Students juggling work, classes, athletics and a social life tend to give nutrition a backseat, according to Carrie Peterson, the program director of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

In her March 10th talk on campus, Peterson addressed the St. Thomas community about nutrition’s integral role in both athletes’ and non-athletes’ lives. Peterson is well-known for doing nutritionist work with professional Minnesota teams such as the Timberwolves, Lynx and Wild as well as meal planning for an expedition of famous polar explorer Ann Bancroft.

“Nutrition is a part of the puzzle when it comes to sports – also part of the puzzle when it comes to life,” Peterson said.

Since diet heavily impacts a person’s energy level, Peterson said good or bad nutrition can greatly affect athletes.

“This can make or break you as an athlete – not necessarily an athlete for St. Thomas, but anyone who enjoys running or doing yoga or swimming or whatever it is you enjoy doing,” Peterson said.

St. Thomas junior and football player Jarrod Thill rethought his nutrition strategy after going to the talk.

“Whatever I can do to get better, get an edge on anything,” Thill said. “I have to eat more carbs. (Peterson) preached on carbs, carbs, carbs and hydration. I realized that those are two things I can do that will really help me a lot.”

Peterson stressed that carbohydrates are essential to create glycogen, which is an energy source in the muscles that can get someone through a workout or a normal day.

In order to stress that protein intake for vegetarians and vegans can be a challenge, Peterson used the familiar “Healthy Place” diagram showing what a balanced diet looks like.

“People can be no-meat athletes,” Peterson said. “The kicker is, you need to make sure … you’re really being cognizant of making sure that you’re getting (the protein) you need.”

Peterson also highlighted the importance of hydration, especially if participating in physical activity.

“If you do something for a couple hours, you can easily lose 2 liters of fluid. Some of the Vikings and Gophers would lose 5-7 pounds in a workout,” Peterson said. “There was a Wild player that, during a game, lost 14 pounds. We were squeezing (IVs) into this guy.”

She also emphasized correct timing of meals and acknowledged that it can be challenging for students to plan for that, something that Thill relates to.

“Everybody’s been there where you have to study, you have classes, barely have time to eat,” Thill said. “So if you can set aside some time to pick out what you’re gonna eat, that would be huge for everybody in college.”

To ensure that students and athletes alike have enough energy, Peterson suggests eating throughout the day.

“There are days I walk out of the door with a peanut butter and jelly in my hand because that’s the best I can do that day. But it’s carbs, its protein and it’s some fat,” Peterson said.

Even eating a light snack an hour or so before working out, Peterson said, will help carry students through that workout.

“When I tell you guys to eat well, not to go get bombed on a Saturday night, hydrate with good stuff, it’s because I care and I want you guys to know these things,” Peterson said.

Maya Shelton-Davies can be reached at shel1181@stthomas.edu.