Beyond Meal Plans: Creating Food Access for Athletes

Written By Deanna Belleny
 
 

In this episode of Feed Me the Facts, Danielle sits down with Daniela Hurtado, MS, RD, CSSD, and Rayanne Nguyen, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN—two sports dietitians and leaders redefining what athlete care can look like. Daniela, founder of DK Performance RD and CEO of The Athlete Meal Plan, discovered her passion for sports nutrition through her own experience as an athlete and has gone on to work with organizations including the University of Georgia, SMU, UCLA Basketball, and the NFL.

Rayanne, a former Division I swimmer and board-certified sports dietitian, brings nearly a decade of experience across private practice, collegiate athletics, eating disorder care, and corporate wellness, and now runs her own practice, Rayanne Nutrition Consulting. Together, they are using their expertise to lead The Athlete Meal Plan, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing food insecurity among athletes by providing free, dietitian-designed meals created from repurposed food waste.

From long days in collegiate athletics to launching a nonprofit tackling food insecurity, Daniela and Rayanne pull back the curtain on what it really means to fuel athletes—beyond the highlight reels and performance metrics. They share powerful stories from the field, the hidden barriers many athletes face, and how they’re reimagining care through The Athlete Meal Plan.

This conversation challenges the assumption that access is guaranteed in sports and highlights how dietitians can step into roles as advocates, innovators, and change makers—building solutions that extend far beyond traditional practice.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Journeys into Sports Nutrition (00:00)
    How personal experiences as athletes and early exposure to nutrition shaped their careers.

  • What It’s Really Like Working in Sports Nutrition (05:00)
    The reality of collegiate athletics, food service demands, and unpredictable day-to-day roles.

  • The Hidden Reality of Food Insecurity in Athletes (13:00)
    Why this issue is often overlooked and how it shows up in performance and health.

  • Real Stories from the Field (20:00)
    Powerful examples of how food insecurity impacts recovery, injury, and long-term outcomes.

  • The Athlete Meal Plan: Origin & Mission (28:00)
    How their nonprofit was born and what it aims to solve.

  • Reducing Food Waste & Increasing Access (31:00)
    How partnerships with local businesses help create sustainable, ready-to-eat meals.

  • Education, Equity & Supporting Athletes Holistically (34:00)
    Why nutrition education and culturally relevant care matter just as much as access.

  • What Dietitians Can Do Right Now (35:00)
    Practical ways to screen for food insecurity and better support athletes.

  • What’s Next for The Athlete Meal Plan (41:00)
    Scaling the model, expanding impact, and supporting youth athletes.

Resources & Links:

📌 Connect with Daniela:
Instagram

📌 Connect with Rayanne:
Instagram

📌 The Athlete Meal Plan:

🎙️ Stay connected with Feed Me The Facts:

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🎧 Listen now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Deanna Belleny
Next

The Food We Eat, the Stories We Carry with Food Ethnographer, June Jo Lee