FUEL FOR THE STUDENT ATHLETE

When it comes to fueling for practices or games after school, planning ahead is key.

To help your student athlete get the most out of his practices or to perform at her best during competition, it’s important that he or she eat and drink consistently throughout the day. Preparing and packing proper nutrition for an entire school day can be challenging.

BREAKFAST

A good day starts with a good breakfast that contains adequate carbohydrates and protein with fruits and vegetables, if possible. A healthy breakfast might include eggs and toast or oatmeal with berries. This will help to replenish energy stores used througout the morning and build strong muscles.

LUNCH

If school lunch is 3-4 hours after breakfast, your athlete likely won’t need a snack between. If it is further out, consider a light snack between classes such as peanut butter pretzels, a banana and a protein bar, or pretzels and a cheese stick.

When planning lunch, the meal should be balanced in even proportions of protein, carbohydrates, and fruits/vegetables. Easy and healthy lunch ideas include turkey sandwiches, chicken breast wraps, sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, and more!

AFTER SCHOOL SNACK

This snack should be 30-60 minutes before practice or game time and should be high in carbohydrates. For this snack pack things like dry cereal, pretzels, crackers, fruit, or juice. The carbohydrates eaten here will give you that quick burst of energy you need to perform at your best.

BEFORE AND AFTER AN EVENING PRACTICE OR GAME

If your event is later in the evening, try to eat dinner about 2-4 hours before. This dinner should also be high in carbohydrates (noticing a theme, here?), moderate in protein, and low in fat as to not cause upset stomach. Then enjoy a snack afterward with protein and carbohydrates similar to the ones listed above. Snacks like yogurt or cereal and milk will help with muscle repair.

HYDRATION IS KEY – ALL DAY

Before any athletic activity, students should be fully hydrated (A good indication of this is light-colored urine). During practice or game time, athletes should aim to consume 3-8 ounces per hour. Finally, you should rehydrate with 16-24 ounces for every pound lost in sweat or to clear urine 2-3 hours post-training.

PREPARATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

So, think about the day ahead and pack meals and snacks that will set your growing athlete up for success. Planning ahead and knowing what they’re going to eat throughout the day is what will lead them to getting the most out of their workouts! Without planning, it’s easy to scramble and make food decisions that will ultimately result in eating the quick and easy option. Most of the time, that option is not the healthiest one for us!