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Rookies learn to eat right ..
Rookies Get Nutritious Lesson
Friday, June 20, 2008
By Brett Grassmuck
Staff Writer
An NFL players’ health is key to his success, so it’s vital that he knows what kinds of foods to eat and what to stay away from.
As part of their NFL schooling, the Rams rookies convened at the Woods Mill Schnuck’s Market on Monday to meet with nutritionist Connie Diekman, who gave them tips on healthy food to look for at the grocery store.
“The number one tip in terms of healthy eating is to make it easy and enjoyable,” Diekman said. “We walked through and looked at some of the fast things they could do, pasta with vegetables, chicken, looking at dairy foods because cheese is a great option for a fast meal too. So quick and enjoyable were key.”
The rookie nutrition lessons are part of what’s known as rookie school, which takes place during the organized team activities during the offseason. The rookie class has meetings with various people to learn the dos and don’ts of life in the NFL.
Monday’s session of rookie school took place at the local Schnucks, where Diekman helped the rookies get a sense of how important it is to make good choices when shopping for groceries.
“Typically the grocery store isn’t the first place young guys want to be,” Diekman said. “But I think they realize how healthy they are is how well they perform.”
The class began in the produce section with all 20 members of the Rams rookie class huddled around a section of pineapple. Diekman utilized the pineapple, cantaloupe and others to explain how to pick out the freshest fruits and vegetables.
“I learned that there’s a lot more than just shopping and getting what tastes good when you come to the grocery store,” Rams second overall pick Chris Long said. “There’s stuff that you might think is healthy that’s not actually healthy, and there’s stuff that you didn’t know was healthy. We all just tried to absorb those tips, and it’s important for us to try and use them now. “
The class continued on like that throughout the store, moving from produce, to the seafood section, to the meat section, with Diekman stopping each time to explain how to make the most nutritious choice at each different area.
“For a lot of these guys, this might have been a first experience, so how do you shop?” Diekman said. “How do you judge fresh produce? How do you judge if meat is a healthy cut. So we looked at, we touched, we smelled those cantaloupes, really to look at is this going to be a good option for me. It was how do you fix the meal, but also how do you know what to buy.”
The group learned to look at food labels, not just the nutritional facts, but the ingredients that go into each item, learning how to select healthier options of a variety of foods.
“We all have personal weaknesses food-wise,” Long said. “For me, I have to stay away from fried foods. That’s an obvious one, but there are less obvious things that I think a lot of us realized we need to work on when we were talking with the nutritionist.”
Nutrition was the key component in the day’s activities, but it’s more than that for these first-year NFL players. This is a component of their job. In order to compete in their marketplace, they have to stay healthy, and Monday’s lesson was a way to help them gain a competitive edge over their opponents.
“It’s being a professional 24/7,” Long said. “That includes when you’re on your own and you have to make your own dinner. So shopping at a grocery store, you still have to learn. I have to learn to eat better, and that’s part of being a professional.”
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Chris Long being interviewed by Dan Patrick:
Dan: "So Chris, I hear you got injured in camp yesterday"
Chris: "Uh that's not a word in my vocabulary Dan"
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GO RAMS 
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