SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA — Campus Dining is pleased to announce that Lucy’s Juice will be distributing their new line of power fruit recovery smoothies to participants of the Mustang Mile event on Thursday, May 7. The Power Fruit Smoothies were developed through a collaborative effort between Professor of Nutrition Scott Reaves, Ph.D., Cal Poly nutrition students, Registered Dietitian Megan Coats, and Cal Poly Campus Dining.
The line of 6 smoothies all contain whole fruits, non-fat milk, whey protein and complex carbohydrates to optimize exercise recovery. Through their unique combination of ingredients, each smoothie provides antioxidants, vitamins, protein and energy, for active bodies.
Before the idea and proposal came to Campus Dining, Reaves and Cal Poly’s basketball Coach, Joe Callero, came together to create a sports nutrition program for athletes. To get the right people involved, Reaves sought out Campus Dining’s Registered Dietitian, Megan Coats, and began the collaboration between Campus Dining, Nutrition and Athletics. Over the summer, the team (Reaves, 7 Nutrition students, Coats and Campus Dining) developed a line of smoothies based on scientific research of optimal nutrient combinations needed for exercise recovery. Through a series of experiments, they were able to find their formula’s effects on blood glucose to be appropriate for post exercise. From these findings, they tweaked the smoothie formulas so they would be individualized for each player’s post exercise requirements.
These smoothies have become a great way for students and athletes alike to gain essential nutrition for their dietary needs.
The sports nutrition program, along with the Power Fruit Smoothie line, have brought many benefits to the Cal Poly campus. Firstly, the team of 7 nutrition students who have been involved are gaining real-world experience and are learning through the hands-on nature of this project – a great example of Cal Poly’s Learn By Doing motto. Secondly, the student athletes are becoming healthier and have increased in performance; the whole experience leaving a life-long impact on them, which will in turn help them develop healthy living habits on and off the court. And thirdly, this project supports the teacher-scholar model, by helping the students apply what they learn inside and outside of the classroom, promoting student development and achievement.
