Feeding Your Athlete Without Draining Your Wallet

[Carmen S]

With more than 30 million children and teens participating in team sports, it's become increasingly clear to many that their education on sports nutrition is sadly lacking. Ask any student athlete to list their diet for the day of the big game, and you are apt to see foods that belong on a list of what not to eat. Foods packed with fat and calories, loaded with high fructose corn syrup and salt, and many times purchased from fast food restaurants are popular with the kids, but do absolutely nothing to fuel a body. All athletes strive to be at the peak of their performance, but they often don't realize that their dietary habits work against them. Poor dietary habits can be the cause of insufficient energy or endurance and can lead to illness or bone damage.

Nag your athlete about his diet, though, and that's a sure way to get him to ignore you. Mention eating healthy, and many of us think it means spending a large amount of money - and that's simply not necessary. How can you help your child to learn about nutrition, make the right choices, and keep yourself from going broke in the process?

• Have Your Athlete Keep a Food Journal for a Few Days. Look it over together and try to pinpoint areas of weakness. If he is resistant, offer to do it with him.(Kids love competition.) Use this time as instruction - teach the reasons behind why your athlete needs protein, calcium, fruit and veg. 
  
• Solicit Her Ideas. This one has worked particularly well for me. I have a daughter who is very resistant to eating properly, and one day we made up a list of ten items she'd enjoy. I make sure to have the foods on hand for at least five of those healthy choices every day.
  
• Don't Be Stuck in a Rut.  Eggs are a great source of protein, inexpensive and tasty and most often eaten for breakfast. A hard boiled egg makes a fantastic afternoon snack, and paired with a fruit and some crackers can be a decent dinner. Think outside the box.
• Eat in Season. Virtually eveyone loves strawberries, but they are cost prohibitive in the dead of winter. Discover another fruit that your child loves that is in season. Teach your child to eat from the rainbow every day - try to eat as many colors as possible (not artifically created!)
  
• Drink Water. Water is cheap - free if you are at home - and vital to the health of your athlete. Encourage your child to drink enough water and to always carry a bottle with her. Remind her that thirst isn't always a good indicator of hydration. If he is resistant to palin water, flavor it with a beverage powder or sliced fruit.
  
• Always Be Prepared. Toss a few protein bars into your child's sports bag. Get in the habit of bringing some fruit with you. Keep a box of whole grain crackers in your glove box. That way, when traffic snarls and you don't have time to go home for a snack, you won't have to resort to fast food.
  

What are some of the ways that you've taught your athlete proper nutrition, both on and off the field?

[natesmom1228]

There are always veggies and fruits in the house. I have taught him the importance of drinking water during his class. He eats before class so he is mentally and physically awake.

[auroragold]

 This works for the NON-athelete too.  Good ideas to keep in mind.

 

For water - I freeze in the bottle (assuming it is freezable) overnight especially during warm weather.  The water thaws but stays cold. If I think it'll be needed before it totally thaws, I fill the bottle HALFWAY with water before freezing then, when we leave for the day, fill the other half with water.

 

The chopped fruit (lemon/lime) in water is useful as well, but again, I put them in the icecube tray and fill with water and freeze. Then I can just pop them into the jug/glass

[earthangel1967]

We are big believers in practice what you preach and that kids more often do as you DO rather than what you preach. So we try hard to be good role models in healthy eating and we take time to explain WHY we make certain food choices over others so they understand and learn.  We never KEEP junk food in the house, we do buy it but only for special occasions and holidays and such.

My husband is heavily into body building so they have learned a lot about nutrition from him too.

[bether89]

My son loves cereal with whole grain and he will eat it as a snack dry.  So I send him a bag of dry cereal for a snack at school or in the car.

[bether89]

Quoting auroragold:

 This works for the NON-athelete too.  Good ideas to keep in mind.

 

For water - I freeze in the bottle (assuming it is freezable) overnight especially during warm weather.  The water thaws but stays cold. If I think it'll be needed before it totally thaws, I fill the bottle HALFWAY with water before freezing then, when we leave for the day, fill the other half with water.

 

The chopped fruit (lemon/lime) in water is useful as well, but again, I put them in the icecube tray and fill with water and freeze. Then I can just pop them into the jug/glass

I like the idea of lemon in ice cubes.

[bether89]

Quoting natesmom1228:

There are always veggies and fruits in the house. I have taught him the importance of drinking water during his class. He eats before class so he is mentally and physically awake.

My son carries water to drink too.

[critter_boo]

slow cooker

[critter_boo]

carrots and ranch

[critter_boo]

apples and peanut butter

[critter_boo]

celery and peanut butter