Emphasizing the Benefits of Beef in Sports Nutrition

“For athletes, protein is a key component of a balanced strength promoting diet by providing the building blocks for growth and maintenance of tissues like lean muscle mass,” said Mitch Rippe, Director of Nutrition and Education with the Nebraska Beef Council.  “It’s especially important for athletes to get the most out of what they eat, and beef is a great example of a food that provides them with multiple benefits in an efficient calorie package.  While we often focus on the high-quality protein, beef also provides iron, zinc, B-vitamins and selenium—all of which have athletic impact beyond building muscle,” Rippe added.  

As teams completed their practice and weightlifting sessions, they visited the facility’s Refueling Station to build their own beef jerky trail mix and later in the day athletes from a variety of sports attended a cooking demonstration where they made beef burrito bowls.  Additionally, groups of football players were guided through the preparation of high-protein performance options as they prepared beef meals for their teammates.   With the overall goal of emphasizing “performance through protein,” athletes were shown practical ways to include 30 grams of protein, specifically beef, at each meal to keep them fueled for any activity and recover quickly. 

“Athletes benefit from consistently focusing on eating moderate amounts of protein at each of their meals and beef is a great performance protein,” said Rippe.  “Not only does beef taste great, but it provides greater than ten-percent of ten key nutrients in every three-ounce serving, which is something a lot of protein sources can’t do.”