NBA’s Mason Plumlee Teaches Student Athlete Nutrition

Professional sports players know the vital impact good nutrition has on athletic performance, which is why the NBA’s Mason Plumlee wants to spread the word to young athletes that what you eat is just as important as how much you practice. Proper nutrition not only fuels your body for vigorous training, but also helps your body recover faster from the grueling demands of back-to-back games or practices.

Why Sports Nutrition Matters

The Denver Nuggets’ player is partnering with Healthie to spread the word and empower dietitians and nutritionists, and their clients, with the tools and resources to make nutritional care accessible to as many Americans as possible.

“My mom is a dietitian so I was taught at a young age that food can fuel my game on the court,” said Plumlee. Having played with the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trailblazers, and now Denver Nuggets, Mason is familiar with the meticulous meal planning at the professional level saying, “Teams have nutrition providers working to ensure that everything is planned – breakfast, lunch, and travel meals are chosen specifically to fuel us to compete.”

Encouraging Student Athletes to Practice Good Nutrition

It may be a given that professional athletes take their nutrition seriously, but as Plumlee points out, “College and high school players have an immense opportunity to improve what they do just by putting the right food in their bodies,” he states, “it’s something that really makes a difference when you’re pushing yourself in a game.” In fact, consuming the appropriate proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for your body, before and after your athletic performance can make all of the difference in helping you score the winning point.

It’s exciting to see a company that is passionate about increasing access to diet and nutrition care at the community level. These resources are invaluable both in sports nutrition.

How Athletes Can Access Quality Nutritional Care

But it is not only realizing the crucial importance of proper nutrition, but also having the resources necessary to access adequate nutrition care, which is exactly what Healthie’s telehealth platform aims to provide. Nutrition is highly individualized, so every athlete should have nutritional care available to reach his or her peak athleticism. Applauding Healthie’s recent collaborations with Baraka Community Wellness, a Boston-based nonprofit that addresses food environments for at-risk community members, and the California WIC program, which provides food assistance and diet counseling to underserved mothers and children, he said, “It’s exciting to see a company that is passionate about increasing access to diet and nutrition care at the community level. These resources are invaluable both in sports nutrition and clinical care, and have a tremendous potential to change people’s lives.”