In combination with the Husker Radio Sports Nutrition podcast series, Midwest Dairy funded pizza ovens, refrigerators, and freezers to support the Husker Athletics Lewis Training Table. The Husker’s training table is top in the nation and fully operated by the Performance Nutrition department, making it an excellent opportunity to promote dairy’s unique wellness story. With dietetic students and interns serving the line, athletes also have direct access to evidence-based, credible information.
Dave Ellis, Director of Sports Performance Nutrition at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL), serves as a thought leader throughout the Sports Dietetic community and amongst Husker athletes. Not only does Ellis use the Training Table as a way to fuel his athletes properly, but he also incorporates nutrition and life skills education. By choosing their own ingredients when preparing a power bowl or personal pizza, athletes learn to combine flavors for a tasty and nutritious meal while learning how to prepare it.
These pizza ovens enhance training table menus, serving up opportunities for increased and unique dairy consumption at lunch and dinner. With the addition of two Undeniably Dairy wrapped pizza ovens, athletes can have a balanced, crispy, and delicious pizza in two and a half minutes or less. These ovens compliment the goal of nutrition education by teaching athletes how they can prepare a similar meal at home.
Also, UNL recently broke ground on a brand-new training table and athletic facility. Not only does this facility serve as a recruitment tool for future athletes, but it also works to build the economy of Lincoln, Nebraska, supplying jobs during and after construction. This facility will span the square footage of six football fields, serving up many further opportunities for Midwest Dairy to support Nebraska’s top team.
You can also learn more about the work dairy checkoff is doing in the realm of sports nutrition from targeting high school athletes, enhancing college athletics programs, and providing dairy nutrition education and outreach programs to health professionals that can include sports dietitians by listening to Episode 8 of Your Dairy Checkoff Podcast “Does dairy fuel elite athlete performances?”.