Performance Nutrition Guidelines for Student Athletes
CARBOHYDRATE Rankings
National Championship Choices
Beans: Green, Black, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto
Green Leafy Vegetables: Broccoli, Spinach, and Green, Red, and Yellow Peppers
Citrus Fruits and Juices: Oranges, Grapefruits, and Tangerines
Fruits and Berries: Bananas, Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Kiwis, and Cantaloupe
Conference Championship Choices
Whole Grains: Whole Grain Cereals (Oatmeal-Total-Kashi-Raisin Bran-Cheerios-Shredded Wheat-Grapenuts), Whole Grain Brown Rice, Whole Grain Pastas, 100% Whole Wheat Bagels, and 100% Whole Wheat Breads.
Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce: Fresh Tomatoes (Roma-Cherry) Tomato Sauces
Starchy Vegetables: Peas, Carrots, Corn, Squash, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes
Fruits: Peaches, Plums, Grapes, Apples, Pears, dried fruit
Grains: Whole Grain Pastas, Whole Grain Tortillas, Whole Grain Pita Bread, Air Popped Popcorn,
Average Choices
Sweets: Cookies, Candy, Doughnuts, Pastries, and Ice Cream
Sweetened Cereals: Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, (Kid’s Cereals)
Simple Starches: French Fries, White Breads, White Pastas
PROTEIN/FAT Rankings
National Championship Choices
Poultry: Grilled Skinless Chicken Breasts, Roasted Chicken, and Turkey Breast.
Grilled or Baked Fish: Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Herring, Mackerel, Swordfish, Blue Fish
Non-Fat Dairy Products: Skim Milk, Non-Fat Yogurt, Greek Yogurt
Beans: Green, Black, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto
Eggs: Whole Eggs, Egg Whites
Conference Championship Choices
Lean Beef: Flank Steak, Sirloin Steak, Lean Roast Beef, Lean Ground Beef
Nuts: Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans
Low Fat Dairy: 2% Milk, Yogurt, and reduced Fat Cheeses
Lean Pork and Ham: must be 85% lean deli cuts, or baked and trimmed chops or slices
Recovery Shakes/Meal Replacement Shakes / Bars: FSI Nutrition Recovery Shakes and Bars, Whey Protein with Oats
Peanut Butter: All Natural Peanut Butter
Average Choices
Fried Meats: Hamburgers, Bacon, Chicken, Fish, Turkey, Ham, etc…
Processed Meats: Hot Dogs, Sausages, Bratwurst, Salami, Bologna
Breaded Meats: Chicken or Fish
Fatty Beef: Ground Beef, Ground Chuck, Ribeye Steaks
The Top 10 Nutritional Mistakes Athletes Make
- Missing Breakfast. When you skip breakfast, you make up for it later most likely by giving into eating foods that are not as healthy. Jump start your metabolism by eating first thing in the morning.
- Not eating before training, practice, or competition. Your body needs fuel to perform at its best. Eat anything high in complex carbohydrates, and low in fat.
- Waiting too long after a workout to eat. Drink a recovery shake (whey protein and carbohydrates) immediately after training, and then eat a smaller meal within the next hour. Doing this will aid in your body’s ability to recover faster from your workout.
- Having a protein bar or shake INSTEAD of food. These items are called meal supplements for a reason. Whole healthy foods are preferred to meal replacement bars or shakes. Use these meal replacements when whole meals, are not available.
- Trusting Labels. Do not believe everything you read, especially when it comes to supplements. The supplement industry is largely unregulated. Speak with your strength coach or athletic trainer before you believe anything told to you at a supplement store.
- Not consuming enough calories for your activity level. Be sure that you are eating enough to fuel your activities
- Thinking training is a free pass to pig out on junk food / fast food. You should be planning a healthy diet around your training. Watch what you eat or all of your hard work will show no improvement.
- Not enough hydration. Dehydration is never good, especially if the weather is hot. Be sure to drink before, during, and after your workout.
- Jumping on the latest fad diet. You cannot gain good weight in three days, and you cannot lose good weight that fast either. Stick with the basics, and be patient.
- Eating too much protein, and not enough carbohydrates. Remember that eating a lot of protein does not automatically build muscle. You need carbohydrates for energy to work hard enough to breakdown muscle, THEN protein and even more carbohydrates for muscle recovery and repair.
5 Tips for Athletes to Gain Quality Weight
- Increase calories. You will not be able to gain weight if you do not increase your calorie intake. Increase your calories by increasing the caloric density of the foods you eat and how frequently you eat.
- Eat calorie-dense foods. Gaining weight requires you to choose foods that are high in calories. Adding peanut butter, olive oil, and avocado to meals and drinking more milk are easy ways to add calories to your diet.
3.Eat monounsaturated fats. Fats contain nine calories per gram and are very dense. While you want limit your consumption of saturated and trans fats, monounsaturated fats are much healthier and will add more calories to your meals.
4.Eat frequently. Ideally we would like to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals a day. If your goal is to gain weight we want to make each of these meals a little more substantial. Eating often is a great way to increase your total calories intake.
5.Get proper sleep. Sleeping is essential when it comes to gaining weight. The majority of our muscle repair and growth comes while we are recovery from our workouts during sleep. High performance athletes should aim for 8-10 hours of sleep per night, regardless of weight gain/loss goals.
5 Tips for Athletes
to Lose Weight
- Never skip breakfast. Studies have shown people who skip breakfast end up consuming more calories throughout the day. Eating breakfast first thing in the morning will jump start your metabolism and give you fuel to start your day.
- Drink more water. When people feel dehydrated they often mistake their bodies craving for water as a craving for food. Drinking more water will help you feel full longer after meals. The process of burning calories requires water so being hydrated will help your workouts burn more fat.
- Avoid starchy foods. Starchy carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates and sugars that have a high Glycemic Index (GI) are digested very quickly and if not used immediately will be stored away as fat. Carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes, and vegetables take long to digest and will be used as fuel slowly as they digest. These will also help us feel full longer than high GI carbohydrates which will not fuel us as long.
- Eat frequently. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help our bodies to never go into a “starvation” mode and try and store more calories away as fat for fuel between our meals. Eating these smaller meals will help us to stay constantly fueled and not tempted to eat fast food/sweets when we are on the go or short on time. Prepare your meals!
- Interval running. While long slow distance (LSD) running does have many positive effects, more recent research shows it may not be the most efficient way to burn calories. Doing interval sprints on a treadmill, track, or even bike you are able to burn more calories in less time making this a much more effective use of your time. This will also train your energy systems in a more sport specific manner than LSD.
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Dixie State Strength & Conditioning
Performance Nutrition Principles
NCAA Banned Substance List
- Meet Your Energy Needs
As an athlete you get the energy you need to perform from calories in food. Therefore, you can use the word calorie and energy interchangeably. You are constantly burning calories and energy at practices and workouts. As a result, eating enough calories to keep up can be very difficult.
Some of you will fit into a weight gain or weight loss category. In order to gain weight you must consume more calories than you burn each day. This can be very difficult, especially, if you are extremely active and have a high metabolism. As a result you may need to employ some different nutritional methods to consume enough calories to build muscle and gain weight.
- Hydration
Hydration affects your body in a number of different ways. Dehydration can hinder your performance, leaving you feeling fatigued, and limit your recovery from exercise. A good rule of thumb is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces each day. For the 185lb. athlete that is 185/2 = 92-93 ounces each day. Most bottles of water are sold is 20oz. bottles. This means you need to consume roughly 5, 20oz. bottles each day.
It’s important that the majority of these fluids come in the form of water rather than soda, fruit punch, Hi-C, and even Gatorade. Gatorade is a sports drink designed for practices or training that lasts longer than 90 minutes in duration. There-fore, Gatorade should be consumed during long practices and workouts and water should be consumed throughout the day at meals and snacks. There is however, one exception to this rule. If you struggle to gain weight you may need to consume more calories during meals and Gatorade can provide some of these additional calories.
- Eat Constantly 5-6 Smaller Meals Each Day
An important part of eating right is developing a regular, consistent eating plan. The meal card provided will be a great starting point. It will guide you throughout your day telling you what and when to eat. You want to avoid going long periods of time without eating and try to eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours. This will aid muscle recovery and improve your body composition. You should try to get a good source of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in at each meal or snack.
- Pre-Re Fueling
Proper nutrient timing is essential for restoring the fuel stores in your muscles and starting the recovery process from training. It’s important to plan meals and snacks around your workout and practice times. Try to eat something 1-2 hours before training and within 45 minutes after exercise. This will pay big dividends for your body allowing you to recovery faster, and maximize your development of speed, strength, and power.
- Consume a Balanced and Varied Diet
You need all foods. Each particular food group provides important nutrients for you both in terms of development and recovery. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds provide key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Breads, grains, cereals, pasta, and starchy vegetables provide key carbohydrates needed during training, practice, and competition. Lean meats, dairy products, and beans provide the protein and amino acids needed by muscle for recovery and rebuilding. As you plan what foods to eat at meals and snacks you should think about incorporating 3 Steps. Step 1 being fruits and vegetables, Step 2 Carbohydrates, and Step 3 Lean proteins. Building your meals around these three steps will ensure that you are getting the nutrients your body needs to maximize your performance.
- Food First Supplementation
Supplements only compliment a healthy and well planned diet. There are thousands of supplements available on the market; however, there are very few high quality products that we recommend. Please check with me prior to taking any type of sports supplement. Also, remember that food is the foundation and supplements only compliment a solid diet.
Hydration
Water makes up 60% of your bodyweight. The highest concentration of water can be found in the muscle. This is usually what causes people to replace the fluids in their body. This is triggered when, for example, your body detects a high concentration of sodium in the blood. Athletes need to learn how to replace fluids before their thirst mechanism kicks in. Drink water, even if you are not thirsty, if your thirst mechanism kicks in, you may already be in the early phases of dehydration. Exercise causes athletes to sweat, removing water from the blood. By the time you feel thirsty; you have already lost up to 1% of your body weight. It only takes a 3% loss before your athletic performance begins to suffer. A loss greater than 6% is dangerous and can lead to heat stroke. Athletes need to drink enough to quench their thirst and then drink some more! Some of the negative effects of not drinking enough water are:
-Increased Heart Rate
-Reduced cardiac output (the amount of blood your heart can pump out at a time)
-Decreased muscular endurance
-Increased core body temperature (makes your body work harder and fatigue easier)
-Muscle cramping
-Decreased balance
-Reduced strength and power
-Heat exhaustion
-Heat Stroke
You may wonder how you can tell if you are not drinking enough fluids throughout the day. The easiest way to tell is by the color of your urine. If your urine is dark and strong smelling, it is a good indicator that your fluid intake is too low. If your urine is pale yellow or colorless, and there is large volume, your body is getting enough fluid.
Water does not only keep you sweating, it also carries blood and nutrients to muscles and keeps lactic acid, and carbon dioxide out of the muscles. Athletes that are dehydrated stay sore longer. You need water to flush all the “junk”, like lactic acid, out of your muscles. It also lubricates your joints and cushions your organs and tissues. Many athletes are constantly trying to gain muscle. Please know that a hydrated muscle has increased protein synthesis (muscle building) capabilities.
You must create a ideal plan when it comes to hydration. Many athletes probably do not think about hydration at all except when they are thirsty. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET! Think about the following when you wake up tomorrow.
-Try to drink 16-32 ounces of water immediately when you wake up in the morning.
-Drink 16 ounces of water 2-3 hours prior to your training session or competition.
- Drink 8 ounces of water 10-20 minutes before your training session or competition.
- Stay hydrated during training or competition by drinking whenever possible.
-After training or your competition, rehydrate your body within 2 hours following completion of the session.
Eat Constantly throughout the Day
BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY!! How many times have you heard this? After a full nights rest your body is busy repairing all the damage done to it that day. When you wake, you wake with an empty stomach. You need to refuel your body to perform all day, and that starts by eating within an hour of waking.
Breakfast should usually be around 500 calories made up of high carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low fat combinations.
Athletes have many excuses for not eating breakfast. For every excuse, there is an even better reason to eat breakfast! First and foremost, your brain needs glucose to function. It will either use carbohydrates from a rich breakfast or your body will produce it from protein. Along with Lunch and Dinner, make sure you are getting plenty of snacks in between your main meals.
SNACKS
You, as an athlete, require more calories to function and perform each day than the average, non exercising person. If this energy (calories) is not replaced through liquid and food, your next training session may suffer. Your busy school and practice schedule may not allow enough time for you to get enough calories or nutrients in your day by eating only three meals a day. Incorporating snacks into your day can fix this problem by providing missing nutrients without taking a lot of time to prepare meals, or sit down and eat.
Eating a snack before you train or practice will provide the energy you need to complete your session. Eating a snack after working out will help your body replenish what was lost during the training session.
As highly trained athletes you should avoid eating high fat, high sugar snacks. For example, doughnuts, chips, cookies, candy bars, or soda pop may sound really good when you let yourself get really hungry. This is because you have allowed your blood sugar levels to get too low. These foods have low nutrient values and will not allow you to sustain your energy throughout practice or competition. High fat foods may cause you to have stomach distress while high sugar foods may cause your blood sugar to drop quickly. Instead choose snacks with a blend of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Your snack should equal roughly 300 calories. This size will keep you from getting hungry in an hour or two.
When you choose the right snacks, they will help satisfy your appetite and limit overeating at meal times. Snacks will help maintain blood sugar levels, and make sure you have energy all day.
Healthy Snack Choices
Greek Yogurt Vegetables
Fresh Fruit Cottage Cheese
Celery & Peanut Butter Cheese & Crackers
Trail Mix Nuts
Hard Boiled Eggs Low-Fat Granola Bars
Protein Shakes/Bars Meal Replacement Bars
Baked Potatoes String Cheese
Apple or Banana & Peanut Butter Deli Sandwich
Dried Fruit Skim Milk & Fruit
Pre-Re Fueling / Meal Timing
EVERYDAY
NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST! It is so important to give your body something to jump start it in the morning. THE SOONER THE BETTER! Let’s say you eat breakfast at 7am. You want to plan on having a snack no more than 3 hours after breakfast, or 10am. If you know you will be in class, bring a nutrition bar, or a shake. You can throw it in your bag and carry it with you. Do not forget WATER!
At 1pm it is time for lunch. Make sure you give yourself enough time to digest your food before training or practice. Only you know what works for you before practice. Try to eat as close to practice as you can to keep your energy up. Aim for about 500 calories in this meal. A good choice may be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The combination of fat, protein, and carbohydrates helps keep you full through a long practice.
As soon as practice is over, it is time to get something in your stomach. If you know you will not be able to eat within 15-30 minutes, eat a snack or a shake to help your body start the recovery shake. If you are going to eat right after training or practice, choose a well balanced meal.
A bedtime snack is a good idea. Many athletes feel that they are not allowed to eat anything past 7pm. If you are hungry, eat a snack! You can never go wrong with fruit and vegetables, or a higher protein shake with milk.
COMPETITION
Competition day may be slightly different. Make sure you have a carbohydrate rich meal before competition. We will aim to have our pre-game meal 3 hours before competition begins. This will give you plenty of time to digest the meal. Carbohydrate rich meals are best, because the body absorbs and digests them faster than protein or fat. A high protein and or fat meal may make you feel heavy or lethargic after you eat.
If you get really nervous before competition, it may be very hard for you to eat beforehand. You still need to eat something! You might have to experiment with foods that sit well with you to find something that works. A carbohydrate/protein drink may be a good choice. Sports drinks, like Gatorade may be helpful for you during competition as well. You should also consume extra calories the day before to help fuel your body.
Do not forget you should be drinking water all day whether you have competition or just a day of practice. The more hydrated you are, the better you will perform.
During longer competitions, it is good to refuel during halftime, between events, and or between games. You should pack your favorite snacks in your competition bag. Some good choices include bananas, sports drinks, oranges, bagels, and trail mix. 8-Ball recovery bars are also a good choice.
RECOVERY
What you eat after training, practice, or competition is as important as what you eat before and during competition. The day after a game or competition, many athletes feel tired, sore, and stiff. What they do not know is that by eating better they can minimize those feelings and recover faster. When you train every day, sometimes twice, you need to choose foods that will prevent chronic fatigue and help you perform at your highest level throughout the season.
FLUIDS
The most important thing after a hard training session or practice/competition is to replace the fluids you have lost. Ideally, you should already be 80% re-hydrated due to constant fluid replacement during the event. Some good choices for these times are juices, which supply water, carbohydrates, vitamins, and potassium. Other choices include sports drinks, watery foods like watermelon, grapes, or soups. You can find out how much fluid you need to consume by weighing yourself before and after training.
CARBOHYDRATES
We have previously talked about the 15-30 minute window after training that is optimal time to consume carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores. The best time is 15 minutes after your workout. During this time, enzymes responsible for making glycogen are most active and will replace the exhausted glycogen stores at the fastest rate.
PROTEIN
Mixing protein with carbohydrates after training is a very good idea. Recent research has shown that this combination could be more beneficial than just consuming carbohydrates alone due to the increased ability of the body to rapidly restore glycogen stores using this mixture. Protein also stimulates insulin release which helps bring glucose to the cells. The amino acids from protein will help in the process of building and repairing muscle.
ELECTROLYTES
When you sweat, you lose potassium, sodium (salt), and water. Salt is probably the most important because it regulates your thirst. When you drink a lot of water, the salt is diluted and your thirst goes away. It also keeps your blood volume high which is important in sustaining athletic performance. You can easily replenish these if you consume the right foods after working out. You do not need potassium supplements or salt tablets. Listen to your body, when training in the heat your body may crave salt. This is your body telling you it needs some salt. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
Consume a Balanced and Varied Diet
Carbohydrate
Simplest definition: Potential energy. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source for basic functions and intense training. Carbohydrates provide four calories per gram of carbohydrate consumed. Carbohydrates should supply the majority of your total calories each day. Carbohydrates can be either simple or complex and will affect your energy levels and performance differently depending on the amount eaten, and how much fiber and fat they provide. This proportion of nutrients and the effect it has on your overall blood sugar content is known as the Glycemic Index (GI) of food. Foods with a high GI will lead to a rapid spike in your energy levels followed by a drastic decline. Whereas, food with a lower GI will provide a more steady supply of energy which can improve your performance in practice and competition by sustaining your energy levels.
Protein
Simplest definition: Muscle. Protein is a combination of individual pieces of amino acids that unite to form one functional unit of fiber that will contribute to assembling all individual strands of muscle. Protein can supply energy if carbohydrates or fats are not available, but it is the last resort of fuel for your body. Protein can provide four calories per gram if necessary. Adequate protein intake in your diet is critical to the recovery process following training, especially strength training.
Fat
Simplest definition: Stored energy. Fat is the largest and most efficient fuel source available to your body. Fat is an essential nutrient in your diet and also helps provide a feeling of satisfaction after a meal. The reserve supply and compliment to carbohydrates, fat provides nine calories per gram. Your body will strive to protect a specific amount of fat stores based on your individual genetics.
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