The Importance of Being a Healthy Athlete

"The Score: Austin Sports Blog - AustinChronicle.com." Austin News, Events, Restaurants, Music - AustinChronicle.com. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Sports/Blogs/index.html/parentTopic/blogID445923/page2/>.

Being a teen athlete means eating a healthy diet. Active teens need good nutrition to perform at their peak. It does not mean drinking special sport drinks, eating protein bars, and loading on carbohydrates. Having a balanced diet can be easy. Eating right will help maintain a healthy weight, energy for sports, and may also contribute to your emotional outputs on life. Being an athlete and a teen means you are burning calories at a high rate. A teenager's body grows rapidly, and with the extra energy output of sports teens need the right food. If amount of nutrients is lacked in an active teens diet, it may lead to growth problems and health risks. Most active needs need about 2,000 to 5,000 total calories per day fulfill the energy needs. To be able to perform your best, you need to eat the right amount and kinds of food.

Recommended Caloric Intake

Volume, By. "Weighing Food Portions | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/262097-weighing-food-portions />.

What will Happen If an Athlete Consumes too many Calories?

         Like any average person, if you eat too much food or take in too many calories then you will gain weight.  The same thing happens with athletes!

What will Happen If an Athlete doesn’t Consume enough Calories?

         Not eating enough is very dangerous especially for athletes. The athlete’s performance level will drop due to not enough energy.  It can also lead to passing out and create concussions.  Some research shows that after not eating, your body starts to eat away the lining of your stomach, wears down the muscle, and uses the fat stored away trying to get as much energy as possible.

"The Correct Nutrition and Diet for Athletes. Part 1: Conventional Advice - Second Opinions, UK." Online Nutritional Information and Nutritional Facts — Second Opinions, UK. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/athletic_diet.html>.

Carbohydrates

 "Ready, Set, Go: Healthy Eating for Active Teens." Kraftcanada.com. Web. Dec.-Jan. 2010. <http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/healthy-living-ideas/NutritionUpdate/clientresources/ReadySet.aspx>.

Carbohydrates are the main sources of fuel for an active body. It is recommended that 60-65% of your calories should be from carbohydrates. Also, 6-11 portions of your diet should include different types of food that are high with carbs. Carbohydrates should be a big part of an athlete's daily diet.

            Teen athletes need an excessive amount of energy and fuel. The fuel that is stored is used for energy for the brain and muscle. Active teens should eat a high carbohydrate meal 3-4 hours before vigorous activity. The general types of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, and grains. Whole grain is highly recommended to provide energy and fiber. Brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain pasta, and whole-wheat bread are some types of whole grain foods. Although carbohydrates are a big part of a active teens diet, not all carbohydrates are recommended. Choices like types of candy bars and soda are not favored in the healthy diet. Although these candy and soda does give you energy, it does not contain the nutrients needed. These unhealthy types of carbohydrates gives you bursts of energy and then "crashes" your body.

            Some people may think that loading up on carbs is a great source of fuels for active teens. This is untrue. Although carbohydrates are a big part of an athlete's diet, loading up on one nutrient is not the healthiest choice for teens. Your body can only hold a certain amount of carbohydrates. The extra fuel turns into fat, which is not always the favored case for an athlete.

            Teens need fuel and energy to grow, and teen athletes need more fuel and energy to grown and to last through vigorous activities. Carbohydrates are a vital part of a athlete's diet. Although, not all are recommended.

- "Carbohydrates." Full Issue. 07 Dec. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.fullissue.com/index.php/carbohydrates.html>.

- "Healthy Eating For A Teenage Athlete | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM  Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/74741-eating-teenage-athlete/>.

Protein

"Protein Foods for Weight Loss and Muscle Building - Topeka Diet and Exercise | Examiner.com." Detroit News, Detroit Information, Detroit Events - Examiner.com | Examiner.com. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.examiner.com/diet-and-exercise-in-topeka/protein-foods-for-weight-loss-and-muscle-building>.

          Many athletes believe they that need a high protein diet to fuel their muscles. But most research doesn't support the idea that athletes require massive amounts of protein in their diets. To find how much protein a growing athlete would need, you would multiply your weight by 0.4. 

            These protein needs are easily fulfilled without needing to use protein supplementations if energy intake is adequate to maintain body weight.  You can get good sources of protein from eggs, beef, chicken, turkey, fish, cheese, milk, yogurt, nuts, soy and vegetables such as lentils, baked beans, black beans and kidney beans at each meal. The protein in these foods act as a base for carbohydrate energy so that meals will sustain you longer. Also, eating protein at each meal will help stabilize blood sugars and improve satisfaction. 

            Research shows that you don’t need excessive amounts of protein but an adequate amount to build and repair muscle tissue, produce hormones, boost your immune system and replace red blood cells.  Researchers have also found that high protein/high fat diets can hurt the athlete’s performance.

Fats

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I know that when you hear the word 'fat, ' you probably automatically think of obese people or that fat is bad, but in reality it's not bad. I mean it isn't healthy for you to be overweight, but you need fat to survive. Teenagers need extra calories to fulfill their physical performance and their growth. If you don't get the right amount or enough calories, it will affect your physical performance and growth. So when you see fat, you try to avoid it. Don't. Fat is energy that lasts longer than other nutrients do. By that I mean that your body can store up fats longer than carbohydrates or protein.

There is such thing as good fats like unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats help blood cholesterol and other things and they are usually found in foods from plants, nuts, and seeds.  There are healthy fats too like nuts, fish, and avocados. Now, the fat that you should stay away from is trans fat.

Fats should make up about 25-35 percent of a teen athletes diet each day. 

Here is a video of Dr. John Whyte explaining the differences between good fats and bad fats: How Fats Work

(Click on "How Fats Work." Scroll down to the bottom for the video.)
"Healthy Eating For A Teenage Athlete." L I V E S T R O N G. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
     Nov. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/
     74741-eating-teenage-athlete/#ixzz17P606da4>.

"A Guide to Eating for Sports." Kids health. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.
     <http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/eatnrun.html>.

Hydration

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Athletes need appropriate amount of hydration to perform at their maximum potential so being hydrated and drinking water is very crucial. Water is one of the most important nutrients. Without it you can become dehydrated. There is no real specific amount or amount of water you should drink per day. It just depends on your body's needs, but many nutritionists recommend 6-8 glasses of water per day. Dehydration can cause inadequate performance, weakness, muscle cramps and can also lead too much more serious conditions like organ failure and heat stroke. During exercise it's very easy to become even the slightest bit dehydrated. When you sweat, you get rid of a lot of water in your body. Your body uses that water to keep you hydrated and energized, but once it all goes away you need to refill your body once again. If you don't refill your body, you can become dehydrated.

Hydration can be met by more than just drinking water alone. Sports drinks aren't any better for you than water is, but they do help a lot more if you are working out for more than 1-1½ hours. Sports drinks have carbohydrates in them, which give you more energy to perform at your best.

            Although you can drink other drinks other than water, caffeine is the kind of drink you want to stay away from. It's not considerably bad for you, but too much can make you feel anxious, nervous, or tense. Sometimes it can make you have a hard time sleeping too, which blocks you from performing at your maximum potential. For some sports, it's okay to drink a little caffeine for some extra umph!

"Proper Hydration for Athletes." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2010.
     <http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa011599a.htm>.

3 Day Meal Plan

"Diabetic Food Guide Pyramid." Diabetic Diet Plan for Diabetes. Web. 07 Dec. 2010. <http://www.diabetesdiabeticdiet.com/food_pyramid.htm>.

Day one

Breakfast

-Oatmeal (2 serving)

-Assorted fruits (1 ½ servings)

- Milk (1 full glass)

Lunch

-Taco Salad (2 servings)

-Orange juice (1 carton)

-Power Bar (1 power bar)

Snack

-Almonds (1 serving)

-Yogurt (1 ½ serving)

Dinner

-Spaghetti and meatballs (3 servings)

-Water (2 full glass)

-Soy Beans (1 ½ serving)


Desert
- Scoop of vanilla ice cream (1 serving)

Day Two

Breakfast

-Cereal (1 ½ servings)

-Toast w/ butter (2 toasts)

-Lemonade (3/4 full cup)

Lunch

-Salad (3 servings)

-Turkey Sandwich with avocado (6inch)

-Water (1 full glass)

Snacks

- Blueberry muffin (2 servings)

- Orange slices (2 servings)

Dinner

- Salmon (2 servings)

- Brown Rice (1 ½ servings)

- Asparagus and corn (2 servings)

- Water (2 glass full)

Desert
- Baked apple pie (1 1/2 servings)

Day Three

Breakfast

-Berry Banana Smoothie (1 full glass)

-Bagel with strawberry cream cheese (2 servings)

Lunch

-Bean Burrito (2 servings)

-Spanish Rice (1 servings)

-POG (1 carton)

Snack

- Ants on a log—Peanut Butter, celery, raisins (2 servings)

- Strawberries (3)

- Tea (2 severing)

Dinner

-Shrimp Scampi (4 servings)

-Corn on the cob (1cob)

-Soy Milk (1 glass full)


Desert
- Oatmeal cookies (3 pieces)