Pre-Season Nutrition

Whether you are in high school or college, it is time to prepare for the next 3-4 months of the season. During the summer, your base strength should have been developed for the Pre-Season, the time in which you will get ready for the rigors of the In-Season. You should get prepared for the first game during this 8 to 10 week period so you that you will achieve performance success.

Healthy athletes make huge contributions to their team because they get to play. One key attribute of healthy players is proper nutrition.

Make sure that each of your athletes eats at least 4-6 meals a day. The general diet should come from a variety of foods high in carbohydrates, with the recommended amount of protein while low in fat, but provides sufficient energy and sufficient vitamins (largely from fruit and vegetables) which are all low in salt. Athletes should also drink plenty of water; the fluid requirements of an athlete are higher than the rest of the population.

Carbohydrate
Athletes need plenty of carbohydrates. Carbs come from starchy foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, breakfast cereal, and fruit and are turned into the fuel that the athletes need to train and compete. Therefore, a balanced meal for an athlete should contain a high carbohydrate count.

Protein
Each athlete should consume at least 2 to 3 servings of lean protein daily. Protein is found in meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Fat
To produce energy quickly, athletes need to keep the fat in the diet to a minimum. Fat slows down the rate at which the athlete can use their energy. Athletes should avoid excess fat. This is a hard feat because most of the foods we enjoy have a high fat content. Just as a performance coach trains an athlete to forsake bad habits during execution of play it is equally important for an athlete to learn and adapt the same attitude towards foods that are not good for them.

Vitamins (From Fruits and Vegetables)
Athletes should eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. So coaches, instead of giving them candy and donuts at team meetings give them apples, bananas, pears or raisons. For team meals consider serving pasta with a hearty, tomato based sauce that contains other veggies like carrots, peas, and mushrooms but make sure the vegetable are not over cooked or they will loose the vitamin benefit. If possible, choose fresh over frozen and frozen over canned.

Fluids
The consumption of fluid is very important to athletes. Therefore, healthy, hydrating choices should be accessible to them at meal time and during practice/competition time. Coaches should encourage athletes to avoid sodas, sugary drinks, alcohol, and any other substance that may cause dehydration.

Remember, a winning team has healthy athletes. The first step in achieving this is proper nutrition.