Nutrition for Athletes

The athlete should eat foods with plenty of complex carbohydrates, which will provide long-term energy. Foods high in protein are also good choices, especially after a game, practice, or work-out.

Pre-game meals should be eaten approximately 2 hours before the game or practice. Pre-game and Pre-practice snacks should be consumed 30 minutes prior to activity. Pre-workout meals or shakes should be consumed approximately 30 minutes prior to activity. Post-workout or post-game meals or shakes should be consumed immediately after activity.

Eat lots of whole foods that are not processed. The more items listed in the ingredients, typically the worse the food choice is. Though there are some natural cereals out there that have a lot of natural ingredients listed.

The less boxed and packaged food you have in your shopping cart, the better. It should be 1/2 full of fruits and veggies and the other half your meats, dairy, and other proteins (nuts, peanut butter).

Try to eliminate as much sugar as possible.

Drink lots of water. Eliminate pop.

Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day to keep your energy levels maintained throughout the day.

Get plenty of protein: .75 - 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Eat breakfast!!

Read the label--If the carbs are primarily made up of sugar, then it’s not a good choice!

Avoid any of the foods listed below. Most of these foods are high in sugar and fats. These types of foods will give you energy in a short period of time, but that energy will also be used quickly, leaving you feeling sluggish! Read the label—if most of the carbs are in the form of sugar, then it is NOT a good choice!

Bad food choices:

Candy
Chocolate
Cookies
Cake
Cupcakes
Pop
Fast food from restaurants
Doritos, chips, or other bagged snack foods high in fat or sugar
Fried food
Processed foods
Anything with hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup
Anything in the ingredients that ends in -ose is a sugar!!

Good carbohydrate choices:

STARCHES

(Ranked best to worst)

(Make choices low in sugar!)

Oatmeal

Brown rice

Whole grain bread

Whole grain cereals

Whole grain bagels

Potatoes

Pasta/noodles

Tortilla shells

Tortilla chips

Pretzels
Crackers

Graham crackers
Granola bars
Applesauce
Raisins
Fig newtons
Cereals low in sugar

White rice

White bread/rolls

Bagels

FRESH FRUITS

Apples

Bananas

Blackberries

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Grapefruit

Nectarines

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Raspberries

Strawberries

Watermelon

FRESH VEGETABLES

Asparagus

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Chickpeas

Collard greens

Cucumbers

Green beans

Hummus

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Onions

Peppers

Salsa

Spinach lettuce

Squash

Tomatoes

Zucchini

LIQUID CARBS

(The higher the % of natural juice,

the better the selection)

Gatorade

Grape juice

Orange juice

Apple juice

Lemonade

Other natural juices

Good protein choices:

Protein powder

Protein bars low in sugar

Fish

Seafood

Ham

Extra lean ground beef

Lean steak

Lean pork

Ground turkey

Turkey sausage

Turkey bacon

Skim milk (has some carbs)

Peanut butter
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
Chicken
Turkey
Roast beef
Cheese
Beef jerky
Cottage cheese
Yogurt (has some carbs)
Eggs
Tuna

Follow the 90% rule—90% of your meals should follow the meal plans. The other 10% can be “cheat meals.” Following this rule, if you eat 5-6 meals/snacks per day, and 35-42 meals/snacks per week, then you can have approximately 4 cheat meals or snacks. You can spread them out throughout the week, or use them all on one “cheat day.” A cheat meal or snack means you can have anything you want, just don’t go overboard. Print out the enclosed charts and monitor your progress in the following manner:

90% Adherence Chart

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
Snack 2	Snack 2	Snack 2	Snack 2	Snack 2	Snack 2	Snack 2
Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
Snack 3	Snack 3	Snack 3	Snack 3	Snack 3	Snack 3	Snack 3

Green = Adhered to diet

Red = Cheat meal

Gray = Did not eat this meal

On this plan, serving sizes are critical. The following serving sizes are general recommendations. They should be adjusted based upon the individual’s current weight and training goals.

Regular = 1 serving = 8 ounces or 1 cup

Small = approximately 6 ounces or ¾ cup

Large = approximately 12 ounces or 1½ cups

Non-Lifting Days Meal Plan

Breakfast – 1 large protein or 2 small proteins + 1 small carb (starch or fruit or liquid)

Snack 1 – 1 protein

Lunch – 1 protein + 1 carb (veggie)

Snack 2 – 1 protein

Dinner – 1 protein + 2 carbs (2 veggies or 1 starch & 1 veggie)

Snack 3 – 1 protein

**Eat 2 or 3 snacks

Sample breakfast meals:

• Eggs + meat + bread
• Milk + cereal + peanut butter
• Eggs + meat + juice
• Protein powder + milk + cereal
• Protein powder + milk + oatmeal

Sample lunch meals

• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + salad or veggie
• Hard boiled eggs + salad or veggie

Sample dinner meals

• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + 2 veggies
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + bread
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + small pasta
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + cereal
• Eggs + 2 veggies
• Eggs + veggie + bread
• Eggs + veggie + cereal

Lifting Day Meal Plan – Morning Workout

Breakfast – 1 large protein or 2 small proteins + 1 large carb or 2 small carbs (starch or fruit or liquid)

**WORKOUT

Snack 1 - within 30 minutes after workout – 1 small protein + 1 small carb

Example = 1 liquid carb or 1 fruit + protein powder or peanut butter

Lunch – 1 protein + 1 carb (starch or veggie)

Snack 2 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

Dinner – 1 protein + 2 carbs (2 veggies)

Snack 3 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

**Eat snack 2 plus at least one of the other snacks. If snack 2 or 3 is too large, eliminate one of the options.

Sample breakfast meals:

• Eggs + bread or bagel
• Eggs + milk + cereal
• Eggs + meat + bread
• Eggs + meat + bread + juice
• Meat + bread or bagel
• Meat + milk + cereal
• Peanut butter + bread or bagel
• Protein powder + milk + cereal
• Protein powder + oatmeal + milk
• Protein powder + milk + juice
• Protein powder + milk + bread/bagel

Sample lunch meals:

• Sandwich with meat, bread, lettuce, onion, cheese
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie or salad

Sample dinner meals:

• Meat/fish/poultry/eggs + 2 veggies

Lifting Day Meal Plan – Afternoon Workout

Breakfast – 1 large protein or 2 small proteins + 1 large carb or 2 small carbs (starch or fruit or liquid)

Snack 1 - 1 small protein + 1 small carb (starch or fruit)

**WORKOUT

Lunch – within 30 minutes after workout – 1 large protein + 1 large carb (1 starch or 1 veggie or small combo of each)

Snack 2 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

Dinner – 1 protein + 2 carbs (2 veggies or 1 starch + 1 veggie)

Snack 3 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

**Eat 2-3 of the snacks. If snack 1 or 3 is too large, eliminate one of the options.

Sample breakfast meals:

• Eggs + bread or bagel
• Eggs + milk + cereal
• Eggs + meat + bread
• Eggs + meat + bread + juice
• Meat + bread or bagel
• Meat + milk + cereal
• Peanut butter + bread or bagel
• Protein powder + milk + cereal
• Protein powder + oatmeal + milk
• Protein powder + milk + juice
• Protein powder + milk + bread/bagel

Sample lunch meals:

• Sandwich with meat, bread, lettuce, onion, cheese + fruit or veggie + protein powder
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood/eggs + veggie or salad + protein powder
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood/eggs + bread or bagel + protein powder

Sample dinner meals

• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + 2 veggies
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + bread
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + small pasta
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + cereal
• Eggs + 2 veggies
• Eggs + veggie + bread
• Eggs + veggie + cereal

Lifting Day Meal Plan – Evening Workout

Breakfast – 1 large protein or 2 small proteins + 1 large carb or 2 small carbs (starch or fruit or liquid)

Snack 1 - 1 small protein + 1 small carb (starch or fruit or veggie)

Lunch – 1 protein + 1 carb (starch or veggie)

Snack 2 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

**WORKOUT

Dinner – within 30 minutes after workout – 1 large protein + 2 carbs (1 starch + 1 veggie)

Snack 3 – 1 small protein + 1 small carb (fruit)

**Eat 2-3 of the snacks. If any snack is too large, eliminate one of the options.

Sample breakfast meals:

• Eggs + bread or bagel
• Eggs + milk + cereal
• Eggs + meat + bread
• Eggs + meat + bread + juice
• Meat + bread or bagel
• Meat + milk + cereal
• Peanut butter + bread or bagel
• Protein powder + milk + cereal
• Protein powder + oatmeal + milk
• Protein powder + milk + juice
• Protein powder + milk + bread/bagel

Sample lunch meals:

• Sandwich with meat, bread, lettuce, onion, cheese
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie or salad

Sample dinner meals

• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + 2 veggies
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + bread
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + small pasta
• Meat/fish/poultry/seafood + veggie + cereal
• Eggs + 2 veggies
• Eggs + veggie + bread
• Eggs + veggie + cereal

90% Adherence Chart

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1	Snack 1
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
Snack 2