Nutrition Tips for Teen Athletes

Any time I get even 1 to 2 minutes to chat with a teen athlete, I make sure to highlight 3 things.

1. Athletes need to eat and they need to eat a lot.

   • I love the book by Caroline Dooner, The F*ck It Diet. In 2019, this book was the first resource that I felt really pushed the need for women in particular to throw out the patriarchal message, “Women eat like birds” or “Women always eat less than men”!! As a dietitian who works with eating disorders, I was thrilled to read multiple times in Caroline’s words, “Women need to eat, and we need to eat a lot.” That message is counter-cultural. Now taking that into consideration, it’s no wonder athletes need to fuel themselves at least 6 times per day with balance and variety. I always recommend at least 3 meals and 3 snacks per day, adding extra nourishment on training days. 

2. Athletes need a rest day.

   • I can’t remember where I read this, but it’s been said that “The difference between an elite athlete and an olympian is that an olympian prioritizes their rest days.” Olympians understand that the rest day is actually as important as the training days. We only get one body and our muscles need time to repair and heal following a strenuous and challenging training regime. It’s the long game, and change in our sports performance does not happen over night.

3. Athletes need carbohydrates.

   • Gosh, I blame diet culture for society’s fear around carbohydrate-containing foods. There are countless myths about carbs and how they make us gain fat/weight or cause acne or slow down improvement in our sport. I think it is so important for teens to understand what carbs actually do for our bodies. They provide quick energy. They start as food (picture spaghetti and red sauce), it breaks down into glucose, that glucose flows throughout our blood stream, and is transported to our brain, muscles, and nervous system for necessary energy. Our brains cannot store glucose, therefore, we need a constant supply (i.e. at least 6 meals/snacks per day). Our bodies resist storing carbohydrates as fat since it is used preferentially by our body functions (myth busted). If you are not supplying your body with adequate carbohydrate intake, it will break down the protein found in the muscle, body tissues, and organs for energy. Carbs are “protein sparing”. For maximum functioning and metabolic potential in our sport, your body needs a carbohydrate intake of 50-60% of your total daily intake. 

If you are a teen athlete or know someone who is struggling, I would love to walk alongside them as they challenge themselves and their views on food and exercise. Breaking down diet culture is my full time job, and I love what I do!