Matt Weir/Collegian File Photo

Nutrition now plays a big role in Fresno State athletics.

Former Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews used to make trips to Taco Bell to satisfy his hunger.

In his first two seasons on the football team, Mathews finished both years on the sidelines nursing injuries. Something had to change. So, heading into his junior year, he decided to change his diet. Mathews started to eat properly by fueling his body with healthier food options instead of the fast food meals he used to frequently chow down as a freshman.

“Ryan Mathews’ first year, he was burning a cannon on both ends and eating Taco Bell,” head coach Pat Hill said. “That’s not how you fuel a Ferrari.”

After making changes to his lifestyle and diet, Mathews had a spectacular junior season rushing for more than 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns. He opted to forgo his senior season leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. Mathews is now the starting running back for the San Diego Chargers.

Hill now uses Mathews as a prime example of how nutrition is slowly becoming a new trend in college athletics.

“It’s about nutrition,” Hill said. “TCU’s on a year-round training table. There’s people that eat and do things right. Nutrition is a huge part of the game.”

Student-athletes on campus are now being consulted by professionals on how to eat properly.

“We’ve got dietitians that take them over and show them how to eat on a $30 a week budget,” Hill said.

Registered dietitian and sport’s nutrition professor Kim Tirapelle is in her second year working with Fresno State athletes.

She advises them on their eating habits and nutrition. Her task is to devise a nutritious meal plan to help impact their performance on the field in a positive way.

But with student-athletes juggling their time between schoolwork, practice and games, it can be difficult for athletes to get the full caloric intake that their body needs.

“They have much higher needs,” Tirapelle said. “Because of their practice schedule and so forth, getting in the accurate amount of nutrition around practices, during practices and helping them to recover afterwards is also very crucial for athletes.”

Knowing when to eat is also important for the student-athletes. Tirapelle said that she usually sets up a meal plan so they can find time to eat in between classes, practices, meetings and games.

“I tell my athletes they need to eat on a schedule especially college athletes who are busy with school,” she said.

Typically, athletes need to consume more calories than the average person to keep up with their rigorous schedule and activities. Tirapelle said that women athletes usually need around 2,000-4,000 calories per day.

For male athletes, it’s much higher. They are advise to eat somewhere between 2,500-5,000 calories on a daily basis. For the athletes trying to gain weight, consuming over 6,000 calories is a reasonable amount.

With coaches and dietitians stressing the importance of nutrition, student-athletes are starting to take notice of how valuable nutrition is to their on-field performance.

“I think they’re starting to realize now how important it is,” Tirapelle said. “I’m seeing much more frequent visiting by the athletes in the weight room.”

Tight end Vince Pascoe is one particular athlete who is taking the nutrition advice to heart. Pascoe implemented a nutritious meal plan to his daily diet in the offseason.

“Some of the football players for example, Vince Pascoe, have lost body fat over the summer,” Tirapelle said. “I worked with him on a meal plan and he hit his goal so he can be a better football player.”