We asked three nutritionists to evaluate the diets of three women and offer recipes for change
By Julie Upton
For more from our Fuel section -- including the only shopping list you'll ever need -- check out Sports Illustrated Women's September issue, on newsstands now.
Athletes may pay more attention to their diets than most people do, but that doesn't necessarily mean they eat well. Hilary Stiefelmeyer, the Atlanta Leopards' strong safety, wanted to regain the strength and leanness she'd had as a track star. "I learned that skipping meals doesn't work because I just overeat later," she says. We asked three nutritionists to evaluate the eating habits of three athletes with different dietary requirements. They offered prescriptions for change, and advice on which foods to stock and how to prepare them. "Most of us can get away with the occasional indulgence," says nutritionist Heidi Skolnik. "But you have to eat a balanced diet to optimize performance."
Athlete: Tiffeny Milbrett, 29, forward for the WUSA New York Power
Tiffeny Milbrett Tom Hauck/GETTY IMAGES
Nutrition Goal: To eat better at home. Milbrett began playing soccer in high school in Portland and went on to become the University of Oregon's alltime leading scorer. Now one of the top scorers in women's professional soccer, both in goals and points, she has been on the U.S. women's national team since 1995; in 1996 she was a member of the Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. team.
Milbrett: "I eat whatever I feel like and try to listen to my body. Because of my schedule I only make dinner at home twice a week. When I do, I'll sometimes grill a 10-ounce steak and have it with gorgonzola, mushrooms, rice and a salad, or make a shrimp and lobster risotto and have it with crabcakes and bread. I usually make breakfast, such as shredded oats cereal and milk, or toast and peanut butter, and I drink orange juice. My only daily snack is a Starbucks double-tall iced vanilla latte, my favorite -- so it's pretty much just breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I shop I buy cereal, cheese, juice, milk, whole-grain bread, meat, peanut butter, poultry and different types of vegetables and fruits, like cantaloupe. I love cheese, potato chips and peanut butter. I don't like yogurt or fish, like salmon and tuna. Right after practice I eat lunch to recover, like a huge sandwich or a chicken burrito, and I drink Gatorade on the field. I have plenty of energy, but I know I have to eat more vegetables."
Nutritionist: Heidi Skolnik, M.S., who has advised professional teams, including the New York Mets, plus the U.S. Olympic judo team and the School of American Ballet
Skolnik: "Tiffeny's diet is good overall. She would benefit from more variety, especially fruits, vegetables and plant protein sources. She should purchase ready-made crudités platters to keep in the fridge for snacking, with bean dips, hummus or salsa. She eats fish infrequently, so she should strive to eat any other type of seafood once a week. To get more plant protein she should have a daily snack of nuts or trail mix. Although she drinks orange juice and eats cantaloupe, she should add more seasonal fruits, like berries, nectarines, peaches and pears."
Athlete: Kristen LaSasso, 26, triathlete on the RLX Polo Sport Women's Cycling and Multisport Team
Nutrition Goal: To gain muscle. LaSasso is a former Colorado College soccer player who made her debut as a professional triathlete last year and who also races as a Category II mountain biker. A natural runner, LaSasso needs more muscle mass to excel in time trials and sprints on the bike.
LaSasso: "I eat basically the same thing every day. In the morning I have 10-grain bread with a nut butter and honey, and then a protein shake after I work out. Later I'll have flaxseed flakes with soy milk. Lunch is generally a tuna, egg or turkey sandwich with vegetables and sliced avocado. I snack on blue-corn tortilla chips, yogurt or fresh fruit. I have baked fish, chicken or a tofu-and-vegetable dish for dinner. I don't like anything overly processed, and I don't eat sugary foods. I only buy organic products and shop at health food stores or co-ops. I'm allergic to dairy products but I like soy milk, tofu and other calcium-fortified foods."
Nutritionist: Julie Upton, M.S., R.D., is a consultant with New York City's Chelsea Piers Sports Center
Upton: "Kristen's total calorie intake needs to increase by over 250 calories a day from 2,300 calories to gain about a pound a week. To add calories without adding bulk she should focus on eating more beneficial fats, four or five servings a day -- a serving is 4 1/2 grams of fat, about a teaspoon of oil or nut butter. She should add more nutrient-dense foods instead of the high-bulk, low-calorie foods she eats. Instead of flaxseed flakes she should eat an organic muesli or granola cereal with nuts and dried fruit for additional calories. She should also have more almonds, peanuts and nut butters on crackers or bread as snacks instead of just fruit."
Athlete: Hilary Stiefelmeyer, 26, strong safety on the NWFL Atlanta Leopards
Nutrition Goal: To become leaner without reducing energy. At the University of Alabama, Stiefelmeyer ran 400-meter hurdles, 800-meter and relays. After college she got a job in advertising and gained 20 pounds in three years. She was urged to try out for the Leopards' football team after a coach saw her in the gym. She tried fad diets to help her get into shape quickly.
Stiefelmeyer: "I'm sick of diets where I am eating foods I don't like, eliminating food groups or eating just once a day. I tried one diet that had me eating tons of steak, eggs and other very high-protein foods but no carbohydrates. The diet was overly restrictive and banned things I enjoy, like bread, bagels, cheese and potato chips."
Nutritionist: Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., a professor at Georgia State University and a consultant for the Georgia Tech Athletic Association and the WUSA Atlanta Beat
Rosenbloom: "Hilary needs to adopt a standard, healthy diet that is 50 percent carbohydrates, up to 30 percent fat and the rest protein. With her exercise program she should aim to expend more calories than she takes in to lose weight. To help regulate blood sugar, so she has energy and feels fuller longer, she needs to eat three meals a day with a midmorning and afternoon snack. Every day she needs to eat about 2.3 grams of carbohydrates and half a gram of protein per pound of body weight, per meal. Right now, she is too restrictive with fats and should add some monounsaturated sources, like olive oil, nuts and seeds, which also contain antioxidants. So that she doesn't feel deprived -- and then more likely to binge -- Hilary should snack on indulgent but still healthy foods like low-fat potato chips, animal crackers or whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter."
For more from our Fuel section check out Sports Illustrated Women's September issue, on newsstands now.
