Catering to the tastes of the NC State football team.
College football players are foodies by default—the average NC State player eats anywhere from five to eight times a day. But players certainly aren’t eating whatever they want all the time. Instead, they follow a nutritious diet that Diana Nguyen, the director of sports nutrition for NC State Athletics, prescribes for each individual player as well as for the athletes that make up all 23 other NC State sports teams.
For the football team, Nguyen, who received her sports nutrition degree from Virginia Tech, customizes nutrition plans for each player following a one-on-one meeting in her office where she discerns what their dietary needs are. She considers the players’ schedules, their weight histories and body compositions, their goals and their activity levels and uses that information to recommend appropriate levels of carbohydrates, protein and fat intake. Nguyen also takes players’ on-field positions into account before making recommendations. For wide receivers, running backs and safeties, for instance, Nguyen prescribes a higher carbohydrate diet to give them the energy they need to run more routes than the defensive or offensive linemen.
Nguyen says getting to know the athletes on a personal level is important, too, and she tries to catch up with players while they’re having a meal in the dining hall. “Having a conversation with them while they’re actually eating helps to build my relationship with them and understand what they do and don’t like,” Nguyen says.
While dietary needs vary from player to player, Nguyen says general guidelines are pretty straightforward. She advises athletes to reduce their fast food intake, especially fried foods, incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies and to drink plenty of water to prevent heat illnesses. “The ultimate goal with nutrition and performance is to keep them on the field — to keep them productive, to keep them out of injury,” Nguyen says.
On an ideal day, players start with a hydration drink and a snack before they train. Afterwards, they get a recovery drink and breakfast at Wendell Murphy Football Center. Players eat lunch on their own time between classes and Nguyen recommends they eat one or two snacks in the afternoon, as well as one after dinner—preferably a snack with some protein to complement their training. Players eat dinner at NC State’s Case Dining Hall, which is reserved for those on the student athlete meal plan.
Nguyen has collaborated with Matt Hodges, the NC State athletics program’s head chef, to curate menus at both Murphy and Case that are tailored for the athletes. One or two fresh vegetables are always available at breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with lean proteins, high-quality, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats so athletes can create well-rounded meals.
Breakfast may involve the standard eggs, bacon, oatmeal or breakfast sandwich with a rotation of French toast, waffles or pancakes. At lunch, the same combination of colorful fruits and veggies, proteins and carbohydrates are incorporated with pastas, rice dishes, sandwiches and wraps. Dinner at Case includes options catered to athletes with all kinds of taste preferences and dietary restrictions. Hodges, who takes health needs as well as socioeconomic histories and allergens into account when creating dishes for individual players, provides a mixed menu of comfort food and a broad variety of fresh vegetables, pastas (a team favorite) and lean proteins. Though the team’s diet consists mostly of the standard “meat and potatoes,” Hodges says he tries to introduce diverse options. But “safe” items—pasta, burgers, grilled chicken—are generally always available.
“We try to keep it appealing to them, keep it exciting, but familiar most of the way,” Nguyen says.
NC State football head coach Dave Doeren
And, while football players are certainly tempted by a Howling Cow milkshake every once in a while, Nguyen says they’re pretty good about sticking to her nutrition plans overall, and when they do have a milkshake, they’re honest with her about it. “It’s about finding a healthy balance and just showing them that it’s okay to be human and it’s okay to have that stuff,” Nguyen says. “But the majority of the time they do follow the recommendations that I give them because they are motivated.”
So is it the tasty shrimp scampi, soy glazed chicken drumsticks or baked chicken parmesan dishes at the team’s disposal that clinches Wolfpack wins? They’re certainly a factor.
“Nutrition plays a huge role in our preparation and performance and is integral in our ability to develop players,” says NC State football head coach Dave Doeren. “Diana and her staff do a great job educating our players on proper nutrition and making sure our training table provides meals that are enjoyable, but also beneficial.”
You may know her as the woman who ate, prayed and loved her way through Italy, India and Indonesia. It was a journey that put author Elizabeth Gilbert in the spotlight worldwide with her bestselling novel “Eat Pray Love.” The excursion came when the author was in her early thirties, following a heartbreaking divorce with her husband that sent Gilbert into a major depression, leaving her feeling hopeless and confused.
Gilbert, who says she is restless by nature, always loved travel. She chose to spend time in Italy, India and Bali because those destinations offered what she was looking for in herself at the time. “I wanted to kickstart my pleasure sensors again and where else to go but Italy for that?” she says.
Throughout her year abroad, Gilbert experienced great food, compelling company, restorative prayer and gained a vast appreciation for other cultures. Her memoir was named one of the best books of 2013 by The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, NPR and Time and has since sold more than 13 million copies. It earned Oprah’s attention and Winfrey called Gilbert a “rock star author.”
GOOD MORNING AMERICA – Author Elizabeth Gilbert is a guest on “Good Morning America,” 3/30/16, airing on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Heidi Gutman/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) ROBIN ROBERTS, ELIZABETH GILBERT
Before the 2006 release of “Eat Pray Love,” Gilbert was a little-known author living in New York City, though her first three books—“Pilgrims,” “Stern Men” and “The Last American Man”—had all won awards and other honors; “The Last American Man” was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2002. A graduate of New York University with a bachelors degree in political science, Gilbert has been writing her entire life. A short story in Esquire in 1993 kicked of her career as a journalist, after which she wrote for Harper’s Bazaar, Spin, The New York Times Magazine and GQ, where her article “The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon”—a memoir of Gilbert’s experiences as a bartender at the first Coyote Ugly table dancing bar in New York City—was adapted into the popular film “Coyote Ugly” in 2000.
When “Eat Pray Love” was adapted for film, with actress Julia Roberts playing Gilbert, the author skyrocketed onto the Hollywood scene and her fan base exploded. Fans raved about her story and came to her for advice on how to live a fulfilling life.
“None of us really know what our purpose is and I don’t particularly know what mine is, but if I had a wish for what my purpose would be, it would be to live my life in a way that gives other people permission to live theirs,” Gilbert says. Especially, she adds, for women who, even today, are “given such a narrow range of options as to what is considered appropriate behavior.”
On October 3, Gilbert will speak at The Cardinal at North Hills as part of the Art of Living Well speaker series, where she’ll discuss issues relating to women, travel, grief, recovery and creativity—“creative courage,” as she calls it—while encouraging listeners to live a creative life.
“My definition of a creative life is a life that’s driven by curiosity rather than fear,” Gilbert says. She encourages those looking to live fulfilling lives to drop the idea of passion and, instead, take the path of curiosity, which she believes is much kinder and allows people to live lives based on personal interests. Another of Gilbert’s ingredients for living well is mercy. In a world where we can be incredibly hard on ourselves and on one another, Gilbert invites people to cultivate a sense of mercy for themselves and understand that “you are just as deserving of forgiveness and grace as anybody else.”
Gilbert says we all live in a strange world and lead mysterious lives that are completely unpredictable and can’t be planned. Life comes with passion, devastation and fear, but Gilbert says she accepts that our lives are not stable and sometimes don’t make sense. The art of living well, Gilbert explains, is accepting that “literally anything can happen to anybody at any given moment, and that’s both terrifying and magnificent.”
“Be willing to accept stewardship of the weird life you’ve been given,” she says. “And be willing to show grace to yourself and to others.”
The Cardinal at North Hills celebrates the Art of Living Well® and is proud to commission this special editorial series. To learn more visit, lifeatthecardinal.com.
Many of downtown Raleigh’s run-down or abandoned buildings have gone from eyesores to eye-catching, covered with colorful works of art.
This summer, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance launched ARTivation, a temporary public art display where seven local artists were selected to liven up downtown’s vacant storefronts. The program, supported by Artspace and Artsplosure, gives the artists an opportunity to showcase their work while giving city-goers something beautiful to look at as they’re strolling about downtown.
“It can be uncomfortable to walk past a vacant storefront,” says David Moore, the placemaking and activations manager for the DRA. “This is a great way for us to tackle that.”
DRA matched selected artists with seven different storefronts for them to decorate with temporary paintings, vinyl images and more. The DRA partnered with two property owners who Moore says were “super easy to work with and understanding of why public art matters.”
Artist Shakira Shipman paints “Stifled” as part of ARTivation
From about 50 submissions, the DRA selected artwork that would best interact with the buildings they had available for the project. The works line South Wilmington and Martin Streets, chosen because they’re both busy retail locations with lots of pedestrian traffic.
“[The artwork] helps to bridge the gap between spaces that already have a lot of activity,” says Cameron Laws, Artsplosure’s marketing director.
Artist Kalee Calhoun’s “Blue Daydreamers” adorns the side of Beasley’s, a treat for those headed out to lunch or for coffee or on their way to Union Station, while Susan Skrzycki’s “Books” showcases titles from authors that have made an impact on her. Skrzycki also included a mini library for passersby to grab a book from.
“It doesn’t have to be a large-scale mural to have an effect,” Moore says. “Small-scale art can have a huge impact.”
And, so far, it has. People walking or driving around Nash Square stop to enjoy Britt Flood’s “Wild(flower) About You” mural on Martin Street, part of what Laws calls “a street gallery.”
Along with beauty to residents and visitors, ARTivation brings exposure to local artists—it has already helped some of them land new gigs—and those that support them, including local art supply stores where they buy their materials and signage shops they use to print their designs. As a bonus, it gives us plenty of opportunities to capture color for our Instagram feeds. Collect all the art before it’s gone!
ARTivation will be on display until September. Visit downtownraleigh.org to view a map of the installations.
Move over downtown Raleigh. Midtown is growing up. With the highly-anticipated Wegmans opening in the Midtown East shopping center this month, plus all the new shops, restaurants and other businesses coming with it, Raleigh’s northeastern end is transforming from an industrial hodgepodge of rundown warehouses and factories to a modern, slightly gritty urban hub. Other exciting developments in the works include the new Gateway Plaza and Raleigh Ironworks as well as improvements to the I-440 interchange and Duke Raleigh Hospital. Take a look at what’s in store:
1. Gateway Plaza
Loden Properties bought the crumbling, 6.8 acre shopping center off Capital Boulevard in 2016 for $3.45 million. Union Special, a bakery, and co-working space HQ Raleigh’s HQ@Gateway have already opened. Brew Coffee Shop, Mordecai Beverage Co. and Gateway Arts Project will open this fall.
2. Raleigh Ironworks
Dock 1053 owners Grubb Ventures’ newest concept at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Wicker Drive will breathe new life into the Peden Steel warehouse buildings. Additional development on the site features 400,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space, 230 residential units, two outdoor event areas, a food hall, a 649-space parking deck and 200-plus surface parking spots.
3. Aston Properties
Charlotte-based Aston Properties bought the property at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Hodges Street for $1.3 million last year. The developer is working on a site plan, but there are no concrete details available yet.
4. SLI Capital Property
Raleigh-based investment firm SLI Capital bought the property, which currently includes a warehouse and parking lot, across the street from Dock 1053. The developer has applied for a change of use permit to convert the site into a loft office with high ceilings and exposed beams plus additional bar and restaurant space. SLI Capital managing partner Bryan Kane says the area will be similar to Atlanta’s Midtown or Charlotte’s South End.
5. Midtown East Shopping Center
Wegmans will anchor the new shopping center. Shops, restaurants and businesses that have so far signed leases include Club Pilates, Drybar, Rowhouse, Cava, Maple Street Cafe, Nekter Juice Bar and more. A 700-space parking deck and additional street parking round out the development.
6. Interchange Improvements
At the interchange between I-440 and Wake Forest Road, NC DOT will add a diverging diamond to ease congestion. Pedestrian connectivity will be enhanced with added sidewalks and crosswalks across both Wake Forest Road and the ramps. Construction begins late next year.
7. RAM Realty Property
RAM Realty purchased the shopping center directly south of Midtown East (currently home to Applebee’s and Life Time Fitness) on the northeast corner of Six Forks Road and Wake Forest Road for $14 million. Plans include adding new restaurants and retailers and potentially redeveloping the Life Time Fitness building (the business closes this fall).
8. 819 Six Forks Road (old Sears property)
Sears sold its last remaining Triangle property to a Virginia-based developer last year for $5 million. The developer wants to rezone the property from industrial to residential to build up to 12 stories on the 10-acre site, though current plans propose only a five-story apartment building. The property is currently zoned for three stories.
9. Hampton Inn
Loden Properties is building a six-story Hampton Inn with 152 rooms just behind Wegmans on Industrial Drive. The hotel should open in early 2020.
10. Duke Raleigh Hospital
Duke Raleigh Hospital is building a 214,000-square-foot facility at its primary campus at 3400 Wake Forest Road. The facility, the “South Pavilion,” will offer 92 additional patient beds, nine operating rooms, an expanded café, waiting rooms on each floor, an outdoor garden terrace with eating areas and a walking path and a same-day surgery reception and waiting area. South Pavilion is expected to be complete in 2021; 40,000 square feet of additional renovations to the existing campus should be finished in 2022.
“I didn’t know you were that funny” is a comment Jeremy Piven has been getting a lot lately. And while he was taken aback by it at first, it’s something the actor says now makes him feel really good to hear. Following a 40-year career acting for film and television, Piven—probably best known for his role as Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage”—has decided to add “stand-up comedian” to his bio. “The transition is not easy, but at the same time, I feel like I have something to offer because of my background,” Piven says. Piven has been performing on stage since he was 8 years old, starting with a role in Chekov’s “The Seagull” produced by his actor-drama teacher parents at his family’s Piven Theatre. In that production, Piven and the actor John Cusack, a longtime friend, alternated nights playing the role of a little boy. Since then, Piven has starred in more than 90 films and TV shows, including “Wisdom of the Crowd,” “Mr. Selfridge” and, of course, the ever-popular “Entourage” in which he played Gold, the loud, slightly manic but fiercely loyal and hilarious talent agent. “It was a great thrill to play that character,” Piven says.
Piven says he always knew he wanted to continue to learn and grow and perform, but it wasn’t until he got on stage with comedian Russell Peters for a charity event at a California Laugh Factory that he really got hooked on stand-up. During the event, Piven wrote and performed his first bits and realized just how much he enjoyed making people laugh. “Doing that in front of a live audience is completely addictive,” Piven says. “I had been on stage before but hadn’t had that feeling of writing material, preparing it and then connecting with [an audience] in real time comedically, and that was incredible to me.” Although he plans to continue acting, for the last two years Piven has been on the road performing stand-up across the country. Piven says his routine is wholly original—he uses his own voice, life’s journey and observations to make people laugh, with impressions peppered in to make the storytelling all the more funny. “I’m just trying to connect with the audience as best as I can,” Piven says. “A very wise man once said to me, ‘It’s not a presentation, it’s a conversation.’ So I’m basically just going to have a conversation with the audience. It’ll be like a terrible date where I do all the talking.”
