Nutrition article suggestions?

[Pirouette]

DD 16 is looking to improve her eating habits to enhance all the physical activity she is doing these days. She asked me to request suggestions for articles she can read to learn more about how different foods can help her (and all athletes) maximize their benefits. Kinds of foods, when to eat them, etc. -- anything you can recommend would be helpful.

Tomorrow she has cross country practice from 8 - 9:15, gymnastics from 10:30 - 2:30, and pole vault training from 6 - 8:30. Although most days aren't that hectic, she wants to make sure to be as healthy and productive as possible with her eating habits.

Thanks!

 

[amiandjim]

Buy the Gymnachef by Betsy McNally Laouar and her husband!

 

[bookworm]

I would think with that workout schedule , she'd burn off whatever she chooses to eat....

 

[txgymfan]

You might consider meeting or two with a registered dietician. Find one that deals with athletes and ask her to work with your daughter on a plan moving forward.

I’ve spent some time studying nutrition and generally your DD should be getting plenty of protein and calories while not avoiding any food group. Lots of veggies are always important.

Ice cream has protein fat and calories, too bad I’m not a teenage athlete.

 

[bookworm]

She's working out eight hours a day! I can't imagine restricting her at all.

 

[txgymfan]

She's working out eight hours a day! I can't imagine restricting her at all.

I totally agree about not restricting anything but not restricting does not mean she’s getting all the protein she needs to rebuild her muscles. That’s why I think she should meet with an expert who can give her advice based on her extreme workouts and her preferences. Athletes that exercise multiple hours a day are smart to use nutrition to help them recover from muscle fatigue and give them energy.

I’m not promoting any restrictions just thinking that being aware of nutrition and hydration can only help her in the short and long term. If anything, she may need more calories and electrolytes now that she’s engaged in three sports in the heat of the summer.

 

[duyetanh]

I totally agree about not restricting anything but not restricting does not mean she’s getting all the protein she needs to rebuild her muscles. That’s why I think she should meet with an expert who can give her advice based on her extreme workouts and her preferences. Athletes that exercise multiple hours a day are smart to use nutrition to help them recover from muscle fatigue and give them energy.

I’m not promoting any restrictions just thinking that being aware of nutrition and hydration can only help her in the short and long term. If anything, she may need more calories and electrolytes now that she’s engaged in three sports in the heat of the summer.

She is going to need to eat like a horse. I can’t even imagine it. My kid eats like a MOOSE these days, and she doesn’t have this much of a load at all, and she isn’t a teenager!

 

[Pirouette]

She definitely eats whatever she wants, lol. She's 5'9" and weighs about 133 lbs. Loves veggies and fruits. We don't restrict much in our house except sodas, but she doesn't drink those anyway because the running coaches discourage it.

Most days aren't like today. Tomorrow she only has XC from 8 to 9:15, so a much lighter day. Pole vault training is scattered throughout the summer - 10 sessions total. She wants to vault in college so we are helping her pursue additional training there. Gym is 3 days a week, 4-hour sessions.

I like the idea of speaking with a nutritionist. It would help to make sure we are on the right path.

 

[GymDadWA]

If she doesn't have any history with eating disorders I recommending that she starts tracking her food (myfitnesspal app) as pretty much any of the higher end nutritional coaching services are going to ask her to food log and knowing what she already is consuming will help them make adjustments.

If she does have a history be careful with tracking as it can really make people uncomfortable and cause them to restrict themselves when they shouldn't, just have her understand that the food log is just data and nobody is judging her, they just need data points in order to make adjustments.

In general protein will be somewhere around 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight per day and then carbs and fats will be adjusted to match her activity level based on whatever that nutritional coach believes in. For an active athlete the amount of nutrition that they consume should not feel restrictive at all and in fact will probably be the opposite where they have a hard time getting to the prescribed amounts.

For Reference:
What Simone eats daily: https://www.businessinsider.com/simone-biles-diet-2016-8
What Aly eats daily: https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/lifestyle/health/24587_aly_raisman_si_swimsuit_diet_plan

Nutitional Advice:
Link Removed

Eat to Compete: Triathlon Nutrition Tips You Need to Know

Training for a big race? Don’t forget about the fourth discipline of a triathlon: nutrition. Learn key triathlete diet tips for your best performance.

www.verywellfit.com

Some good coaches to look up are Mike T Nelson, Brad Dieter, and Layne Norton, they tend to sort of cater to the weight loss crowd as those are the ones that pay the bills, but all of them sort of look at food as fuel and how to use it to your advantage rather than ration it and eat as little as possible.

 

[raenndrops]

I like the idea of speaking with a nutritionist. It would help to make sure we are on the right path.

I agree with this 1000%!!! My doctor recently got me an appointment with a Registered Dietician / Nutritionist because I wanted to make sure I was doing things the right way. She was very helpful in that she was able to confirm that I was spot on in what I was doing. She even liked my pairing of greek yogurt and granola bars as snacks - she said is helps with satiety and long lasting energy because it is a carb-protein pair

 

[txgymfan]

Make sure you see a Registered Dietitian with a specialty in athletes if possible. Anyone can claim to be a “Nutritionist “ the distinction of a Registered Dietician is important.