Feb 8, 2016Kansas Has New Focus on Nutrition
It’s no secret that better nutritional intake can help a team improve. Bill Self, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Kansas, is working to educate his players about healthy eating, with help from Aaron Carbuhn, who was hired five years ago as KU’s sports nutritionist.
According to an article from the Topeka Capital-Journal, the process begins with each student-athlete completing a questionnaire, which Carbuhn uses as a starting point in talking about food and making goals with the Jayhawks. From there, Carbuhn compiles nutrition plans that can be used for specific meals or as general guidelines.
“During the season right now, our goal is just to have a lot of stuff that we did carry over,” Carbuhn told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “Now it’s just keeping the routine up.”
To keep things manageable, Carbuhn advises players to take small steps such as staying hydrated. Another tip he emphasizes is to avoiding back-loading, which entails not eating much for the first part of the day only to over-eat at night.
Earlier in the season, KU launched an app that gives Jayhawks nutritional help with options customized for their location. Along with these steps, teammates are keeping an eye on each other’s plates.
“We’re trying to hold each other accountable, because we know that we’re talking about a chance to win another Big 12 title and another national championship this year,” Basketball Forward Landen Lucas told the Tokepa Capital-Journal. “That’s bigger than staying up a couple hours or eating food that’s not good for you.”
