High school coaches serve as role models for athletes, making them pivotal partners in reaching the Gen Z audience. Athletes spend numerous hours each week with their coaches, and they care about what their coaches say regarding nutrition. As a result, coaches feel it is essential to provide primary education to benefit performance.
In partnership with the Nebraska Student Nutrition Action Committee, a flyer was developed to reinforce the importance of school lunches and how they benefit athletes. Highlighting thought leader David Ellis, Registered Dietitian and Director of Performance Nutrition at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, coaches learned why supplements have a time and a place and how Ellis educates his athletes on what and why behind fueling.
Ellis is a champion for dairy and teaches his athletes that casein, a primary protein found in Greek yogurt, is a slow-digesting protein that keeps them full through the day. In his resources, Ellis also shares post-recovery fueling tactics that are a healthy balance of carbohydrates and protein, often highlighting chocolate milk, protein shakes, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
Capitalizing on the flyer provided to 1,650 coaches at the August Annual Clinic, Midwest Dairy amplified the importance of school meals and dairy as a prime recovery tool to over 4,200 coaches across Nebraska. QR codes were included on the flyer, which took coaches to additional online publications when scanned. These publications include information about chocolate milk as an effective recovery beverage and videos of Sports Dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs and National Dairy Council Ambassador Leslie Bonci sharing quick nutrition tips for performance.
