How to Feed a Student Athlete

I am a parent of a lineman. What is a lineman you might ask? In my son Mike's case, he plays football as an outside guard on offense. (Protects the Quarterback, and provides lanes of opportunity for Running Backs). He is also a Defensive End. (Every snap of the ball he wrestles with the opposing teams outside guard and or tight end in an attempt to wreak havoc in the back field). These young men participate in weight lifting, conditioning exercises, drills to hone the skills of the given position, and then after all that three hours later they scrimmage. (Practice assignments and plays in game style situations).

There are tasks we as parents can do to assist our student athletes in simply surviving the variety of serious conditioning. Nutrition is an important key. The goal for our students is to increase in ability and success, success breads opportunity, opportunity and success births scholarship possibilities.

The biggest challenge I have as a parent of said athlete is feeding him. Not just making sure his stomach is full but providing a nutritional balance for the extensive conditioning program he is involved with.

On the team of coach's at my son's high school is Steve Schween, Health teacher and nutrition guide. I sat with the coach to discuss the importance of proper nutrition.

Q. How long have you been involved with nutrition?

A. I took a large interest in nutrition while playing college football. Though not possessing a degree in nutrition, participation in general nutrition classes in college and continued studies to better myself has played a big part in helping the high school athletes I work with.

Q. Is nutrition as important as the conditioning?

A. Clearly nutrition is just as important as conditioning. Without proper nutrition an athlete cannot reach their full potential, optimal strength, power and quickness. It also greatly influences the ability to fight fatigue and recover faster. For an athlete it is important to have a good ratio of protein to complex carbohydrates. Most of my athletes are only concerned with protein and neglect complex carbohydrates, which is the fuel.

Q. What food or foods have the best bang for its buck concerning nutrition?

A. High quality protein sources can be found in skinless chicken breasts, turkey, fish, lean beef, and some pork. Eggs are a perfect source of protein; other items include cottage cheese and dairy products. A cheap easy source of protein can be found in a simple can of tuna.

A. As mentioned in the previous topic, protein is only part of the needed nutrition. Complex Carbohydrates are the next required ingredient. Such as oatmeal, potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and best of all sweet potatoes. The most forgotten items by the athletes always seem to be vegetables. It is not realized how important vegetables are because of the high vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content.

Q. Do they need to be cooked a certain way?

A. Grilling lean protein sources is the absolute best, it is quick, adds extra flavor and helps drain all excess fat. Steaming vegetables is the preferred method to assure the nutrients will not be cooked out, which tends to happen in the boiling process. Again we are addressing the biggest bang for the buck. Baking and broiling are also a quality way to prepare multiple foods at once and not add additional fats or cholesterol. By no means should food be deep-fried.

Q. Does precooking foods and using a microwave to reheat hurt the nutritional content?

A. Precooking and reheating does not actually hurt the nutritional content of your foods. Precooking is a very good way to make sure you get all your meals in each day. Having meals ready on hand can ensure the chances of reaching your daily calorie total, even when in a rush. It is a big help in negating the excuse of not having the time to eat correctly.

Q. Can these nutrients be substituted with "Power Bars or Drinks"?

A. You can only gain so much from using drinks and eating bars. The bars are a good snack, but it should not be used to supplement meals. A bar can be used for something on the go, however it is important to check the labels, liquid or bar form the main ingredient in a good portion of the products is sugar.

Q. Is there a danger with "Power bars and Energy Drinks" when they are the only source?

A. I see that many students use them after practice, which is a poor use for them. I wouldn't say there is a danger; there is just not much of a benefit. You need most of your calories to come from whole food sources; these drinks cannot supplement any whole food benefits. There is however functional supplements when used properly for pre and post workout sessions. Protein powders are available and can provide a good nutrient source for replacement and recovery.

Q. What is the time frame prior to an extensive workout for proper digestion?

A. Based on the type of workout there are a couple ways to go. For weight training it is best to consume whole food meals 2 to 1 ½ hours before, and if possible have a protein shake 30 minutes prior. Upon completion of weight training it is good to have a quality protein source within 30 minutes and a whole food meal no later than 1 ½ hours.

For game competition - 2 hours before arriving is a good time frame. This meal should be a carbohydrate heavy meal and low on grease and dairy. Afterwards protein is important.

Q. Does the "carb" count vary based on a player's weight or should all players of all positions reach the same goal?

A. Carbohydrate count will vary on an athlete's weight. A high school athlete who is weight training and practicing in the same day should have about 2 grams per pound of body weight. A 220 pound man should have about 440 grams of carbohydrates. Now on days when an athlete is not as active the carbohydrate count can drop to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.

Q. What is that optimum calorie intake goal?

A. Each athlete will have a different caloric intake based on age, weight and activity. For example: Mike is 17 years old and 230 pounds, his BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is 2307 cal. That is how many calories he will burn during the day not including the hours of football and weight training. With all his hours of activity he would be around 3500 calories for the day.

Q. You have started a nutrition club for students, what is your motivation?

A. I started a Sports Nutrition Club and Culinary Arts for Athletes class for a few reasons. I have a passion for cooking and nutrition and I am truly devoted in trying to help athletes achieve their maximum potential. Originally I developed this endeavor around football, since then I have been approached from a variety of sports such as members of the golf team. They are looking for advice on what they can do to finish stronger deep into 18 holes.

Coach Steve Schween is driven to assure students can achieve their greatest potential, this I am sure, however I could not close this article without an application of the steps laid out here.

As mentioned at the beginning I am a parent of a football player, Mike is 18 in September, 235 pounds and works very hard all year round to continue his status as a Varsity Starter.

How-to #1

Utilizing the grill in the back yard I cook three pounds of chicken breasts, garlic and mesquite seasonings are favorites in this house. Four cups of brown rice, some plastic containers and the fridge is set with a good whole food for Mike to eat when his working parents are not available.

The next hurdle I faced was breakfast, if it can't be tossed in the microwave for 27 seconds there is a good possibility my son would live on cereal. He weight lifts in the morning and as Coach pointed out it is important to keep the food machine running.

How to #2

Breakfast burrito; Cook 10 white medium potatoes, just enough to crumble. I add a tsp of basil, 1 tsp of garlic, 1tbl spoon of olive oil while crumbling. 1 lb 95% ground beef, season to your heart's desire; I prepare it the same way I season hamburgers, don't over salt. One handful of cilantro, one medium tomato, and one medium onion all diced. 2 lbs graded cheese. Scramble 12-18 eggs. Utilizing a cooking bowl, mix all the contents to evenly spread the variety of flavors. Take the time to locate some fresh moist tortillas. Roll them up with parchment paper, stick em' in a zip lock and they are ready to go. End result, 18 good sized nutrition packed breakfast burritos.
It takes a couple hours to prep both the chicken and burritos however I feel it is worth the investment. My son is eating and that is the goal. Besides it is cheaper than the many boxes of cereal he can go through.

There are many different ways to apply the nutritional requirements of our student athletes; I hope the few tidbits I have shared today will assist you in your endeavor to feed the eating machine student athlete.