Nutrition
Nutrition
Below is some info on good nutrition:
Carbs
- Make up roughly 60-70 % of the calories in your diet.
- Focus on:
- Whole Grains: burn up the slowest in the body, contains high amounts of fiber, and keeps blood sugar stable to promote sustained energy
- Oatmeal
- whole grain pasta (try not to eat as much white pasta)
- brown rice
- 100% whole grain bread
- general mills whole grain cereals
- freshly popped popcorn
- Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
- Fresh Fruit (especially berries): provides important vitamins, contains antioxidants to promote health at a cellular level, contains no processed sugar, high in fiber
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- etc
- Natural Fruit Juices
- Simply Orange
- POM Pomegranate (4-6 oz)
- ACAI Berry Juice (4-6 oz)
- Whole Grains: burn up the slowest in the body, contains high amounts of fiber, and keeps blood sugar stable to promote sustained energy
- Fresh dark green and bright colored vegetables
- contains high amounts of vitamins, anitoxidants and fiber
- Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard
- Broccoli
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Sweet Potatoes
- Homemade salsa
Protein
- Makes up 20-30 % of your diet.
- Focus on mostly lean protein with little saturated fat
- Egg Whites
- Separate the whites from the yolks or buy the whites in the cartons
- Only eat a max of 4 yolks per week. Yolks contain too much cholesterol which is bad for the heart.
- Chicken
- Breasts
- lean white meat that is low in saturated fat
- Thighs
- dark meat that is less expensive and is high in protein and iron
- Breasts
- Ground Turkey
- Great alternative to ground beef
- Fish
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Shrimp
- etc
- Red Meat
- 90 % lean ground beef
- Bison
- sirloin steak
- Egg Whites
- Dairy Products
- Cottage Cheese
- Natural Yogurt with no sugar added, don't buy sugar free or fat free versions due to high processing
- Skim milk
- Hard cheese
- Edomame
- japanese soybeans
- in frozen foods section
- just boil and pop the beans out
Fats
- Flax Seeds (very important that they are ground)
- go to Trader Joe's and get a $3 packet of these seeds and put them on everything. Can barely taste them and they add a crunch. Contains Essential fatty acids that promote healthy nervous system. Essential Fatty acids are the most abundant part of the cell membrane and in order to grow the body must have these fats.
- Almonds
- Put in oatmeal, cold cereal, yogurt and slices in salads
- Avocados
- Great in sandwiches
- guacamole
- sliced with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese
- Olive Oil
- Cook foods in olive oil to add healthy fat to the diet
- Almond Butter
- Healthy alternative to peanut butter
Water
- Have the kids bring a large reusable bottle filled with water to school in the morning and drink it throughout the day. Bring the same bottle to practice and drink some on the way to practice and the rest during/after
- Players should consume 1/4 of a bottle of Gatorade before practice, 1/2 bottle during practice and 1/4 bottle after practice in addition to H2O in take
- Limit soda - Empty calories.
Snack Ideas
- 100% whole grain bread with almond butter and a banana
- Apple with almond butter
- blue corn chips with cottage cheese
- yogurt with oatmeal, berries, and almonds
Meal Ideas
- Salmon, brown rice and broccoli
- whole grain pasta and flaxseed crusted chicken with spinach salad
- Chicken and Steak Fajitas with whole grain tortillas, bell peppers, fresh salsa and guacamole
- chicken stir fry with fresh vegetable and whole grain rice
- Egg white scramble with spinach, ground turkey, cheddar cheese and any other vegetables
