1. Nutrition for the Young Athlete
Presented by:
Helen Long, MA, RDN, LDN, CDE

2. Athletes Need More Whole Grains Vegetables Fruits Lean Meats
Low-Fat Dairy
Plant-Based Proteins
Delicious foods, like the nutty flavor in whole wheat crackers, crunchy bell peppers, sweet and juicy apples, lean and protein-packed meats such as chicken and turkey, ice-cold, refreshing low-fat milk, and fun to eat plant-based proteins, such as pistachios, all help you to perform better on and off the field!

3. Consequences of Poor Eating
Fatigue/sub-optimal performance
Poor growth
Loss of muscle mass/ bone density
Increased risk of illness and injury
Whether during the game or on the practice field, sooner or later poor eating habits will catch up to competitive athletes.
Want to know one of the best secrets for avoiding fatigue during a game? Stay hydrated pre-game and mid-game by drinking water and make sure the rest of your diet is balanced, too. Once fatigue sets in, you have the potential for illness and injury, which could bench you for awhile, and you don’t want that!

4. Protein Promotes Growth Muscle Development Healthy Immune System
4/19/2017

5. Bone Health Calcium Needs Vitamin D Needs Age 9-18: 1300mg
Promote growth and strong bones
Vitamin D Needs IU
Help absorb calcium

6. Fluids During exercise, water is lost as sweat
Replace water or it can lead to overheating & dehydration
Drink before, during and after exercise
4/19/2017

7. Why Are Healthy Snacks Important?
Healthy snacks can help meet the increased calorie and nutrient needs of Athletes.
Healthy snacks boost stamina and endurance and improve performance.
Calories from snacks should be from quality nutrients, not from a lot of sugar and unhealthy fats.
We know that the competitive edge for an athlete’s performance is proper nutrition – consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, and fluids. Good nutrition is vital to ensuring adequate energy, building lean muscle mass, recovering and healing muscle and tissues, and preventing illness, fatigue, and injury. Young athletes, in particular, especially need the extra nutrients not only for powering performance, but also for optimal growth.
Snacks often get a bad reputation, but snacks can be a healthy and important part of a teen athlete’s diet if you choose the right ones. You require more calories and nutrients than nonathletes and a couple of healthy, well-timed snacks can help you to perform your best.

8. Fuel Up with Healthy Snacks
Edamame
Fruit and Greek yogurt smoothie
Raw veggies/fruit & yogurt based dip
Brown rice bowl with black beans and veggies
It may seem like a lot of work to make snacks from whole foods at home and carry them throughout the day, but these healthy snacks can help to improve your overall performance and keep you feeling well throughout the day.
Here are some healthy snack ideas that are well-balanced, colorful, and delicious!
Did you know that our taste buds and preferences change as we age? Something you didn’t like last year might be a new favorite food this year! Keep trying foods, you never know!

9. Choose Better Snacks Instead of this… Try this Soda
Chips
Candy Bar
Fries
Pudding/ice cream
Hot dog
Low-fat milk or choc milk
Trail mix or pretzels
Fruit/nut bar
Nuts/seeds, popcorn
Low-fat yogurt
Wrap or sandwich
Discuss each alternative and variations of:
Low-fat milk or flavored milk
Trail-mix – make your own recipe to follow
Fruit and nut bar – all natural is in. Or energy bar
Nuts – nuts, such as pistachios, are high in protein and fiber and unsaturated fats.
Yogurt with ground flaxseed– low sugar, Greek yogurt provides added protein, and flaxseed is a great source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids to fight inflammation
Wrap or sandwich (on 100% whole wheat bread)– lean meats or nut butters, veggies, etc.

10. More Snack Ideas for Athletes
Rice cakes with
banana and nut butter
Hummus with veggies
Apple, spinach, and nut salad
100% whole wheat bagel
w/egg whites and low-fat
cheese

11. Avoid them just prior to or post training or competition
Small amounts of chocolate or dessert can fit into an athlete’s diet. Moderation and timing are key
Avoid them just prior to or post
training or competition
It’s not like you can’t ever have those sweet snacks, but they should be something you eat sometimes, not daily.

12. Pre-Game Within 1-2 hours before practice/game eat a snack that is:
High in carbohydrate (not sugar)
Low in fat and fiber
High in fluid content
Moderate protein, as tolerated
Salty (if hot/humid weather)
Here’s a great rule to remember:
Eat 1-2 hours before practice and within 1 hour after practice.
Great pregame snacks: fruit, pretzels, bagel, cheese and crackers, water, etc.
High sugar foods may give you energy at first, but then may quickly make you crash and not have any energy, hurting your performance. A good meal with an added snack 1-2 hours before competition usually works best to optimize energy for most athletes.
High fat foods before practice usually don’t sit well during practice and can cause an array of stomach problems.
If you are a very ‘sweaty’ teen athlete, or if you’re practicing at a high intensity for a long period in very hot, humid weather, a higher salt pre-game snack might help prevent cramping and excessive dehydration.
It is especially important that snacks before important events are familiar foods. Events and game days are not good times to try new foods, or those known to not make you feel very good.

13. Post Game Eat a snack or meal that is:
High in carbohydrate (not sugar)
Moderate to high in protein
Moderate in fat
High in fluid
Salty (if very sweaty)
Postgame snacks: low-fat milk and graham crackers, chocolate low-fat milk, pistachios and dried cranberries, peanut butter sandwich with fruit, etc. These foods are higher in protein than the pregame snacks. Foods from the Milk and Protein group are good choices postgame to help repair your muscles after they worked so hard.
Do you sometimes have Daily Doubles or any kind of two-a-day practice or tournaments? Be sure to eat snacks with carbohydrate, water, and protein (like banana with peanut butter or pistachios and pretzels) every few hours or you might run out of gas! Drink lots of water.

14. Trail Mix Fix
Pick 1-2 of your favorite types of the 3 ingredients listed below. Mix together and separate into individual snack-sized bags.
Whole nuts (such as pistachios)
Dried fruit (without added sugar)
Whole grain cereal (or pretzels)
NOTE: For a lower calorie snack, reduce the portion to 1/4 cup and choose a light-weight nut, such as pistachios
This is a great snack for teen athletes, and so easy and great-tasting! Make the trail mix ahead of time, using nuts, fruit, and cereal. Portion out ½ cup servings into baggies or containers, and you are ready to go for the week ahead. Throw them in your backpack and locker and you’ll have a high-performance snack when you want it. This snack is full of carbohydrates to give you the energy you need and protein to build and repair your muscles.
½ cup trail mix contains ~300 calories – great for weight gain and recovery but athletes need to cut portion to ¼ cup if trying to lose weight or struggling with weight maintenance.
Note: Pistachios are one of the lowest calorie nuts, with 160 calories/oz.

15. Fruit Smoothie
1 container plain or flavored low-fat yogurt or low- fat Greek yogurt
1 bag frozen berries or fruit of choice, partially thawed preferred
1 Tbsp. honey, agave nectar, etc. (optional)
This snack goes down smooth, especially on the go! How does this help you perform better? The yogurt and berries have carbohydrates to give you energy for endurance and the yogurt also gives you protein for building and repairing your muscles. Plus, it’s nice and cold and you can drink it on your way out the door! This could be a great pregame snack if you make it with low-fat yogurt or a really great or postgame snack if you make it with the super-high protein Greek yogurt. This snack is hydrating, too, because fruit has a lot of water in it.
Mix all ingredients in a blender, hand blender, or food processor until desired consistency

16. Wrap it Up! Wrap some or all ingredients into a tortilla!
Whole wheat or garden tortilla
Hummus and/or black beans
Vegetables of choice, sliced
Low-fat cheese, shredded
Low-fat dressing or Greek yogurt
Lean sliced meat or egg
Chopped nuts, such as pistachios
Wrap some or all ingredients into a tortilla!
This high-protein wrap would be a great postgame snack!

17. Backpack Activity! Instructions
Think about what you’ve learned today and decide what snacks you should pack that will fill your backpack and fuel your body for optimal performance on the field.
Time: 5 minutes
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
NOTE: This activity should be completed in teams of Pass out handout that includes this activity.
Time: 10 minutes
Award each group a winner by theme (i.e., most muscle-building, most creative, healthiest fat, most refreshing, best immune defense, best pregame, best postgame, most colorful, most economical, most hydration potential, most well-balanced, etc).
A prepared athlete always thinks ahead with plenty of nonperishable, nonsmashable, sustainable snacks that can be carried on the go and/or just in case you can’t get to food in enough time!
Think about the concepts you learned today regarding healthy snacking and decide what snacks you should pack that will fill your backpack and fuel your body for optimal performance on the field, or on the court, etc.

18. How Does Your Backpack Stack Up?
Fresh fruit
Chips
Nuts
Crackers
Energy bar
Water
Sports drink
Pretzels
Trail-mix
Cookies
Beef jerky
Soda
Some other ideas:
Dry cereal
Nut butter
Bread, bagels, healthy muffins, tortillas
Pistachios
Dried fruit
Vegetables (such as carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, etc)
V-8 Juice
Peanut butter crackers
If a team gets creative enough to suggest a cold pack, then they could also have:
String cheese, yogurt, soft cheese, hardboiled eggs/whites, etc.
Or if they suggest having a microwave nearby:
Instant rice bowl, oatmeal packet, soups, etc.
Popcorn balls (made with fruit, honey, nuts, popcorn)

19. Thank You! Questions? Helen Long, MA, RDN, LDN, CDE
Winchester Hospital
Outpatient Nutrition Services
Winchester (781)
Wilmington (978)
- Covered by most insurance with MD referral
- Individualized counseling to fit lifestyle/family needs
ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:
NOTE: This activity should be completed in teams of Pass out handout that includes this activity.
Time: 10 minutes
Award each group a winner by theme (i.e., most muscle-building, most creative, healthiest fat, most refreshing, best immune defense, best pregame, best postgame, most colorful, most economical, most hydration potential, most well-balanced, etc).
A prepared athlete always thinks ahead with plenty of nonperishable, nonsmashable, sustainable snacks that can be carried on the go and/or just in case you can’t get to food in enough time!
Think about the concepts you learned today regarding healthy snacking and decide what snacks you should pack that will fill your backpack and fuel your body for optimal performance on the field, or on the court, etc.