Golden Rules of Nutrition

UPPER MIDWEST HIGH SCHOOL ELITE LEAGUE

Recommended Nutrition Plan

1.  To maximize your growth, your strength, and your energy, you must have a Nutrition Plan for what you eat each day.  This nutrition plan is a guide...you won't be perfect...but the goal is to achieve it 90+% of the time.

2.  A quick and simple physiology lesion:         

            1.  Protein repairs and strengthens.

            2.  Carbohydrates (CHO*) provide energy for activity.

            3.  Fats store energy and provide cellular structure.

            4.  Vitamins and minerals are necessary for specific biochemical  functions.

3.  Eat breakfast...this is the most important meal of the day.  Overnight your body has continued to use energy to function and protein for muscle repair.  As a result, it has been partially starved and has been depleted. In order to replenish these losses, focus on liquids, carbohydrates, and some protein for this meal.  Breakfast can be a real meal or can be as little as an energy bar and a glass of juice as you run out the door. Without breakfast you are trying to function on 'half-empty'.

4.  Athletes need more protein (0.7-0.9 grams of protein/pound of body weight) than non-athletes to build strength and endurance. However, too much protein will not make you stronger...unused protein is slowly converted to CHO and fat or is discarded. 

Calculate the amount of protein needed by an athlete:

         Weight in lbs. ______  times 0.7-0.9  =  _____ grams of protein to eat on a daily basis.  

5.  Because the body does not store protein, it can only use the protein that is available at the present time.  Therefore it is important to spread protein in approximate equal amounts over 4-5 eating episodes per day.

6.  Protein from food sources (lean meat, milk, eggs, Greek yogurt) is superior to protein supplements because of the additional components (vitamins, minerals, fiber) that promote overall health.  Protein supplements can be used to supplement what you can't get from food sources.  

7.  CHO (breads, pasta, fruit, energy bars) should represent 60% of your nutrition plan (2.5-4.5 grams of CHO/pound).   Make CHO the foundation of each meal and protein the accompaniment. 

8.  Hydrate appropriately.  Observe your urine...very yellow urine is under hydrated.  Pale yellow urine is appropriately hydrated.

9.  PLAN your daily eating of meals and snacks...

         a.  around exercise activities (pre-activity, during activity, recovery after activity).

         b.  to achieve CHO and protein goals.

10.  Eating with your family most likely promotes a balanced meal and is therefore encouraged.

*CHO = carbohydrate.  In the body CHO is converted to glucose which is the fuel the body uses for any kind of activity.  CHO is stored in the body as glycogen which can be converted to glucose.