said Melissa Teeters, a registered dietician and nutrition professor at Ohio University.
It's something nearly all students cope with during college - cafeteria food.
Most students, including athletes, eat in the dining hall during their first two years. The food served in the dining halls has a reputation for being unhealthy.
But that doesn't make it true.
I know they do provide adequate food choices said Melissa Teeters, a registered dietician and nutrition professor at Ohio University. It's just making those healthy food choices that is up to the individual or athlete.
Teeters said that while the dining halls do offer foods that aren't healthy, such as those found at the fast food bar, they also offer a variety of healthy foods.
She said talk of the dining halls being unhealthy is nothing more than a myth.
According to OU's Dining Services, dining halls offer healthy foods, such as a 45-item salad bar, at least three different fresh fruits at every meal and a pasta bar.
They do offer all of the variety that we do recommend. Teeters said. Lean meats whole grains
fruits and vegetables
low fat dairy products and things lower in total and saturated fat.
Athletes, especially, have to watch what they eat because by the nature of their work, they need to be fit.
Chris Iammarino is a sophomore wrestler who eats at Boyd Dining Hall daily. He knows the dining hall offers nutritional meals.
You can do it right
Iammarino said. They have a salad bar open every day
there is always fresh fruit and a deli.
But during wrestling season, and in the fall when he is preparing for the season, Iammarino tries to stay away from the dining hall as much as he can.
I try to eliminate the temptation of dining hall altogether
Iammarino said. I'll just eat a turkey sandwich in my room. That way I'm not tempted with all the tasty
unhealthy food.
Iammarino said the problem with the healthier foods in the dining hall is they sacrifice taste for nutrition. He said in the fall and in the winter, when he does go to the dining hall, he stays away from the main entrées. That is where the less healthy foods are.
He said when he does go to the dining hall, he always gets a salad with low fat dressing, pasta and a turkey sandwich.
Prior to the start of the wrestling season, the team receives instruction from a nutritionist. Iammarino said the nutritionist explained what kinds of foods to eat before competition and gave them a list of nutritional options.
Before matches, Iammarino said he tries to eat a lot of simple carbohydrates, foods that will give him energy but can be broken down by his body quickly.
Teeters said one of the most important elements of an athlete's diet is the intake of macronutrients, which are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Athletes need to eat a lot of carbohydrates and protein before their workouts and take in the right amount of fat.
The main difference between an athlete and an average, healthy person is the amount of energy an athlete uses. For this reason, an athlete will need to take in more calories, and this number will vary depending on the size of the athlete and whether the person is a male or female.
They also need to take into consideration what they are trying to accomplish. Teeters said the diet of someone trying to build muscle is going to be different from someone trying to develop lean tissue for long distance running.
In the spring, Iammarino's goal is to bulk up. Wrestling season has ended and he can afford to loosen up his diet.
I can eat pizza and ranch dressing without guilt
he said.
Earlier this week, he loaded his plate with a slice of pepperoni, sausage and bacon pizza, an everything bagel with turkey cheese, lettuce and tomato, a small dish of french fries, a massive salad with turkey and tuna and two glasses of water.
Iammarino said this meal would never work in the fall or the winter, but in the spring he can indulge.
Everyone is trying to get big and strong so they are eating hearty
healthy meals as often as possible to really just nourish their bodies.
Iammarino will enjoy his food freedom for now, but come fall, he'll pay more attention to nutrition, whether or not he's in the dining hall.
