With daily two-hour practices, road trips, workouts, homework, and classes, it's amazing that student athletes even have time to eat, much less eat healthy.

It's no secret that athletes have to keep themselves in shape. For some, it's a matter of eating what they want and working it off; for others, it's a matter of knowing what's right for them. And for some, it can come down to what coach wants them to eat.

For Nanook athletes, the latter two options seem the most common.

"We're athletes, we have to know what's right for ourselves," said Cody Rymut, a freshman leftwing for the 'Nooks hockey team.

In general, Rymut said the team tries to avoid heavy foods, foods that are too rich, or deep fried and greasy foods.

The team's pre-game meals are provided by the Chena Pumphouse, one of its sponsors, he said, and usually consist of chicken or pasta, which are "pretty basic for hockey players."

The carbohydrates in pasta are important to not just hockey players but to all athletes, said Assistant Athletic Trainer Masa Morita.

Carbs can be either simple carbohydrates, found in fruit, or complex carbohydrates, like rice and pasta, he said.

Morita suggests athletes look at their plates (ones the size of a face), as a pie-chart, with one-third each going to carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables.

"We always try to tell them to eat five or six times a day," he said, in order to maintain sugar in the body.

Scott Jerome, coach of the cross-country running and ski teams, agrees with eating throughout the day instead of the traditional three-a-day routine that most people conform to.

"I'm a firm believer of eating when you're hungry," he said.

Cross-country running and skiing athletes burn a lot of calories, so for his teams, snacking throughout the day doesn't become a problem.

Of those five or six meals, Morita said, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

He often sees athletes who skip breakfast make up for it at dinner by eating more food, but a skipped breakfast can lead to a slower metabolism.

Morita sees it most in morning practices, and is surprised that some athletes show up without eating breakfast beforehand.

"It's like driving a car with no gas," he said.

Eating well is also important in basketball, said men's basketball coach Frank Ostanik.

"We talk to our guys all the time about eating properly," he said.

Ostanik stresses the importance of breakfast with his team, as well as eating four or five meals a day.

One setback to this outlook, he said, is that on-campus meal plans only provide up to three meals a day, and many of his players don't have the money to, and shouldn't have to, buy two more meals each day off campus.

He stressed that while they are eating at the Lola Tilly Commons, even if they don't like the main courses, the sandwich bar is "excellent" and some of the cereals are healthy as well.

"Regardless of whether you like what's served, they always have something healthy that tastes fine," he said.

Also, the hours of dining facilities end at 8 p.m., when some basketball games are just getting started.

"It's a problem I wish was addressed more by on-campus dining people," Ostanik said.

That leaves his team hungry and often heading to Denny's or fast food restaurants after games.

"I get very upset with my guys when I see them eating at McDonald's," he said. "They're wasting their effort."

Time spent at practice and in the weight room is negated by frequent meals at McDonald's, Ostanik said.

According to a list of carbohydrate sources given to the swimming team, one McDonald's Big Mac has 40 grams of carbohydrates, which are good, but 35 grams of fat and 681 calories.

Instant white rice has the same amount of carbohydrates, with zero grams of fat and only 180 calories.

In contrast with several other teams, the women's swimming and basketball teams have fairly detailed instructions on what to eat and not eat.

The swim team has a 12-page chart of "Carbohydrate Sources" starting from the best to the worst sources.

At the top of the list are dried figs, raisins, dried peaches, and dates.

Foods like refried beans, brown rice, low fat yogurt, and boiled potatoes are highlighted.

At the bottom of the list, one finds brown and serve sausage links, pork chops, mayonnaise, and butter.

"I think it's great," said Amanda Hartman, a sophomore swimmer, of the foods their coach expects them to eat and not eat.

She is praised by her teammates for eating the healthiest.

"It's just a different way of living," Hartman said.

She started eating healthy her senior year of high school, so encountering a coach that asked it of her was no problem.

"It's easy because I already eat what I'm supposed to eat," Hartman said.

At the commons, Hartman usually finds herself eating salad and a lean meat like turkey, because a lot of the food there is fried, she said.

The women's basketball team, according to sophomore Rachael Stewart, is asked to stay away from bacon, sausage, and fatty meats in general, as well as desserts.

They are encouraged to eat lean meats, high protein snacks, and to balance their food groups.

"The commons does have what we require, but there's so much stuff that is not good for you, but tempting," Stewart said via e-mail.

So while some coaches simply let their teams know that they are expected to eat well, and others may say "eat this, don't eat that," it ultimately comes down to an individual athlete's decisions about their meals.

In Rymut's words, the coach "just kind of expects that we eat the right thing."