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Eating Right For Sports

Sherry Gray, MPH, RD
Cooperative Extension Educator/Nutritionist, University of Connecticut

If you play any kind of sport regularly for exercise or competition, eating the right foods can really make a difference in how you feel and your performance.  Chips, donuts, sodas and other fast foods just don't cut it!  Young athletes need extra calories and fluids to support their physical activity, but it should come from foods that are nutritious.

So, what should you get for sports?  The easiest way is look at the Food Guide Table.  The table is a guide to planning healthful meals.  Each section represents a food category and gives a range for the number of recommended servings to be eaten each day.  Most active children and teens will get the nutrients and energy they need if they eat the number of servings recommended in each section of the Food Guide Table below.

Children (6-12)
Teen Girls		 Children (6-12)
Teen Boys

Bread Group
Vegetable Group
Fruit Group
Milk Group
Meat Group

 9
4
3
3
2-3		 11
5
4
3
3

 

What counts as 1 serving?

Breads, Cereals, Rice & Pasta

1 slice of bread

1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta

1 ounce of dry cereal

 

Fruits

1 medium whole fruit

3/4 cup of juice

1/2 cup of canned fruit

 

Vegetables

1/2 cup of cooked vegetables

1 cup of tossed salad

 

Milk

1 cup of milk

8 ounces of yogurt

1-1/2 to 2 ounces of cheese

 

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts

3 ounces of cooked meat, poultry or fish

1/2 cup of cooked beans or 2 tbsp. of peanut butter or 1 egg counts the same as 1 ounce of meat (about 1/3 serving)

 

Kids and teens may need more food if their growth slows (weight and height) or become tired a lot.  When you eat is also important.  Skipping breakfast leads to poor energy in the morning and can affect sports performance.  Eating high fat foods such as chips just before sports practice or an event, can lead to upset stomach, nausea and vomiting during exercise.  The best plan for a pre-event meal is to have foods that contain lots of carbohydrate, low to moderate amounts of protein and even less fat.  An example would be:  Fruit or vegetable juice, fresh fruit and bagel or English Muffin (no margarine or cream cheese), 2 to 3 hours before an event.  Fluids are also very important before, during and after exercise.  Kids, particularly need to drink adequate water and other fluids to avoid a condition called dehydration.  You need to drink beyond your thirst.  Water, diluted fruit juice or sports drinks (6-8% carbohydrate) are much better choices than sodas or undiluted fruit juice (these can cause stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea).

What you eat and when you eat really can make a difference in how you feel and how well you play sports.  For further information, you can contact Sherry Gray at sgray@canrl.uconn.edu.