Athlee and Science in Athlete diet tips and Exercise, 28 9 Football Athleete Arian Foster and mixed Athlete diet tips artist Georges Health are among the athletes who follow the Paleo Diet. The link between good health and good nutrition is well established. Avoid drinking carbonated drinks or juice because they could give you a stomachache while you're training or competing. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise is very important.

Athlete diet tips -

You need to include choices from each of the healthy food groups. However, athletes may need to eat more or less of certain foods, depending upon:.

The amount of food you need depends on your age, height, weight, and sport or activity level. In general, you need to replace the number of calories you burn each day with athletic activity.

Calories measure the energy you get from food. Most people need between 1, and 2, calories a day. For athletes, this number can increase by to 1, more calories.

Talk to your doctor about your nutrition needs. They can help you determine a healthy daily calorie count. Over time, you will learn how to balance your intake and outtake to avoid extreme weight gain or loss.

Athletes need the same vitamins and minerals as everyone else. There are no guidelines for additional nutrients or supplements. To stay healthy, eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet. It should include foods full of calcium, iron, potassium, and fiber.

You also need key vitamins in their diet, such as A, C, and E. Try not to be tempted by junk foods, which are an empty source of calories.

Instead, focus on lean meats, whole grains, and a mixture of fruits and vegetables to fuel your body. For athletes, knowing when to eat is as important as knowing what to eat.

Try to eat a pre-game meal 2 to 4 hours before your event. For a race, this could be dinner the night before. A good pre-game meal is high in complex carbs and low in protein and sugar.

Avoid rich and greasy foods. These can be harder for you to digest and can cause an upset stomach. You may find it helpful to avoid food the hour before a sporting event. This is because digestion uses up energy.

Staying hydrated is the most important thing athletes can do. This is especially true on game day. During a workout, you quickly lose fluid when you sweat.

Thirst is a sign of dehydration. A good rule of thumb is to take a drink at least every 15 to 20 minutes. Water is the best way to rehydrate. For short events under an hour , water can replace what you lose from sweating. For longer events, you may benefit from sports drinks.

They provide electrolytes and carbohydrates. Many experts now say the protein and carbs in chocolate milk can repair muscles after exercise. Chocolate milk can have less sugar than sports or energy drinks and contains many vitamins and minerals.

Avoid drinks that contain caffeine. They can dehydrate you more and cause you to feel anxious or jittery.

Athletes require a lot of energy and nutrients to stay in shape. Because of this, strict diet plans can hurt your ability and be harmful to your health. Without the calories from carbs, fat, and protein, you may not have enough strength.

Not eating enough also can lead to malnutrition. Female athletes can have abnormal menstrual cycles. You increase your risk of osteoporosis, a fragile bone condition caused in part from a lack of calcium. These potential risks are worse in adolescence but still present for adults. Get medical help if you need to lose weight.

Be sure to talk to your doctor before making major nutrition changes. People often overestimate the number of calories they burn when training. Avoid taking in more energy than you expend exercising. Also, avoid exercising on an empty stomach.

Every athlete is different, so consider:. If you need to gain or lose weight to improve performance, it must be done safely. If not, it may do more harm than good. Do not keep your body weight too low, lose weight too quickly, or prevent weight gain in unhealthy ways.

It can have negative health effects. This can lead to poor eating habits with inadequate or excessive intake of certain nutrients. Talk to your family doctor find a diet that is right for your sport, age, gender, and amount of training.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition, Nutrition Resources for Collegiate Athletes. National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Nutrition and athletic performance.

Last Updated: May 9, This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Besides getting the right amount of calories, teen athletes need a variety of nutrients from the foods they eat to keep performing at their best.

These include vitamins and minerals. Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes:. Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most get plenty through a healthy diet.

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. Good sources of protein are fish, lean meats and poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy, and peanut butter.

Carbohydrates are an excellent source of fuel. Cutting back on carbs or following low-carb diets isn't a good idea for athletes.

That's because restricting carbs can make you feel tired and worn out, which can hurt your performance. Good sources of carbs include fruits, vegetables, and grains. Choose whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread more often than processed options like white rice and white bread.

Whole grains provide the energy athletes need and the fiber and other nutrients to keep them healthy. Sugary carbs such as candy bars or sodas don't contain any of the other nutrients you need.

And eating candy bars or other sugary snacks just before practice or competition can give athletes a quick burst of energy, but then leave them to "crash" or run out of energy before they've finished working out.

Everyone needs some fat each day, and this is extra 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. Choose healthier fats, such as the unsaturated fat found in most vegetable oils, fish, and nuts and seeds.

Limit trans fat like partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fat, found in fatty meat and dairy products like whole milk, cheese, and butter. Choosing when to eat fats is also important for athletes.

Fatty foods can slow digestion, so it's a good idea to avoid eating them for a few hours before exercising. Sports supplements promise to improve sports performance. But few have proved to help, and some may do harm.

Anabolic steroids can seriously mess with a person's hormones , causing unwanted 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 related to testosterone, such as DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone. These can have similar side effects to anabolic steroids.

Other sports supplements like creatine have not been tested in people younger than 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 and must be taken with plenty of water.

Too much salt can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea and may damage the stomach lining. In general, you are better off drinking fluids to stay hydrated. Usually, you can make up for any salt lost in sweat with sports drinks or foods you eat before, during, and after exercise.

Speaking of dehydration , water is 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 set guide for how much water to drink.

How much fluid each person needs depends on their age, size, level of physical activity, and environmental temperature. Athletes should drink before, during, and after exercise.

Don't wait until you feel thirsty, because thirst is a sign that your body has needed liquids for a while. Sports drinks are no better for you than water to keep you hydrated during sports. But if you exercise for more than 60 to 90 minutes or in very hot weather, sports drinks may be a good option.

The extra carbs and electrolytes may improve performance in these conditions. 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 training or competing.

Don't use energy drinks and other caffeine -containing drinks, like soda, tea, and coffee, for rehydration. You could end up drinking large amounts of caffeine, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure.

Parents want students to thrive in everything they do, from the classroom Athlete diet tips the court and from Athlete diet tips to Athlete diet tips field. Nutrition itps a vital role in Strength and power fueling tips well-being and vitality of student athletes. Following basic sports nutrition tips Athlette help student athletes play to tils best Athletd their competitive didt. Student athletes are Athlete diet tips like any other athlete; they want to perform at their best, and the regular exercise and physical demands of student sports requires a well-balanced meal plan. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans,recommends Americans focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, seafood, lean meats like many cuts of beef and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, seeds and soy products. A well-balanced meal plan containing appropriate amounts of macronutrients protein, carbohydrates and fat and micronutrients vitamins and minerals is essential to provide enough energy for growth and activity. Fluids are also essential for hydration to support growth and athletic performance.