Davis, Calif. — "Food is personal. We as people eat every day for the rest of our lives." 

Nobody understands this concept better than UC Davis' newly hired Director of Performance Nutrition, Rachael Mack. 

What we eat, how we eat, and why we eat are not the same for everyone. Our food choices and decisions reflect our personal preferences, beliefs, values, cultures, traditions, health conditions, goals, and challenges. Food is not only a supply of nourishment, but also a way of expressing our identity, our emotions, our relationships, and our worldview.

When people approach food, it often comes at the cost of being uninformed. More often than not in the social media age, timelines are flooded with posts about what makes a meal healthy or unhealthy without supporting that information or backing it up with valid facts. That is where Mack steps in. 

As outlined by Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca in this month's set of High-Fives the importance of hiring a nutritionist to further enhance the physical and mental health of the student-athletes at UC Davis was a focal point. DeLuca recognized how Mack in her short time has added a "vital educational dimension to our suite of student-athlete services," providing access to resources and emphasizing the importance of nutrition in a way that has never been touched on at UC Davis. "Drawing upon her extensive experience working with the Sacramento Kings and the US Olympic Committee, Rachael brings a wealth of expertise. Her positive impact on our fall sports programs has become palpable within her initial two months since her return to UC Davis." 

Field Hockey Head Coach Austin Pile has been one of the first coaches to see the education Mack can provide student-athletes first-hand. "She has been great for the education and improvement of our program. Her ability to teach our student-athletes how to properly fuel pre-practice, recover post-game, give tips for when we go on the road, and even help our new players navigate in the dining halls, all of it has been super educational." 

A big part of Mack's education style early on has been the use of workshops. Pile further added that in their most recent workshop with Mack, she taught his team a "great way to make a low-cost, but high-performance snack they can make on their own which is super helpful for college kids to learn." 

Another fall coach who has worked extensively with Mack is UC Davis head football coach, Dan Hawkins who has gone on record and commended Mack for the immediate impact she has injected into the UC Davis Athletics department. "Rachael has been a vital addition to the care and development of our student-athletes. Her tremendous knowledge and experience lend credibility to our nutrition program. Having been an Aggie, she gets the overall philosophy of holistic excellence and Aggie Pride." 

At the core, Mack embodies everything that Aggie Pride is, everything this campus is looking to continue building towards, and has been just one of the many new building blocks to Ignite: The Pursuit of Excellence, an innovative strategic plan designed to propel the UC Davis Athletics department to new heights and achievement. 

Mack who grew up in Davis, has been ear-to-ear, full of smiles during the fall season and part of that may be due to the special connection she has with her hometown. "Davis is such a wonderful and vibrant community that has shaped me as a person and as a professional," she said. "I have so many fond memories of growing up here, going to school here, playing lacrosse here, and making lifelong friends here. I feel very fortunate and grateful to have had such a positive and enriching experience during my time as an athlete."

Mack spent her prep days at Davis High, before making her way to UC Davis where she was a lacrosse player. As an alumnus, Mack already has a strong connection and affinity for the athletic department and its student-athletes. A "full-circle" opportunity, Mack understands from her time as a student-athlete the information and resources she can provide teams and individuals on a daily basis can have a lasting impact. 

Being informed about food choices and decisions is very personal and has impacts that transcend sports. By being informed, we can make better choices and decisions that suit our individual needs and circumstances. Being informed is in Mack's eyes, the key to unlocking one's health, performance, well-being, and quality of life. 

From her wealth of past experience, Mack has dealt first-hand with athletes who compete in all different sports, enjoy different types of foods, and operate on different schedules. What works for one person, may have no relevance to the next student-athlete. With this background and knowledge tied into her plan here at UC Davis, Mack has reiterated multiple times how it is important to "eat what you want."

Part of the challenge of working with 25 different teams comes from the fact that there are in fact many mouths to feed, and many voices that need to be heard. "Every athlete has different needs, preferences, goals, and challenges when it comes to nutrition," she said. "That's why when I sit down with a student-athlete I want to get to know them better and tailor my recommendations to their specific situation based on the information they provide me."

Mack is just getting started at UC Davis. She is the perfect Aggie to lead the growth of Performance Nutrition and is ready to tackle any challenge to make a difference for her alma mater and her hometown. She knows that her insights can not only boost an athlete's performance in competition but also help them find and use their voice in decision-making by offering them the best nutritional advice she can.

"Nutrition plays a key role in supporting athletes," she said. "Depending on the sport, the season, their schedule, the nutritional needs, and food preferences, each athlete will be very different. That's why I want to work closely with the teams and student-athletes to educate them in the best possible way to help each athlete achieve their goals."

This story is an example of UC Davis Athletics' commitment to the Ignite Strategic Plan Pillar of "Student-Athlete Development and Welfare" by placing an emphasis on the physical and mental health of student-athletes by increasing access to nutritional resources via a newly hired nutritionist. Read more about our strategic plan here; IGNITE