work hand in hand with pretty much every department in this football organization. I work in the weight room a lot, so I’m always making sure that their body composition is where it needs to be for optimal performance and health. That means while they’re doing their workouts, I’m making sure they’re fueling themselves and recovering correctly. It’s the same thing with the athletic trainers and medical staff. If there are any issues, whether it’s an injury or even a medical condition that needs nutrition attention, they’ll tell me about it, and we’ll work together with the player to make some nutritional changes.” The equipment and operations staff are also central to Meeks’ diligent work providing proper nutrition for the players. “They literally make the football world go round,” she laughs. From packing trunks with hydration and nutrition products when traveling, to loading up

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