The addition of a training table program at Notre Dame has been hailed by some as the missing link that will return Fighting Irish football to prominence on a regular basis.
In reality, though, the menu (see the list of dinners for Feb. 1-5 below) doesn’t include a whole lot of items that the players couldn’t get at North or South Dining Hall on a given night. So what, you might ask, is the big deal about it all?
The key to the operation, really, is Notre Dame sports nutritionist Erika Whitman. Every weeknight, when the players head up to the recruiting lounge at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, Whitman is there, keeping an eye on the plates as they get loaded up.
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The training table allows the Irish staff to better monitor the players' diets.
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“Me being there is pretty critical now, letting them know what the leaner choices are,” Whitman stated. “It’s so much easier to educate when I’ve got something in front of me saying ‘Do this here,’ or just knowing that I’m going to be present might influence their choices slightly. The other thing is, how we have it set up, it’s all right there, whereas in the dining hall you might have to go find those vegetables.”
Previously, Whitman was able to be around as workouts finished, passing out recovery shakes and protein bars to the athletes – but when they went off to meals in the dining halls, she wasn’t there to help guide their choices.
And that’s if they even went to the dining halls at all – research done by the sports performance division of the athletic department, headed by Mike Karwoski and athletic director Jack Swarbrick, showed that athletes were eating at the dining halls less than 50 percent of the time.
“I think the most critical part of it is, we found in our research with everything that they weren’t getting to the dining hall,” Whitman explained. “We weren’t seeing card swipes as much as we would like to see them be eating, so we didn’t know where they were eating.
“This way, we know what they’re eating and we know that they are eating. So it may be only one meal a day, but now we know that they are getting that meal, and we know that it’s well balanced.”
The biggest benefit, however, might be that Whitman can instill good eating habits during that one meal – habits that she hopes will carry over into their breakfast and lunch choices when they’re out of her sight.
“That’s the whole point of me being there is to help guide them a little bit, letting them know,” she said. “I do think they carry it on to their other meals.”
Generally speaking, the meal options each night will include three different entrees, with chicken almost always among the selections in some form. The other two will most often fall into the categories of red meat and seafood, but those aren’t as constant.
There are always at least two vegetable choices and two starches (potatoes, rice or past), as well as salad, fresh fruit and some form of bread. At the end, there is dessert – which could potentially cause problems, except that Whitman notes there is usually at least one “lighter” dessert option.
Besides, she added, “You’d be surprised – when they eat a lot of good food, they touch a lot less of the desserts.”
Whitman is particularly excited to see the results of the players’ body composition tests – body fat percentage and such – in a few months, so that she can get a better idea of what sort of difference the training table can make.
“I think we will see some changes,” she said. “I’m very excited to see where they are at the end of the spring.”
Sample Training Table Menu
Monday, Feb. 1 through Friday, Feb. 5
(Dinner Only)
Monday
Romaine salad with assorted dressings and toppings
Fresh cut fruit
Beef stroganoff
Italian marinated chicken breast
Minestrone soup
Chipotle glazed salmon
Fresh mashed potatoes
Buttered noodles
Seasonal sauteed vegetables
Steamed broccoli
Dinner rolls with butter
Sinfully Rich cookies
Assorted brownies
Tuesday
Romaine salad with assorted dressings and toppings
Fresh cut fruit
Cole slaw
Rotisserie chicken
Cajun baked tilapia
Jambalaya
Red beans and rice
Potatoes au gratin
Collard greens
Squash sautee
Dinner rolls with butter
Bread pudding
Pot o' creme
Wednesday
Romaine salad with assorted dressings and toppings
Fresh cut fruit
Cheese stuffed shells
Chicken parmesan
Pork tenderloin
Rosemary roasted potatoes
Pasta with meat or marinara sauce
Italian blend vegetables
Honey glazed carrots
Dinner rolls with butter
Assorted cheesecake
Jell-O and topping
Thursday
Romaine salad with assorted dressings and toppings
Fresh cut fruit
Garden pasta salad
Pulled pork
Betsy Flannigan chicken breast
Turkey burgers
Macaroni and cheese
Baked potato bar
Green beans
Sauteed cauliflower and zucchini
Dinner rolls with butter
Assorted cupcakes
Friday
Romaine salad with assorted dressings and toppings
Fresh cut fruit
Garden herb flank steak
Char-grilled shrimp
Chicken breast stuffed with mushroom & cheese
Garlic mashed potatoes
Jasmine rice pilaf
Peas and carrots
Cut corn
Dinner rolls with butter
Ice cream
Brownie sundae bar
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