It is easy to reach for convenience foods when you are hungry, but these foods do not aid in performance. In order to give percent you need to supply your body with carbohydrates, protein, and fat from healthy food choices. Eating healthy when travelling can be challenging, but if you plan ahead you can find healthy snacks that fit into an athletes diet.

Buying convenience foods before working out may not only be hurting your performance, but your wallet as well. Think about it—the money spent on a single bag of chips could almost buy a box of granola bars for the week! Take the time on Sunday to pack snacks to throw in your gym bag for the week.

Use snack bags to keep your portions under control. If you are forced to eat from the vending machine, avoid snacks with a lot of sugar because this will cause you to crash and burn as your blood sugar rises and falls.

Look for crackers and peanut butter, Fig Newtons, baked chips, low-fat popcorn, or a granola bar. Another option is to split an indulging snack, such as a Pop-Tart, with a friend so you eat half the calories and sugar.

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. Too much caffeine can leave an athlete feeling anxious or jittery. Caffeine also can cause headaches and make it hard to sleep at night.

These all can drag down your sports performance. Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks.

You can boost your performance even more by paying attention to the food you eat on game day. Focus on a diet rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat. Everyone is different, so get to know what works best for you. You may want to experiment with meal timing and how much to eat on practice days so that you're better prepared for game day.

KidsHealth For Teens A Guide to Eating for Sports. en español: Guía de alimentación para deportistas. Medically reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD. Listen Play Stop Volume mp3 Settings Close Player. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. Eat Extra for Excellence The good news about eating for sports is that reaching your peak performance level doesn't take a special diet or supplements.

Athletes and Dieting Teen athletes need extra fuel, so it's usually a bad idea to diet. Eat a Variety of Foods When it comes to powering your game for the long haul, it's important to eat healthy, balanced meals and snacks to get the nutrients your body needs.

Vital Vitamins and Minerals 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.

Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes: Calcium helps build the strong bones that athletes depend on. Calcium — a must for protecting against stress fractures — is found in dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Iron carries oxygen to muscles. To get the iron you need, eat lean meat, fish, and poultry; leafy green vegetables; and iron-fortified cereals.

Protein Power Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most get plenty through a healthy diet. Training Day Snacking: Snacks before a workout should be light easily digestible so as not to cause any cramping, gas, or other discomfort during exercise , higher in quick burning carbohydrates and protein and less fat.

Fat can cause an upset stomach due to its slow releasing time from the stomach into the GI tract. Pre-workout snacks help fuel your muscles by providing them with quick energy for the lift or the run you are about to perform. The snacks top off muscle glycogen stores, which help provide instant energy and allow for increased performance throughout the duration of the workout 1,6.

Snacking after a workout should be higher in protein and carbohydrates than fat. You want carbohydrates as they help your body prioritize the protein to rebuild and repair muscle and tissue damage from the workout. This is why protein shakes have become so popular—they have the carbs from the milk and protein to help muscles repair, plus drinks are easier and faster to consume after a workout and nutrients are more easily absorbed in liquid form than solid form 7.

Consuming a post-workout snack with carbohydrates also helps replenish the glycogen stores that were depleted during exercise, which allows the body to have more fuel in the tank for the next workout 1.

There is also evidence that consuming a protein and carbohydrate post-workout snack together also allows for protein to rebuild muscle, which then allows for carbohydrates to restore glycogen in the muscle Both are needed to keep you at your training best and for each to be allowed to do their primary job 1.

Light, Moderate and Heavy Snacking : Light Snacking Light snacking is good for days when you are not training and still need to keep energy levels high. Examples: fresh, frozen or dried fruit, veggies, graham crackers, Greek yogurt, edamame, chickpeas.

Moderate Snacking Moderate snacking is good for days when you are training but the volume or intensity is not too high.

These snacks help your body top off its fuel resources and can aid in recovery after training. Examples: apple and string cheese, graham crackers with peanut or almond butter, trail mix, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, popcorn, jerky, Greek yogurt parfait, veggies and hummus, yogurt smoothies, chocolate milk.

Heavy Snacking Heavy snacking is also like eating a mini meal. Examples: sandwich PBJ, deli meat with veggies, tuna, grilled chicken , cheese and crackers, omelet, quinoa mixed with fruit 8.

When to Choose Whole Grains Versus Refined Foods: Whole Grains Provide longer energy levels, even blood sugar levels, slow to move through the digestive system. Whole grains are good for days when training once a day and with breakfast and dinner.

Eating whole grains after training helps the body to prioritize protein for muscle repair and building. They provide sustained fuel throughout the day or while sleeping.

level up your nutrition game with these freebies. Planning what goes on your plate. Putting the right foods in your grocery cart. Don't let nutrition derail your race. improve Your performance through a simple and flexible eating style.

the Blog. Search for:. Top 10 Easy Snacks for Busy Athletes. Hi, I'm. Explore the Blog. incredible value! ENDURANCE EATS.

YOUTUBE SERIES. Gummy Fruit Snacks Oh, yes. Goldfish Crackers Ok, yes these are marketed to kids — but we all know as parents we snack on them as well.

Cons: Requires a bit more time to eat. Pros: Filling and tasty. Chocolate Milk Ok, this is more for after your workout, but chocolate milk has a ton of research that supports it being IDEAL for post-workout recovery.

Granola Bars This is the one that I am going to say tread carefully, cause not all granola bars are created equal. Pros: Easy for on-the-go.

String Cheese I love love string cheese. Pros: 1 travel-sized pack is about calories. Nice travel size packages. take the quiz! Let's discover your Endurance Nutrition IQ. Athlete Eating Guide. free downloadS. GET IN TOUCH.

Instagram-color Created with Sketch. Facebook Copy-color Created with Sketch. FIND ME ON. processed foods. Like the storebought snacks, many of these also work as healthy snacks for athletes on the go.

Carbohydrates are the primary macronutrient group that fuel activity, so it only makes sense that we aim for higher carbohydrate snacks. When runners are carb loading , having high carb, low fiber snacks available can be helpful. Carbs are helpful for glycogen storage for longer endurance events, but they are also important after the event in helping with recovery meals for athletes.

Many runners also prefer these real-food ideas for ultra running nutrition. Having a variety of snacks for sports is important, and preferences and nutrient composition may vary slightly depending on the type of sport and age. Endurance athletes, like runners and cyclists, may be able to use higher-sugar snack options very quickly, like many of these homemade running snacks.

So as you can imagine, healthy running snacks are typically high-carb, so they can support endurance activity, making them good snack options for runners.

Here are some great options for what to eat before a morning run :. These snacks are a little higher energy to support strength and endurance sports, so can work as snacks for soccer players or even snacks for football players. Many of these work well as snacks for teenage athletes. Your email address will not be published.

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Wrist Sprains Healthful Snack Choices for Youth Sports. Did You Know? Eating healthy helps prevent injuries and improve muscle development.

Junk food is calorie rich, sugar loaded and nutrient poor — it provides no nutritional value to the body. Focus On These Points: Emphasize food as fuel: Your body needs quality fuel in the form of food to keep it running properly and maximize performance!

Be a role model: Young athletes admire no one more than you; their parents, coaches, and other adults that influence their daily choices. Sports drinks should be used after 60 minutes of moderate physical activity. Empower them to make their own health decisions and help inspire their teammates!

Fruit salad: Slice or buy pre-cut fruit salad.