Eat Extra for Excellence
There's a lot more to eating for sports than chowing down on
carbs or chugging sports drinks. The good news is that eating to
reach your peak performance level likely doesn't require a
special diet or supplements. It's all about working the right
foods into your fitness plan in the right amounts.
Teen athletes have unique nutrition needs. Because athletes work
out more than their less-active peers, they generally need extra
calories to fuel both their sports performance
and
their growth. Depending on how active they are, teen athletes may
need anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 total calories per day to meet
their energy needs.
So what happens if teen athletes don't eat enough? Their
bodies are less likely to achieve peak performance and may even
break down rather than build up muscles. Athletes who don't
take in enough calories every day won't be as fast and as
strong as they could be and may not be able to maintain their
weight. And extreme calorie restriction could lead to growth
problems and other serious health risks for both girls and
guys.
Athletes and Dieting
Since teen athletes need extra fuel, it's usually a bad idea
to diet. Athletes in sports where weight is emphasized - such
as wrestling, swimming, dance, or gymnastics - might feel
pressure to lose weight, but they need to weigh that choice with
the possible negative side effects mentioned above.
If a coach, gym teacher, or teammate says that you need to go on
a diet, talk to your doctor first or visit a dietitian who
specializes in teen athletes. If a health professional you trust
agrees that it's safe to diet, he or she can work with you to
develop a plan that allows you get the proper amount of nutrients,
perform your best, and lose weight.
Eat a Variety of Foods
You may have heard about "carb loading" before a game.
But when it comes to powering your game for the long haul, it's
a bad idea to focus on only one type of food.
Carbohydrates are an important source of fuel, but they're
only one
of many foods an athlete needs. It also takes vitamins, minerals,
protein, and fats to stay in peak playing shape.
Muscular Minerals and Vital Vitamins
Calcium helps build the strong bones that athletes depend on,
and iron carries oxygen to muscles. Most teens don't get enough
of these minerals, and that's especially true of teen athletes
because their needs may be even higher than those of other
teens.
To get the iron you need, eat lean red meats (meats with not
much fat on them); green, leafy vegetables; and iron-fortified
cereals. Calcium - a must for protecting against stress fractures -
is found in dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and
cheese.
In addition to calcium and iron, you need a whole bunch of other
vitamins and minerals that do everything from help you access
energy to keep you from getting sick. Eating a balanced diet,
including lots of different fruits and veggies, should provide the
vitamins and minerals needed for good health and sports
performance.
Protein Power
Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most
teen athletes get plenty of protein through regular eating.
It's a myth that athletes need a huge daily intake of protein
to build large, strong muscles. Muscle growth comes from regular
training and hard work. And taking in too much protein can actually
harm the body, causing dehydration, calcium loss, and even kidney
problems.
Good sources of protein are fish, lean meats and poultry, eggs,
dairy, nuts, soy, and peanut butter.
Carb Charge
Carbohydrates provide athletes with an excellent source of fuel.
Cutting back on carbs or following low-carb diets isn't a good
idea for athletes because restricting carbohydrates can cause a
person to feel tired and worn out, which ultimately affects
performance.
Good sources of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, and
grains. Choose whole grains (such as brown rice, oatmeal,
whole-wheat bread) more often than their more processed
counterparts like white rice and white bread. That's because
whole grains provide both the energy athletes need to perform and
the fiber and other nutrients they need to be healthy.
Sugary carbs such as candy bars or sodas are less healthy for
athletes because they don't contain any of the other nutrients
you need. In addition, eating candy bars or other sugary snacks
just before practice or competition can give athletes a quick burst
of energy and then leave them to "crash" or run out of
energy before they've finished working out.
Fat Fuel
Everyone needs a certain amount of fat each day, and this is
particularly true for athletes. That's because active muscles
quickly burn through carbs and need fats for long-lasting energy.
Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Experts advise athletes
to concentrate on healthier fats, such as the unsaturated fat found
in most vegetable oils.
Choosing when to eat fats is also important for athletes. Fatty
foods can slow digestion, so it's a good idea to avoid eating
these foods for a few hours before and after exercising.
Shun Supplements
Protein and
energy bars
don't do a whole lot of good, but they won't really do you
much harm either. But other types of
supplements
can really do some damage.
Anabolic
steroids
can seriously mess with a person's hormones, causing side
effects like testicular shrinkage and baldness in guys and facial
hair growth in girls. Steroids can cause mental health problems,
including depression and serious mood swings.
Some supplements contain hormones that are related to
testosterone (such as dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA for short).
These supplements can have similar side effects to anabolic
steroids. Other sports supplements (like creatine, for example)
have not been tested in people younger than 18. So the risks of
taking them are not yet known.
Salt tablets are another supplement to watch out for. People
take them to avoid dehydration, but salt tablets can actually lead
to dehydration. In large amounts, salt can cause nausea, vomiting,
cramps, and diarrhea and may damage the lining of the stomach. In
general, you are better off drinking fluids in order to maintain
hydration. Any salt you lose in sweat can usually be made up with
sports drinks or food eaten after exercise.
Ditch Dehydration
Speaking of
dehydration
,
water
is just as important to unlocking your game power as food. When you
sweat during exercise, it's easy to become overheated,
headachy, and worn out - especially in hot or humid weather. Even
mild dehydration can affect an athlete's physical and mental
performance.
There's no one-size-fits-all formula for how much water to
drink. How much fluid each person needs depends on the
individual's age, size, level of physical activity, and
environmental temperature.
Experts recommend that athletes drink before and after exercise
as well as every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. Don't wait
until you feel thirsty, because thirst is a sign that your body has
needed liquids for a while. But don't force yourself to drink
more fluids than you may need either. It's hard to run when
there's a lot of water sloshing around in your stomach!
If you like the taste of sports drinks better than regular
water, then it's OK to drink them. But it's important to
know that a sports drink is really no better for you than
water unless you are exercising for more than 60 to 90 minutes or
in really hot weather. The additional carbohydrates and
electrolytes may improve performance in these conditions, but
otherwise your body will do just as well with water.
Avoid drinking carbonated drinks or juice because they could
give you a stomachache while you're competing.
Caffeine
Caffeine
is a diuretic, meaning it causes a person to urinate (pee) more.
It's not clear whether this causes dehydration or not, but to
be safe, it's wise to stay away from too much caffeine if
you'll be exercising in hot weather.
Although some studies have found that caffeine may help with
endurance sports performance, it's good to weigh any benefits
against potential problems. Too much caffeine can leave an athlete
feeling anxious or jittery. It can also cause trouble sleeping. All
of these can drag down a person's sports performance. Plus,
taking certain medications - including supplements - can make
caffeine's side effects seem even worse.
Game-Day Eats
Most of your body's energy on game day will come from the
foods you've eaten over the past several days. But you can
boost your performance even more by paying attention to the food
you eat on game day. Strive for a game-day diet rich in
carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat.
Here are some guidelines on what to eat and when:
-
Eat a meal 2 to 4 hours before the game or
event:
Choose a protein and carbohydrate meal (like a turkey or chicken
sandwich, cereal and milk, chicken noodle soup and yogurt, or
pasta with tomato sauce).
-
Eat a snack less than 2 hours before the game:
If you haven't had time to have a pre-game meal, be sure to
have a light snack such as low-fiber fruits or vegetables (like
plums, melons, cherries, carrots), crackers, a bagel, or low-fat
yogurt.
Consider not eating anything for the hour before you
compete or have practice because digestion requires energy - energy
that you want to use to win. Also, eating too soon before any kind
of activity can leave food in the stomach, making you feel full,
bloated, crampy, and sick.
Everyone is different, so get to know what works best for you.
You may want to experiment with meal timing and how much to eat on
practice days so that you're better prepared for game day.
Want to get an eating plan personalized for you? The U.S.
government has developed a website, MyPyramid, that tells a person
how much to eat from different food groups based on age, gender,
and activity level.
Reviewed by:
Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: November 2008
Originally reviewed by:
Jessica Donze Black, RD, CDE, MPH
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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