Mar 2, 2018Recipe for Success
Like many colleges, California State University, Northridge has long had a nutrition and dietetics program on the academic side of campus and a varsity sports program on the athletics side. But despite their close proximity, the two groups rarely crossed paths.
Recently, however, we began to wonder: What if there was an opportunity to merge the two? Surely it would benefit student-athletes, not to mention a broader student population.
That was the vision behind the newly founded collaboration linking CSUN Athletics — particularly the department’s Sports Nutrition Program — with the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition, and Dietetics in the College of Health and Human Development. Launched this fall, the partnership is focused on nutrition education for athletes, staff, and coaches; community outreach to the greater Los Angeles area; and internship and research opportunities for CSUN athletes and students.
As the Sports Dietitian for CSUN Athletics, I am excited to be part of this effort. We are on the road to unifying our campus, increasing nutrition and wellness across a number of populations, and providing many opportunities for our athletes and students alike.
The center works with various community partners to address chronic disease prevention and intervention, wellness, and childhood obesity in the greater Los Angeles area. It’s also a learning lab for CSUN nutrition and dietetics students and offers students and staff the following services:
• Recipe analysis
• Dietary analysis
• Nutrient and sensory analysis
• BOD POD body fat composition testing
• Nutrition assessment and counseling
• Cooking demonstrations
• Wellness workshops
• Public policy events.
