Your teen athlete needs power for quick, strong moves and endurance for practices and games. But how do you make sure that your active teen gets the necessary nutrients to fuel both? Here are four nutrition tips to keep in mind.

Active teenage boys need 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day, while active girls need 2,200 to 3,000 calories. Choose quality calories from fruit, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, low-fat dairy, lean protein and heart-healthy fats. These foods provide the vitamins and minerals athletes need.

Breakfast is a great time for whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and fruit or whole-grain waffles with peanut butter, banana and fruit juice.
Prior to lunch at school, review the cafeteria’s menu and help your teen choose performance foods instead of fried or fast food. Bean and beef burritos topped with salsa or grilled chicken sandwiches with coleslaw delivers nutrients needed for afternoon practices.
For dinner, spaghetti with meat sauce accompanied by a salad and whole-grain Italian bread with olive or canola oil spread plus low-fat milk is a perfect recovery meal.
Keep healthy snacks handy — fresh fruit; veggies and hummus; low-fat cheese and yogurt; and low-fat microwave popcorn.

Carbs Are King

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel for an athlete. Carbs are stored as fuel inside muscles and athletes need full carbohydrate stores before activity. Carbs are also needed after a workout to get ready for the next day’s events. Carbs are the only fuel that can be used for power moves — a slam dunk, a sprint to the goal line or an overhead smash all need carbohydrates.

Eat a light snack before practice (especially if your teen has an early lunch period), such as half of a turkey sandwich or an orange and string cheese, along with 1 to 2 cups of water.
After practice or a game, refuel with a sports drink or low-fat chocolate milk, a banana and a handful of trail mix.
Build Muscle with Protein from Foods

Eat real food and shun expensive protein supplements. Muscles can get all the protein they need from foods!

Lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt are high-quality protein sources.
Tofu, beans and lentils are good sources of protein.
Include some protein in every meal to help muscles recover.
Pack Snacks

Active teens need snacks to boost calories. Here some backpack-friendly snacks:

Sports drinks or juice boxes
Trail mix
Peanut butter crackers
Granola bars
Fig bars

Sources: Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RDN, CSSD at www.eatright.org/

Posted in GVAHA News