Mizzou’s food factor

The current face of the University of Missouri’s athletics nutrition isn’t sports stars James Franklin, Henry Josey or Marcus Denmon, but rather 53 year-old Athletics Director Mike Alden.

In less than a year, Alden has dropped from 28 percent body fat to 10 percent, says Jana Heitmeyer, Missouri director of sports nutrition. “He’s in better shape than 90 percent of the athletes we have,” she says.

Heitmeyer crafted a specialized nutrition plan for Alden and helped him reach his own goals, as she does for about 500 MU student-athletes each year. Alden’s shrinking body fat embodies the athletics program’s transformation since Heitmeyer became Missouri’ first director of Sports Nutrition.

“What ‘fuel’ we are putting in our ‘engines’ is absolutely going to determine the performance,” Alden says. “It is a critical part of our overall responsibility to our students.”

The focus on fuel has revved up every aspect of athlete’s lives, says Heitmeyer, a former gymnast at Kent State. Even something as simple as having athletes eat breakfast everyday has helped those who used to have problems giving everything in practice, class and study halls.

“When we very first started, nobody ate breakfast,” Heitmeyer says. “If you went (to the dining hall) and asked how many people ate breakfast, it might be two people who raised their hand.

“You can see a lot more in terms of them being awake and focused and being able to concentrate and lift more. Class wise, they obviously have a little bit more energy.”

Heitmeyer says the focus on proper nutrition has also led to more durable players and less injuries.

“We brag all the time. We don’t cramp. We never cramp,” Heitmeyer says. “We see teams from the South that (are supposed) to be used to the heat, and they’re cramping. Our team doesn’t cramp.”

But that was not always the case at Missouri.

“When I first started talking about nutrition, we had guys going for dehydration to the hospital at the beginning of camp in the summertime,” Heitmeyer says. “They would go and have to get IVs to be able to hydrate.”

Today, all athletes are required to carry a team-specific water bottle with them every day and are constantly hearing messages about nutrition and getting the most out of their bodies.

“They can verbatim tell you more stuff probably than half the nutrition classes on campus. I mean, they’re literally like nutrition experts,” Heitmeyer says.

Mantras such as “eat breakfast” and “make sure you get enough sleep” are repeated throughout the MU Athletic Department, from Heitmeyer to training staff to coaches. There’s a culture of accountability that extends from the athletes’ waistlines their dorm rooms.

“Now, I have (athletes) that rat each other out,” Heitmeyer says. “They’ll send me pictures. So and so is eating this. Look at his McDonald’s, and then you see them trying to grab it away. It’s just funnier now; they police themselves a lot better now.”

Accountability gets scientific, with a DXA machine that measures body composition to the bone and even lets Heitmeyer know if athletes are sleeping enough.

In 2006, MU built the Missouri Athletic Training Complex (MATC). Accountability jumped to another level with dining halls next to trainers’ and coaches’ offices. Heitmeyer can walk outside her door and see athletes lifting weights and walk downstairs and see the food they’re eating.

With more of a dedication to nutrition, her resources for developing athletic diets have increased as well. New food options and supplement access have allowed athletes to get to ideal weights and train more, she said.

“We provided them with vitamins and minerals, which we never did,” Heitmeyer says. “At any point in time I can create a meal out of the stuff that we can provide. We have bagels down there, nuts, fruit, chocolate milk, smoothies, and a ton of stuff that’s open to them whenever they need it.”

Heitmeyer said the athletic department even offered a cooking class last semester to show athletes how to prepare proper, healthy foods.