The University of Houston Athletic Department believes that nutrition plays a vital role in an athlete's life, both on and off the field. In an effort to enhance student athletes' performance, overall health, and education, U of H is the only program in Conference USA to employ a full time Sports Dietitian, Tara Boening. Sports nutrition services work in conjunction with strength & conditioning, sports medicine, and coaching staffs to help student athletes achieve their full potential. Below you will find detailed explanations of some of the sports nutrition services available to help optimize your diet, body composition and performance.

Individual Meal Plans/Nutrition Counseling
Whether you are looking to increase strength, decrease body fat, gain or lose weight, dealing with an injury or just interested in general health, Tara is available to create an individualized meal plan based on your personal goals and lifestyle. Meal plans include recommendations for meals, snacks, recovery and hydration.

Special nutritional needs such as vegetarian diets, gluten free diets, allergies, dietary supplements, disordered eating and specific female concerns can also be addressed in one-on-one appointments.

Recovery
One of the most important things an athlete can do for themselves is to supply the body with proper nutrients to replenish glycogen stores and provide for muscle synthesis post workout. Recovery snacks are provided for all student athletes in the weight room after team workouts. Post workout beverages, such as smoothies and chocolate milk, fruit and occasionally bagels and nuts are all provided in accordance with NCAA bylaws.

Education
A large part of the sports dietitian's job is educating student athletes about nutrition for performance and healthy eating in general. It is one of our goals to equip students with lifelong nutrition knowledge that will be useful to them regardless of when their athletic career ends. Educational opportunities include sport specific team presentations, cooking demonstrations, grocery store tours, a monthly nutrition newsletter - Cougar Bites, and up to date nutrition resources uploaded to uhcougars.com.

Sports Nutrition Blog
It is important for athletes to fuel their bodies for optimal athletic performance. For healthy meal updates check out the Sports Nutrition blog here.