How to Nourish Your Way to Victory!

Cooler weather, new school schedules, and back-to-school shopping. Aside from buying the coolest new clothes and shoes, have you thought about what you’ll buy to nourish your children’s bodies every day? Proper  nutrition is essential for all students, especially athletes. Pop quiz! What are the 5 food groups that everyone should include in their diets? If you answered protein, fruit, vegetable, dairy, and grains- you are right! Over the years I have learned how to change my diet so that I can perform at my absolute best in the gym. Here are a few tips on how you can help your kids do the same this year.

Breakfast:

They say it’s the “most important meal of the day.” As it turns out, there is some truth behind this old saying and here are a few reasons why.

·         After a full night of rest and no eating, it’s important to refuel your empty tank to kick-start your day.

·         The brain uses 20% of the body’s total energy (or glucose, if we are getting technical). Just like an empty stomach early in the morning, the brain needs to be fed and recharged in order to prepare for the day ahead. If I miss breakfast, I feel foggy and find it hard to concentrate.

·         Starting the day with all 5 food groups puts you one step closer to reaching your MyPlate Plan.

Snacks:

Pre-workout or pre-game snacks should focus mainly on carbohydrates. That’s because they can be easily turned into energy (glucose) during exercise. Adding in some protein is also a good idea. Some of my favorite snacks are:

   

•  Banana and a PB&J;
• Yogurt with granola;
• Apple with peanut (or any nut) butter.

Lunch and Dinner:

Lunch time is when energy (or, you guessed it, glucose) is put into storage to be used later. Dinner is the time to re-fuel after a hard practice or game. Eating right after exercising is the perfect way to help rebuild and recover muscles. For strong and lean muscles try these recipes:

•         Turkey pinwheels (on whole wheat wraps) for a great game-day lunch;
•      Tuna wraps to spice up your lunch and keep you full and focused;
•      Mediterranean Orzo for a quick and satisfying post-game dinner.

Don’t forget about hydration!

The human body’s thirst reflex is 2 cups behind. This means that when someone feels thirsty, they are already dehydrated. It is important to drink water all day long. Follow these hydration tips on the day of a big game or practice:

·         Drink at least 1-2 cups of water every hour, 2-3 hours leading up to an event;

·         Drink 1 of water cup 15 minutes before the start of the event;

·         Drink ½ cup of water every 15 minutes during the event.

 

TRUE OR FALSE: The number one reason athletes underperform is because they don’t drink

enough water….TRUE! Our bodies can’t absorb more than 4 cups of water per hour but during intense exercise we can sweat out 4 or more cups per hour! Have your kids stay ahead of the game by keeping them hydrated all day long.

What about sports drinks?

You know, those brightly colored drinks full of carbohydrates, protein, electrolytes, and sugar? They are all the rage recently. You can find them in school vending machines, in coolers at sporting events, and in our refrigerators at home. But are sports drinks really needed? Probably not, except when exercising hard for over an hour. If this is the case, choose a sports drink with no more than 80 calories, minimal added sugar, and drink it in combination with water.

                                                              

Most importantly:

Have fun! Staying involved in sports is a great way for kids to stay active and build valuable life skills like leadership, confidence, and teamwork. Staying properly nourished and hydrated will make getting through practices and games all the more

enjoyable.

Emily Hutchins

Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

Division of Health Planning & Promotion

Preparing our Youth…Where Do We Start?

September is not only the beginning of a new school year, but it is also National Preparedness Month! Preparing for emergencies and disasters can be challenging enough when you are only planning for yourself.  Add kids into the mixture and it becomes much more complicated. While there are a LOT of topics to cover, let’s focus on two areas and talk about how to get the kids involved. They are our future after all! 😀

• Discuss potential emergencies that could occur

My 4 year old son is becoming quite aware of all kinds of alarms, everything from car alarms to smoke alarms.  Although he may not know the ins and outs of every alarm he is definitely curious and says, “Dad, tell me all about them!”

So, where do we start? Every family should have a family emergency plan. If you don’t have one yet…put one together and practice, practice, practice (with the kids of course!). We should also be teaching our kiddos some basic information at an early age, things like:

• Their home address, phone number, and YOUR full name,
• How and when to call 911,
• Who to contact if they cannot reach you (names, phone numbers, and addresses),
•  Where your family meeting place is

•  Put together an Emergency Preparedness Kit!

I don’t know about your little ones but my son is right there to “help” me whenever he gets a chance! Including kids in the preparation activities is a great way to teach them what to do during emergencies. They love to help so let’s use that energy to our advantage!  Keep in mind that our kits should fit in a backpack. Use these lists to begin making a kit and then have the kids gather things like:

•  Clothing
• Blankets
• Toys, books, games, etc.
• Food
• Flashlights and radios

Play this fun game to help them decide which items to choose. Fun Fact – it might even be a little challenge for adults!

If something happens, it will probably be scary for your kids.  Keep in mind; it is okay to tell them you are scared too. Preparing for emergencies BEFORE they happen will take some of those worries away.  Remember that during playtime, children can pretend to be superheroes but when disaster strikes…you are the superhero they need because you will be prepared!

Mark Lafountain

Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

Administration Division