FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Katie Raines, a dietetics graduate of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, is using her nutritional knowledge to help fuel the Razorback Athletics program.

Raines published an article, “Nutrition: Stepping it Up,” in the September issue of Training & Conditioning magazine that focuses on her work with Razorback student-athletes and coaches, and how the U of A developed its nutrition program after the NCAA softened restrictions in 2014.

Raines is a registered dietitian working as a graduate assistant nutritionist in the athletics department. She is also the department’s NCAA designee for nutritional supplements. In her article, she explains three programs available to student-athletes – RazorFuel, RazorBag and Red Card.

“Building the sports nutrition program has been a great learning experience,” said Raines, who is from Pine Bluff. “We knew what we needed, but essentially, we had a blank canvas in regard to what we wanted to do with this aspect of the athletics department. The Sports Nutrition Center, located in the Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Center, is now in full-swing.”

RazorFuel provides student-athletes access to post-workout nutrition in the morning and afternoon. RazorBag offers a bag of snacks each week to fuel the Razorbacks between meals. Red Card is a debit card that can be used twice a week at off-campus restaurants.

For RazorFuel, student-athletes pre-order from an app and pick up their selection at the grab-and-go window in the Sports Nutrition Center or fuel inside in the full-service dining area. Options include Greek yogurt, breakfast sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, deli sandwiches, pretzels and fresh fruit.

The RazorBag program is a reusable bag filled each week with 10 to 15 healthy, nonperishable snacks, such as fresh fruit, pistachios and peanut butter crackers.

The Red Card plan features a preloaded debit card for popular restaurants such as Chipotle, Qdoba, The Green Submarine, McAlister’s Deli and others.

“Student-athletes have incredibly demanding academic and athletic schedules, which is why the fuel provided in the Sports Nutrition Center is made with whole foods and the highest-quality ingredients,” said Raines. “The facility is connected to the academics and development areas, which is also beneficial. Student-athletes can get brain fuel prior to attending study hall, tutoring or other academic obligations.”

Raines, who graduated from White Hall High School, is pursuing her doctorate in sports management at the U of A and only needs to complete her dissertation research. She also counsels student-athletes on all 19 teams about optimal nutrition for training and competition.

Raines offers student-athletes personalized meal and snack plans, fueling tactics, and counsel on body mass, body fat and muscle mass.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in dietetics in 2008 and a master’s degree in exercise science in 2010, and completed her dietetic internship at the U of A for Medical Sciences Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

“Katie is one of the brightest young people with whom I have had the pleasure to work and support,” said Cindy Moore, clinical assistant professor and director of the School of Human Environmental Science’s didactic program in dietetics. “She set a career goal of becoming a sports dietitian early on and has patiently taken steps on that path in order to see her dream come true. I admire and am so proud of Katie for her daring, vision and perseverance. More people should be that way.”

While completing her master’s degree, Raines had a peer-reviewed research poster presented at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition held during the annual meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in San Diego in 2011. Her research studied the relationship between body image and nutrition knowledge of freshman sorority students, incorporating the Bumpers College dietetics program, the exercise science program and U of A Greek Life.

Before joining the athletics department, she worked as a registered dietitian at Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.