Game plan: Food is fuel for Y. and U. football players

Jason Speredon has a challenge a lot of folks would love: feeding a body that burns 4,000-5,000 calories a day. The 6-foot, 5-inch BYU offensive lineman can put away two steaks the night before a football game; his "normal" serving of lasagna is the size of a dinner plate.

The U.'s 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom puts away a plateful of bacon and adds gravy to everything for breakfasts other than game day. He also drinks about 1,000 calories in protein shakes each day.

"I don't count calories, I just eat until I'm pretty much bloated pretty every meal," he said. "A lot of people say they wish they could eat that much, but it can be one of the hardest things, to eat enough to put on weight."

Welcome to the college football diet.

Beth Wolfgram, the U's sports dietitian, estimates that a 300-pound lineman needs around 4,700 calories a day to maintain his weight through the intense practice and playing schedule. Smaller players may need less, but it depends on the amount of activity as well.

But that doesn't mean they should gorge on high-calorie junk food. Sports nutritionists at both Brigham Young University and the University of Utah advise a similar diet to what the rest of us should eat — three meals and three snacks a day, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and "good" carbs. They just need to eat a lot more of them.

When athletes tell her their performance is just fine on a fast-food diet, Wolfgram's response is, "Imagine how well your performance would be if you were eating well. But the reality is, these are student athletes, and there's certainly room for having a little candy or some fries and things."

Rachel Higginson, sports dietitian at BYU, said that eating right gives athletes a competitive edge in any sport. It can help delay fatigue, help muscles recover and fuel performance on the field or on the court.

"I've seen it work, and some of these athletes are so excited because they have more energy and aren't falling asleep in class," she said.

BYU's head trainer Kevin Morris said this year the team has put more emphasis on healthy eating, beginning with fall camp. New this year is a "recovery shake" that players slurp down after practice.