Athletes Concerned About Changing Diets During Strike

Harvard’s student-athletes depend on the University’s dining services to fuel them during practices and on game day.

But with dining workers on strike and consequent alterations to many menus, some athletes are concerned about their nutrition and diets—elements that can be crucial to their performance.

Grilled chicken and eggs are key sources of protein for many athletes, and both are normally available from dining hall grills. However, with grills shuttered during the strike, some athletes have voiced concerns about finding enough protein to eat.

Weisner Perez ’19, who plays on the men’s basketball team, said the grills “provide a certain amount of protein that I feel is essential for me to perform at a higher level.” With House grills closed during the strike, Perez said he has not been eating as healthy a diet as he normally would. He has heard teammates voice similar concerns.

Hollis E. Jomo ’18, who plays on the women’s water polo team, said the protein alternatives being provided have not been as healthy as they usually are.

“[It has] become a lot more difficult to get substantial protein,” Jomo said. “Usually I’ll rely on grilled chicken from the grill, or eggs or something, but right now a lot of the proteins have a lot of other things mixed in with them. They are not very healthy options.”

Radcliffe heavyweight crew coach Liz O’Leary also noted lack of protein as an issue, and said her team has tried to supplement athletes’ diets a few times during the strike by hosting team dinners in the boathouse.

“The athletes, though, have a pretty clear diet that they’re looking for in terms of protein, and I think the lack of protein has been the biggest concern for them,” O’Leary said. “From a performance perspective, if you don’t have a healthy well-balanced diet, it eventually is detrimental to what you are trying to do as an athlete.”

Not every team is supplementing players’ diets. Perez said that while his coaches occasionally order food for the team when they have late night practices, they have not taken any additional measures to supplement food during the strike.

Dining workers have been on strike for more than two weeks, picketing across Harvard’s campus. As a result, the University has closed several dining halls and cafes; currently, only eight dining halls are open, including Annenberg Hall, which remains open only for freshmen.

Harvard University Health Services Sports Dietitian Meg S. Schrier said that part of her job involves meeting weekly with HUDS to review how athletes are being fed. She acknowledged that the strike has caused students to modify their diets.

“Navigating the dining options during the strike requires some changes in habits, such as relying on the grill, but all the necessary components to good fueling are available,” Schrier wrote in an email statement provided by Harvard University Health Services spokesperson Lindsey Baker.

Schrier also said she has been working with HUDS to make adjustments based on concerns raised by student-athletes.

“These adjustments include adding more slow-digesting carbohydrates and lean proteins, and working with HUDS to add more fruit and vegetable options at meals,” Schrier wrote.

Indeed, HUDS has been changing and updating its menus throughout the strike.

An email from HUDS sent Wednesday updating undergraduates on the modified dining arrangements said administrators “have received lots of great feedback which is helping us meet your needs during the current work stoppage.” The email also highlighted that HUDS was providing “a range of lean proteins” at the salad bar, such as grilled chicken and beans.

And after HUDS modified usual dining hall hours, an email obtained by The Crimson containing information from the Harvard Athletics Department was sent this week to student-athletes alerting them that Dunster would start extending its closing time from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. The email noted this was not advertised to the rest of the college, and also recommended athletes supplement their diets with boxed meals.

While athletes may be feeling the impact of the strike more directly than most students, O’Leary said changes to food offerings have not been affecting student-athletes more than students in general.

“Of course it’s had an effect on the athletes, but I don’t think any more so than the rest of the student population,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary also noted that, while it was concerning that diet changes could impact performance, she was confident current dining managers and staff were working as hard as they could.

“I know it’s not an ideal situation at all, and we’re just doing our best to help the athletes know what their options are and when we need to supplement, we are,” O’Leary said.

—Staff writer Graham W. Bishai can be reached at graham.bishai@thecrimson.com.