Not only is Leslie the sports Dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers but the Pirates, Penguins, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh ballet theater and the University of Pittsburgh Athletics Department. She is also very involved in the NCAA, WNBA and member of the United States Olympics committee's sports nutrition network. Among her many accomplishments Leslie has also written books such as: Sport Dietitian for Coaches, Human Kinetics 2009 and Co-author: Run Your Butt Off, Rodale 2011. Leslie is still very active in the American Dietetic Association and somehow still finds time to run in marathons.
I am very interested in pursuing a career in sports dietetics and Leslie is the epitome of everything I want to be. A special thanks to her participation in this interview.
Me: What drove you to the field of dietetics?
Leslie:My undergrad degree is in Bio psychology. I pursued a master's in public health- took a nutrition course and was HOOKED and knew I wanted to get into the dietetics field.
Me: Why did you decide to pursue sports nutrition?
Leslie: My first dietetics job was in Wheeling at the Wheeling Hospital Wellness Center which had a wonderful on-site exercise facility for patients and provided a lot of opportunities to do active programming so the seed was planted and when I moved back to Pittsburgh, I approached the University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics about working with the athletes and they said YES!
Me: How did you become involved with the Pittsburgh sports organization and how long have you been with them?
Leslie: This is my 18th year with the Steelers, When the Athletic Trainer and Strength coach were hired by Coach Cowher they asked if he would be open to having a nutrition consultant and they cam to me through an athletic trainer at Pitt, The athletic training staff and strength staff were also my contacts for working with the Pirates and Pens as well as Pitt: 7th year with the Pirates, 3rd year with the Pens, 20th year with Pitt, 12th year with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
Me:What is the biggest challenge that you face working with athletes?
Leslie: Biggest challenge- time considerations for them, eating is not always a priority, they want results overnight, many of them are culinary challenged and do not know or care to know how to do their own food preparation, and for the student athletes, the need to juggle classes, practice, social life and eating, and of course drug, alcohol and supplement issues are big for all athletes.
Me:What is the difference between diets for a football player, baseball player and hockey player?
Leslie: Football the biggest difference is that they are so HUGE so their calorie needs can be quite high, that being said, the quality of the diet is important and varies by position. Baseball calorie requirements are less and my focus is getting them to eat more regularly and shift away from the energy drinks and choose food more and hockey calorie requirements are enormous as well as the challenge of maintaining optimal energy levels through the regular season and into the playoffs
Me: The Steelers are known for monstrous defensive players like Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley. How does their diet contribute to their game?
Leslie: Yes our Steel Curtain is amazing and is a mix of both speed and strength so for these guys to be able to deliver the hit, they have to get to the player and that means not carrying extra baggage. So we work very closely on optimizing the diet to provide the power and speed within a calorie cap
Me: Does a professional athletes diet change during off-season?
Leslie: Not all professional athletes work out to the same degree of intensity in the off season, and if their expenditure declines and intake remains stable they typically gain weight so we work hard on modifying the intake to match the output
Me: Are there any particular meals that the Pittsburgh Steelers eat before games?
Leslie: We offer all types of pregame foods: smoothies, eggs, steak, grilled chicken, cereal, French Toast, waffles, fruit, salad, and pasta. I want my players to eat what feels comfortable to them but I stress the importance of eating something before games to optimize performance
Me: What is something you have learned about yourself while working with professional athletes?
Leslie: I have learned that I can be as tough as they are ( maybe not physically, but I can hold my own) I have become more assertive, more persistent, and also believe in being fairly compensated for the service I provide although I don't think a signing bonus is in the cards!
Me:What advice do you suggest for aspiring athletes?
Leslie: Advice for aspiring athletes? Keep on training- eat well to train well, consider fueling and hydration your internal equipment and practice, practice, practice
Me: Do you have any advice for aspiring dietitians?
Leslie: Advice for aspiring dietitians: Try every aspect of this field, you never know where your passions might be. Do love food, talk about it, cook it. Learn how to laugh at yourself and be open to critique, To me LESS is MORE< I would rather provide less info in a way that it resonates than leave my athletes drowning in concepts. Most of all SMILE and HAVE FUN!
Leslie Bonci, MPH,RD,CSSD,LDN
Director of Sports Nutrition
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Sports Dietitian:
University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Milwaukee Brewers
Consultant to:
NCAA
WNBA
Author:
Sport Dietitian for Coaches, Human Kinetics 2009
Co-author: Run Your Butt Off, Rodale 2011
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