Youth Sports Nutrition
Players and Parents,
With fall football, soccer and other sports fast approaching now is the perfect time to establish good eating habits. You can contribute to the your team’s success in many ways. Showing up on time to both practices and games, learning your team’s plays, giving maximum effort on every play and respecting your teammates, coaches and yourselves are all important.
You all want to do your best. If you want to perform at your highest possible level, how you fuel your body is critical. Games are won by working together as a team, executing the game plan with precision and by giving 100% on every play. As important as all these things are, proper sports nutrition is the foundation that makes it all possible.
Picture a close game; only minutes remain on the clock, the score is tied and both teams are playing well. You did not eat right, you run out of energy, slow down, miss your assignment and the opposing team takes advantage, scores and wins the game. Your own poor nutrition choices just cost your team a game.
Your eating plan directly effects your contribution to your team’s success on the field. What you choose to eat can be the difference between winning and losing games. Elite athletes will tell you that proper nutrition is 80% of their performance. Optimal sports nutrition is very important.
What not to eat
Junk food is processed foods, refined sugar & flour and manufactured fats.
These food (imitation food) products include but are not limited to the following:
· Processed/simple carbohydrates
o Refined sugar – refined white sugar, high fructose corn syrup
o Refined Flour – white flour, white rice, pasta made w enriched flour
· Manufactured fats and saturated fats
o Trans fats – hydrogenated oils, fast food, snack food, fried food
o Animal fats – milk fat (cream, cheese, butter) and fatty meats
Why you should not eat junk food
· Insulin spikes
o Eating processed or simple carbohydrates causes your body to release massive amounts of the hormone insulin, which triggers your muscle cells, liver and red blood cells to absorb as much blood sugar as possible. If this is not burned immediately it is stored as fat. This also causes your energy levels to increase dramatically (sugar buzz) and then crash hard soon after. You swing between hyper energy highs and lows.
o Cause of long-term health problems; diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
· Association with disease
o Cardiovascular disease, dangerous blood cholesterol levels
o Links to cancer and other long term health problems
What foods you should eat
Eat whole foods
· Lean proteins
o Chicken, fish, eggs (egg whites) and lean meats
o Nonfat and fat-free dairy
· Complex carbohydrates
o Whole grain bread, whole grain oatmeal and whole grain rice
o Fresh vegetables; green veggies high in vitamins & minerals, root veggies high in carbs
o Fresh fruits; high in vitamins and readily available energy source
o Beans, legumes; high in fiber and carbs
· Healthy Fats
o Avocados
o Raw nuts; uncooked & unsalted almonds
o Fatty fish; salmon, anchovies and herring
Why whole foods are best
· No insulin spikes, no energy highs and lows
· Sustained slow energy release
· Building blocks of lean muscle growth
· Stay mentally sharp, alert and quick
· Vitamins and minerals provide antioxidant properties
· Greatly reduce muscle fatigue
· Maintain proper brain function
· Repair muscle and tissue breakdown
· Replenish energy stores
· Greatly reduce long term risk of disease and other health problem
Healthy meal plan examples
· Breakfast I
o Oatmeal made with whole oats
o Blueberries, strawberries or other fresh fruit, raisons or sliced raw almond topping
o A scoop of chocolate protein powder mixed in is a great addition that makes it a complete meal
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Breakfast II
o Scrambled egg whites w avocado and fresh salsa
o Whole grain toast
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Breakfast III
o Whole wheat waffles or pancakes
o Real maple syrup
o Blueberries, strawberries or other fresh fruit topping
o Turkey bacon or turkey sausage
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Lunch/Dinner I
o Whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and low sugar jelly
o Fresh fruit
· Lunch/Dinner II
o Whole wheat pasta w pesto or (lean ground beef) bolognaise sauce
o Low-fat ice cream topped with fresh berries or other fresh fruit
· Lunch/Dinner III
o Grilled chicken breast or lean steak
o Baked sweet potato or yam
· Lunch/Dinner IV
o Stir fried shrimp or chicken w green vegetables
o Whole grain brown rice
· Lunch/Dinner V
o Baked or grilled fish
o Asparagus, broccoli, green beans, snow peas or other green vegetable sautéed in olive oil
· Snacks
o Blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges or other fresh fruit
o Raw almonds or other nuts
o Low-fat cottage cheese w cherry tomatoes
o Low-fat yogurt or low-fat ice cream
· Hydration
o Slow steady uptake of water thru out the day is best
o Frequent sips during the activity is preferred
· Sports Drinks
o Most are loaded with sugar and caffeine, beware
o Look for low sugar drinks rich in electrolytes
o Fresh fruit (orange, apple & banana) and water is best combination
Practice/Game Preparation
Eating a healthy carbohydrate rich (“carbo-loading”) breakfast on game day is important and a known common practice. However, pre-loading muscle cells with glucosamine can and should be done 24 hours before a taxing workload like intense training, practice or a game.
Youth athlete metabolisms are high as they are obviously still growing. Good nutrition is important ALL the time, not just prior to game day. A meal plan rich in healthy complex carbohydrates is optimal for active still developing bodies.
Children and adolescents (8-18 years) should eat meals with the following calorie proportions of macronutrients:
· Carbohydrate 50 – 60%
· Protein 15 – 25%
· Fat 20 – 30%
*Note to adults/parents
As we age our metabolism slows gradually. Adults who want to lose weight and/or change their body composition you should make the following adjustment to your percent calorie consumption of macronutrients:
· Carbohydrate 25 – 35%
· Protein 35 – 45%
· Fat 25 – 35%
Suggested tools and resources
If you are serious about getting in shape, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of a free online calorie counter. You can track your daily consumption of total calories as well as make sure your getting the proper proportions of macronutrients. My favorite is:
myfitnesspal.com
Also, a wealth of nutritional, exercise and training information can be found
at
livestrong.com
Additionally, please visit my motivational facebook page at
Get Fit, Lean, and Keep Your Day Job (on facebook)
Please feel free to contact me if you’ve any question,
JD Griffin
Players and Parents,
With fall football, soccer and other sports fast approaching now is the perfect time to establish good eating habits. You can contribute to the your team’s success in many ways. Showing up on time to both practices and games, learning your team’s plays, giving maximum effort on every play and respecting your teammates, coaches and yourselves are all important.
You all want to do your best. If you want to perform at your highest possible level, how you fuel your body is critical. Games are won by working together as a team, executing the game plan with precision and by giving 100% on every play. As important as all these things are, proper sports nutrition is the foundation that makes it all possible.
Picture a close game; only minutes remain on the clock, the score is tied and both teams are playing well. You did not eat right, you run out of energy, slow down, miss your assignment and the opposing team takes advantage, scores and wins the game. Your own poor nutrition choices just cost your team a game.
Your eating plan directly effects your contribution to your team’s success on the field. What you choose to eat can be the difference between winning and losing games. Elite athletes will tell you that proper nutrition is 80% of their performance. Optimal sports nutrition is very important.
What not to eat
Junk food is processed foods, refined sugar & flour and manufactured fats.
These food (imitation food) products include but are not limited to the following:
· Processed/simple carbohydrates
o Refined sugar – refined white sugar, high fructose corn syrup
o Refined Flour – white flour, white rice, pasta made w enriched flour
· Manufactured fats and saturated fats
o Trans fats – hydrogenated oils, fast food, snack food, fried food
o Animal fats – milk fat (cream, cheese, butter) and fatty meats
Why you should not eat junk food
· Insulin spikes
o Eating processed or simple carbohydrates causes your body to release massive amounts of the hormone insulin, which triggers your muscle cells, liver and red blood cells to absorb as much blood sugar as possible. If this is not burned immediately it is stored as fat. This also causes your energy levels to increase dramatically (sugar buzz) and then crash hard soon after. You swing between hyper energy highs and lows.
o Cause of long-term health problems; diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
· Association with disease
o Cardiovascular disease, dangerous blood cholesterol levels
o Links to cancer and other long term health problems
What foods you should eat
Eat whole foods
· Lean proteins
o Chicken, fish, eggs (egg whites) and lean meats
o Nonfat and fat-free dairy
· Complex carbohydrates
o Whole grain bread, whole grain oatmeal and whole grain rice
o Fresh vegetables; green veggies high in vitamins & minerals, root veggies high in carbs
o Fresh fruits; high in vitamins and readily available energy source
o Beans, legumes; high in fiber and carbs
· Healthy Fats
o Avocados
o Raw nuts; uncooked & unsalted almonds
o Fatty fish; salmon, anchovies and herring
Why whole foods are best
· No insulin spikes, no energy highs and lows
· Sustained slow energy release
· Building blocks of lean muscle growth
· Stay mentally sharp, alert and quick
· Vitamins and minerals provide antioxidant properties
· Greatly reduce muscle fatigue
· Maintain proper brain function
· Repair muscle and tissue breakdown
· Replenish energy stores
· Greatly reduce long term risk of disease and other health problem
Healthy meal plan examples
· Breakfast I
o Oatmeal made with whole oats
o Blueberries, strawberries or other fresh fruit, raisons or sliced raw almond topping
o A scoop of chocolate protein powder mixed in is a great addition that makes it a complete meal
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Breakfast II
o Scrambled egg whites w avocado and fresh salsa
o Whole grain toast
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Breakfast III
o Whole wheat waffles or pancakes
o Real maple syrup
o Blueberries, strawberries or other fresh fruit topping
o Turkey bacon or turkey sausage
o Fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice
· Lunch/Dinner I
o Whole grain bread, natural peanut butter and low sugar jelly
o Fresh fruit
· Lunch/Dinner II
o Whole wheat pasta w pesto or (lean ground beef) bolognaise sauce
o Low-fat ice cream topped with fresh berries or other fresh fruit
· Lunch/Dinner III
o Grilled chicken breast or lean steak
o Baked sweet potato or yam
· Lunch/Dinner IV
o Stir fried shrimp or chicken w green vegetables
o Whole grain brown rice
· Lunch/Dinner V
o Baked or grilled fish
o Asparagus, broccoli, green beans, snow peas or other green vegetable sautéed in olive oil
· Snacks
o Blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges or other fresh fruit
o Raw almonds or other nuts
o Low-fat cottage cheese w cherry tomatoes
o Low-fat yogurt or low-fat ice cream
· Hydration
o Slow steady uptake of water thru out the day is best
o Frequent sips during the activity is preferred
· Sports Drinks
o Most are loaded with sugar and caffeine, beware
o Look for low sugar drinks rich in electrolytes
o Fresh fruit (orange, apple & banana) and water is best combination
Practice/Game Preparation
Eating a healthy carbohydrate rich (“carbo-loading”) breakfast on game day is important and a known common practice. However, pre-loading muscle cells with glucosamine can and should be done 24 hours before a taxing workload like intense training, practice or a game.
Youth athlete metabolisms are high as they are obviously still growing. Good nutrition is important ALL the time, not just prior to game day. A meal plan rich in healthy complex carbohydrates is optimal for active still developing bodies.
Children and adolescents (8-18 years) should eat meals with the following calorie proportions of macronutrients:
· Carbohydrate 50 – 60%
· Protein 15 – 25%
· Fat 20 – 30%
*Note to adults/parents
As we age our metabolism slows gradually. Adults who want to lose weight and/or change their body composition you should make the following adjustment to your percent calorie consumption of macronutrients:
· Carbohydrate 25 – 35%
· Protein 35 – 45%
· Fat 25 – 35%
Suggested tools and resources
If you are serious about getting in shape, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of a free online calorie counter. You can track your daily consumption of total calories as well as make sure your getting the proper proportions of macronutrients. My favorite is:
myfitnesspal.com
Also, a wealth of nutritional, exercise and training information can be found
at
livestrong.com
Additionally, please visit my motivational facebook page at
Get Fit, Lean, and Keep Your Day Job (on facebook)
Please feel free to contact me if you’ve any question,
JD Griffin
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