Oct 7, 2016Panthers Upgrade Offerings
According to The Charlotte Observer, in 2013, Joe Kenn, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, was searching for someone who could provide specific guidance to players on nutrition. He found the answer in Jennifer Brunelli, a dietitian and former All-American swimmer.
Brunelli’s contributions include:
- establishing a kitchen to allow for made-to-order meals
- making a deal with Charlotte’s Meat & Fish Co. to serve as the team’s primary source of protein
- bringing food trucks to post-workout lunches on Thursdays
- creating a grab-and-go station that allows players to take food into meetings.
Brunelli said she gives players her cell phone number so they easily ask questions. Not everyone buys into a specific plan, which she said is more because “the learning curve is steep” than lack of interest. She said such players may not always come from a background with many options in food, and so she provides healthy options for them to eat.
“They get to eat so much food that it shouldn’t have to be miserable,” Brunelli said, “and they can handle so many calories that there’s just no reason for them to force something that they don’t like.
