How to Improve Softball Performance with Detailed Athletes Diet

As a Sports Nutrition Specialist, I have sat down with many coaches to discuss how to improve their athletes diet. This is something I just put together for some of my players a few years ago. I made this with 14 year old female athletes in mind so this is not going to work for everyone. This is a good basic outline of how to structure your athletes diet. I am not a doctor so use caution before starting any new athletes diet and always consult a doctor before starting new health programs.

Athletes Diet and Nutrition Schedule

Breakfast:within 30 minutes of waking up. 8-10 oz water within 10 minutes.
· Cereal (healthy),fruit, with 2% milk
· Eggs, whole grain toast, fruit, and 2% milk
· Peanut butter with whole grain bread, fruit and 2% milk
Lunch: about 3 hours after eating breakfast. Drink about 20oz of water.
· Whole grain pasta with meat and salad
· Sandwich with the works + cheese, and fruit
· Salad with meat,fruit, and whole grain bread
Pre Workout about 30-60 minutes before: slow digesting carb (complex carb) Water/Gatorade
· Banana, wholegrain crackers and cheese, PB sandwich with whole grain bread, protein smoothie
Post Workout 30 minutes later: High Glycemic foods and Protein. Water!
· White bread,rice, fruit, fruit smoothie
Dinner:Protein, beans, mostly vegetables, and brown rice. Water!
· Dinner and Post Workout Meal can be the same!
1g Protein & 1 g Carbohydrates = 4 calories
1g Fat = 9 calories
Daily Caloric Intake from Fat, Protein, and Carbs:
Fat= 30%
Protein= 15%
Carbs= 55%

How Much Protein?
According to Drugs.com, 12- to 14-year-olds should consume approximately 1 g protein per kg of body weight each day. Girls aged 15 to 18 need slightly less protein, or0.9 g per kg of body weight. Find out how many kg your teenager weights by dividing her weight in pounds by 2.2. For example, if your 13-year-old weighs 100 lbs., she weighs 45.5 kg, and should consume about 45 g protein each day.The Centers for Disease Control recommends that 13-year-olds consume about 34 g protein each day, and 14- to 18-year-olds, about 46 g.

Special Considerations
A popular misconception is that girls who are athletes need a lot more protein than those who are not. Kids Health says that a teen athlete can get all of the protein she need through a healthy diet, and eating foods such as meat,poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, soy, nuts and legumes.

Sources
If your daughter eats a 3 oz. portion of meat daily, she will consume about 21 g protein. A cup of milk has 8 g protein, and a cup of yogurt has 11 g. protein.One cup of dried beans contains 16 g protein. For better heart health, she should avoid saturated fats when possible. Encourage your teen to choose low-fat dairy products and leaner sources of protein, such as fish, poultry,legumes and lean cuts of milk.

Warnings
Eating a high-protein diet can be detrimental to your teenager's health. Too much protein can cause kidney problems, dehydration and calcium loss. Tell your daughter about these dangers and ask her to avoid high-protein shakes, powders and other protein supplements unless her doctor recommends them. In addition to potentially providing her with too much protein, they may make her less hungry for other foods containing nutrients that she needs.


Read more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/458281-how-much-protein-per-day-for-a-teenage-girl/#ixzz1wT9jIYIp


IRON Will Help Fight Off Fatigue
Sources: Hot or cold cereal, nuts,seeds, red meat, and oat and wheat bran.


Carbohydrates
Try these five quick tips for adding good carbs to your diet:
1. Start the day with whole grains. Try a hot cereal, like steel cut oats, or a cold cereal that lists a whole grain first on the ingredients list.
2. Use whole grain breads for lunch or snacks. Confused about how to find a whole-grain bread? Look for bread that lists as the first ingredient whole wheat, whole rye, or some other whole grain —and even better, one that is made with only whole grains, such as 100 percent whole wheat bread.
3. Bag the potatoes. Instead, try brown rice, bulgur, wheat berries, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, or another whole grain with your dinner.
4. Choose whole fruit instead of juice. An orange has two times as much fiber and half as much sugar as a 12-ounce glass of orange juice.
5. Bring on the beans. Beans are an excellent source of slowly digested carbohydrates as well as a great source of protein.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/

Click Here to Learn About Our Athlete Assessment Process for Remote Athletes

Tournament Eating Guide

Night Before: Eat something heavy with a lot of carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice) with a lean protein like chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef and water to drink.

Game day morning: You must eat breakfast. Some type of bread and protein like eggs,turkey, ham, bacon, or peanut butter. Eat within two hours of the first game.  Drink water, milk, or A LITTLE caffeine to wake you up like coffee, 8 ounces or less of soda, or hot tea but NO ENERGY DRINKS.

During games: Drink 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes or 1 bottle of water per game. No soda, Gatorade, sweet tea, or juice as far as drinks go. Only food allowed is fruit, vegetables, or something containing protein (pb&j, pb crackers,snickers bar, granola bars) but no candy or fried foods.

Between Games: No Asian, Mexican, or pasta; nothing heavy or high in carbohydrates.Stick to sandwiches, subs, salads, burgers, and chicken nuggets. Avoid fried foods as much as possible. Drink sports drinks or water only. No soda, sweet tea or juice.  You should be eating something every 2 hours. 

()@) Courtney 

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