Drexel University Athletics
Drexel Nutrition Team Continues to Fuel Dragons During Pandemic
4/14/2020 10:56:00 AM | Drexel Athletics
PHILADELPHIA - When people think of high-athletic performance, a sometimes overlooked but key ingredient is nutrition. Elite athletes everywhere rely on a healthy diet and eating to win. Drexel's student athletes are no different. The coronavirus has made eating healthy a little bit more difficult as Drexel student-athletes and the rest of the world have been taken out of their routine. In this week's inside look at the Drexel performance team, we will introduce you to Andrea Irvine and her nutrition team. Their team helps make the Dragons run at the highest level, even when food options are limited and our student-athletes are forced to stay at home.
Irvine has been with Drexel since 2016 as a member of Drexel's Center for Nutrition and Performance, or CNP. She is no stranger to Division I athletics, having coached field hockey at both Drexel and Villanova after playing four years at Delaware. Irvine and the rest of the team, which includes director Nyree Dardarian, fellow assistant director Kellsey Frank and nutrition fellows, Austin Voltin and Marissa Casella, are all registered dietitians. The CNP team also includes students that work in the fueling station during the year in the John '67 and Jinnie Chapel ACHIEVE Center & Dragon Lounge. The staff strives to educate, promote wellness, and support Drexel's athletes to meet their nutritional and performance goals.
Once it became clear that things would be different this quarter in University City, Irvine and the team had a plan in place. "We jumped into action as soon as we heard spring semester would be on-line and we created a Drexel University Student Athlete Protocol: Nutrition for Food Safety and Preparedness," Irvine said. This contains information such as food safety and food hygiene guidelines, grocery store checklists, and options for meal delivery kits. The team has continued to create additional educational materials and resources. They also have a strong Instagram presence.
"Food is social and has the ability to bring people together," Irvine said. "On our Instagram page, we not only provide education, resources and tips, but we also post recipes, have cooking demos, post student athlete and staff spotlights, and we have challenges. Whether it's trying a new recipe, cooking for the family, or accepting one of our social distancing stay healthy at home challenges, we encourage our followers to tag us @drexelnutrition in their photos and videos. This is a great and simple way for us all to stay connected and engage one another."
Like everyone at Drexel and around the globe, the Nutrition Team has had to adjust to the way they meet the need of Drexel's more than 400 student-athletes. Zoom meetings have become the norm and the best way to reach the students. "We still meet both as individuals and as teams," Irvine said. "We cover a variety of topics, which include but aren't limited to helping students navigate grocery shopping, creating grocery lists, providing recipes to go along with the lists, and creation of meal plans to support nutritional and performance goals."
These meetings aren't just about food and diet. They go much deeper than that. "In many cases, initial meetings are short and more about connection than education. I try to understand what their day-to-day life looks like and how their overall well-being is. I also see what shows they are watching and what they are doing with their free time. Those small details can make a big impact."
Irvine is grateful that she can continue to support and help navigate Drexel's athletes through this pandemic. "Our student-athletes are our why," Irvine said. "They are the reason we do what we do. We will get back to training and competition, but for now, my number one priority is making sure that they are safe and they have access to good food. I want out athletes to know that they are not alone and that we are in this together. We are a family and will continue to be a family no matter how far apart we are. We will get through this and we will come out stronger than before."
This is the third part of a continuing series.
Part one - Drexel Strength and Conditioning.
Part two - Drexel Mental Performance Coach.
Irvine has been with Drexel since 2016 as a member of Drexel's Center for Nutrition and Performance, or CNP. She is no stranger to Division I athletics, having coached field hockey at both Drexel and Villanova after playing four years at Delaware. Irvine and the rest of the team, which includes director Nyree Dardarian, fellow assistant director Kellsey Frank and nutrition fellows, Austin Voltin and Marissa Casella, are all registered dietitians. The CNP team also includes students that work in the fueling station during the year in the John '67 and Jinnie Chapel ACHIEVE Center & Dragon Lounge. The staff strives to educate, promote wellness, and support Drexel's athletes to meet their nutritional and performance goals.
Once it became clear that things would be different this quarter in University City, Irvine and the team had a plan in place. "We jumped into action as soon as we heard spring semester would be on-line and we created a Drexel University Student Athlete Protocol: Nutrition for Food Safety and Preparedness," Irvine said. This contains information such as food safety and food hygiene guidelines, grocery store checklists, and options for meal delivery kits. The team has continued to create additional educational materials and resources. They also have a strong Instagram presence.
"Food is social and has the ability to bring people together," Irvine said. "On our Instagram page, we not only provide education, resources and tips, but we also post recipes, have cooking demos, post student athlete and staff spotlights, and we have challenges. Whether it's trying a new recipe, cooking for the family, or accepting one of our social distancing stay healthy at home challenges, we encourage our followers to tag us @drexelnutrition in their photos and videos. This is a great and simple way for us all to stay connected and engage one another."
Like everyone at Drexel and around the globe, the Nutrition Team has had to adjust to the way they meet the need of Drexel's more than 400 student-athletes. Zoom meetings have become the norm and the best way to reach the students. "We still meet both as individuals and as teams," Irvine said. "We cover a variety of topics, which include but aren't limited to helping students navigate grocery shopping, creating grocery lists, providing recipes to go along with the lists, and creation of meal plans to support nutritional and performance goals."
These meetings aren't just about food and diet. They go much deeper than that. "In many cases, initial meetings are short and more about connection than education. I try to understand what their day-to-day life looks like and how their overall well-being is. I also see what shows they are watching and what they are doing with their free time. Those small details can make a big impact."
Irvine is grateful that she can continue to support and help navigate Drexel's athletes through this pandemic. "Our student-athletes are our why," Irvine said. "They are the reason we do what we do. We will get back to training and competition, but for now, my number one priority is making sure that they are safe and they have access to good food. I want out athletes to know that they are not alone and that we are in this together. We are a family and will continue to be a family no matter how far apart we are. We will get through this and we will come out stronger than before."
This is the third part of a continuing series.
Part one - Drexel Strength and Conditioning.
Part two - Drexel Mental Performance Coach.
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