LSU Performance Nutrition is committed to helping each individual athlete achieve sustained success and reach their full potential on and off the field. We provide leading nutrition education and resources to optimize nutrient quality, quantity, and timing.
Sport performance and health is not defined by a number on a scale.
Our goal as performance dietitians is to provide education and resources that teach our athletes to live a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable beyond their time at LSU. We take a whole food first approach to proper nutrition and teach athletes how to fuel their bodies from the grocery store to their plate.
Staff
What We Do
Individual Goal Setting
One-on-one consults focused on meeting our athletes’ health and performance goals based on their individual preferences and background.
Team Education
Performance nutrition-related habits are taught through team talks, competition fueling strategies, travel nutrition, performance plate coaching, cooking demos, and grocery store tours to optimize performance and promote a healthy lifestyle after athletics.
Performance Lab Testing and Assessments
If you are not testing, you’re guessing! We monitor and assess our student-athletes nutrition for sport intake, meal analysis, body composition assessments, hydration status, and screen for vitamin D and iron deficiencies.
Body Composition Assessment & Education
DXA (Duel-energy X-ray absorptiometry) body composition testing collects data that reveals bone mass and lean body mass changes over time. We utilize an interdisciplinary approach to review such results, as body composition data combined with many other data points to develop a comprehensive training plan.
Hydration Assessment and Education
Dehydration often leads to fatigue, cramping, and/or injury. Hydration testing by sweat analysis, body weight changes, and urine specific gravity to assess and educate student-athletes of their hydration status before, during, and after training.
Nutrition for Injury and Rehabilitation
As a member of the health and sports performance team, it is essential to address all areas for our athletes’ recovery. Therefore, we provide nutrition education and intervention during times of injury (e.g., concussion, stress fractures, bone breaks, and soft-tissue injuries) to optimize recovery and the progression through the return to play protocol.
Eating Disorder & Disordered Eating Screening
All eating disorders and disordered eating cases utilize a multidisciplinary approach. This team includes but is not limited to Registered Dietitians, Athletic Training, Sport Psychology, Team Physicians, and Health & Wellness administrators. Additionally, we screen our student-athletes annually to prevent and manage eating disorders and disordered eating within our student-athlete population.
Dietary Supplement Review and Education
A food-first approach promotes a healthy and safe foundation to optimize performance and recovery. Therefore, we educate our student-athletes on the risks and benefits of supplementation and implement supplementation where necessary. In addition, we review all dietary supplements to ensure compliance with NCAA regulations.
Menu Development & Planning
In collaboration with our Performance Chefs, we develop balanced training table menus for our Performance Nutrition Center. We value being present at meal time to plate coach our student-athletes according to their recovery needs, nutrition goals, and periodized training seasons. Each RD sets menus for team meals on the road in order to properly fuel for competition and replicate their routines at home as much as possible.
Performance Nutrition Center
Fueling the Tigers
Purpose-built for the unique needs of elite-level athletes. The Performance Nutrition Center is focused on long-term health and a life-long-commitment to the well-being of the student-athlete. It offers high-quality food with thoughtful intent to the customized needs of individual athletes and is staffed by registered dietitians certified in sports performance working hand-in-hand with a leading sports performance chef on location, every day.
Join Our Team
Are you an LSU student interested in performance nutrition as a profession? Our student volunteer program is a great way to gain experience.
Apply Now