Nutritional Benefits and Culinary Experiences at Nebraska's New Football Facility

LINCOLN — The light coming in through a full-height window on the other side of the room is just bright enough to illuminate a rectangular arrangement of silver metal tables with little help from overhead lightbulbs. On the other side of the glass is Nebraska’s practice football field, where the team is resting in 90-degree heat for the months before training camp.

Reporters watched a cooking demonstration by Nebraska football’s performance chefs during a tour of the football facility in Lincoln on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

Nikos Fraser, World-Herald

Seven heating pads are spread across four tables, each with a frying pan on top, and all the equipment you’ll need for the day: aprons, gloves, spatulas, containers of salt and pepper, avocado oil (preferred over olive oil because it has a higher smoke point), and black plastic bowls filled with rice, noodles, raw vegetables, raw chicken, shrimp, and more.

This is where Nebraska’s culinary team works, not only preparing meals for the football players but also teaching them how to prepare their own meals, and during their visit, the freshmen get a session in the kitchen to give them a rundown on how to prepare meals for the next four years.

“This is a way for them to really experience what we do, not just put it on a slide and tell you about it, but actually experience it,” said director of football nutrition Kristin Coggin. “They get to try it.”

The menu for today’s demonstration is a combination of meat, vegetables, eggs, and rice. First, turn the stove to medium heat and add a drizzle of avocado oil. Then, add the protein, in this case chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Once that’s set, add the vegetables. It can be anything, like peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. We also have ginger and garlic for seasoning.

Omaha World-Herald reporter Wilson Moore smiles as he stirs in a skillet during a cooking demonstration by University of Nebraska football performance chefs, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Lincoln City.

Nikos Fraser, World-Herald

One brown egg is perfectly mixed with the rest of the ingredients and scrambled until it’s barely visible amongst the chunks of meat and vegetables. The rice is the final major addition, blended with the rest of the ingredients for just a few minutes. A drizzle of teriyaki sauce at the end adds an extra layer of flavour.

Teaching athletes the culinary process not only gives them skills they can use at work and at Nebraska, but it also gives parents peace of mind knowing their sons will be well taken care of while they attend college and are away from home for long periods of time.

Different athletes have different specific meal plans — a football player could be on a 3,000-6,000-calorie-a-day plan — but Coggin said rather than make college students understand the details and science of the diet, he prefers to simplify the process and make it easy to understand and visualize.

“We put a lot of emphasis on plate size, frequency of eating, and making sure you’re getting your intake. I talk a lot with my fists,” Coggin says. “Protein is two fists. Carbs are two fists. Calories are better for kids, so you can show them, ‘Do I have the colors I need on my plate?'”