Hey there!
We are soaring into another school year and so today I am offering 4 pieces of back-to-school advice specifically for young athletes to take into this new school and sports season. I have found from my 9 + years of practice with young athletes that prioritizing these 4 things can help keep an athlete pretty well-fueled even on their busiest days.
I hope you find this helpful and that your athlete can include these tips into their fall routine!
4 Back-to-School Tips to Fuel Young Atheltes:
Eat 3 meals a day.
If our young athletes are not eating 3 meals a day, they are not fueling their best. Why? Because most young athletes can't get the amount of energy and nutrients they need from one or two meals and a couple, if that many, of tiny snacks. Even if a young athlete eats a big dinner or bedtime snack to get the calories missed at breakfast or lunch, they are still going to fall short on needed nutrients. That is because many of the important smaller nutrients athletes need have a cutoff of how much can be used at once (examples = protein and calcium). So, eating a little less more often is way more effective than getting a ton all at once.
Meals don't have to look perfect and beautiful to be fueling.
Sometimes we think a meal has to look pretty and perfect to be the most fueling, especially with the influence of Instagram, TikTok and social media filters, but that's just not the case. I work with athletes all the time who see performance improvements by adding the most basic meals into their day. Remember, it's not always all about how the meal looks, it's about the basic pieces of the meal... what food groups are present... is their protein, carbs, fat?
Have a bag of snacks in your school or sports bag at all times.
Even the most “on top of it athletes” don’t get time to finish a meal or can’t get to the cafeteria on a school day. This is when your snack bag comes in super handy! Your athlete may have missed their planned meal but they can still get some fuel before that afternoon practice and that will be super helpful. The main thing we want to avoid is having our athletes walk into practice completely on empty.
There is so much focus on protein, but carbs are an athlete’s best friend.
Yes, protein builds the muscle, but carbs fuel the muscle! Protein is fun to think about and it’s marketed all over the place. BUT, protein is not the ideal fuel for the body…carbs are. Protein is for building muscle, repair and recovery. Make sure your athlete gets some carbohydrates for the fuel so the protein can focus on the recovery. I always tell my clients, "carbs and protein are a team".
Looking for a sports dietitian for you student athlete this fall? You can reach out to me HERE to set up a time to chat about your athlete’s needs and goals!