LIVE WELL is published as a community service for the residents of the service area of Grundy County Memorial Hospital, 201 East J Ave., Grundy Center, IA 50638, grundycountyhospital.org, 319-824-5421 Standard U.S. Postage PAID Grundy County Memorial Hospital 201 E. J Ave. Grundy Center, IA 50638 2022 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in LIVE WELL comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. AdamScherling Administrator Keely Harken Communication & Foundation ProgramManager Kelly Jans Community Outreach Specialist Crystal Petersen Wellness ProgramManager Crystal Petersen, RDN, LD The first piece of advice I give to parents who ask me about the importance of food for athletic performance: Don’t wait until the day of the meet or game to think about how to fuel! Eating smart every day is the best method for top-notch performance, no matter the sport. While nutrition cannot take the place of training and adequate sleep for young athletes, inadequate nutrition and poor timing of meals can undermine hard work and training. I recommend that athletes—and their families—get into a reliable rhythm of feeding for fueling and recovering from training, workout days, games and races. Don’t skip breakfast or lunch Prevent low energy levels later in the day by eating breakfast. Breakfast is an important opportunity to get some critical nutrients in the body, like calcium, potassium, protein, carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins. Hydration for the day also starts with breakfast. Use MyPlate* as a guide for choosing whole grains, fruits and veggies, dairy, and protein. For morning sporting events, make this meal about three hours before the event and keep it on the lowfat side to prevent an upset stomach. At lunch, athletes should load up— but not overeat—on foods from all food groups. Skipping lunch is a lost opportunity for energy replacement and muscle repair and recovery. Refuel and drink up A light snack is tolerated by most young athletes up to 30 or 60 minutes before their event. While hydration occurs from foods consumed during meals, drinking water throughout the day is a must. Athletes should be hydrated two to four hours prior to the activity and then do their best to drink 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes during the activity. Water is the best choice for staying hydrated while active, but training more than 60 minutes with heavy perspiration may require a sports drink to replace lost electrolytes. Finally, recovery! Practice, workouts and games result in glycogen (energy) loss in muscles, and thesemuscles need recovery. Have a plan to replenish within an hour of finishing a workout, game or race. It takes both a carbohydrate and a protein source to get the rebuilding and repair started. *MyPlate guide may be found at myplate.gov. Student athletes need nutritious fuel Find meal and snack suggestions to fuel your student athlete at unitypoint.org/ grundycounty/ healthy-recipes .aspx or scan this QR code:
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