Our country is facing a rise in obesity among our youth.  It is estimated that 17 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese.  To help combat this, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was created and implemented this past fall.  Yeah, I had no idea what this was until I read about it.  Because of this act, your athlete might not be getting the right amount of calories needed for energy.

For today’s post, we will focus on the caloric needs of high school athletes.  When I have athletes that want to address their nutrition, for the most part these athletes want to gain weight.  So, we try to devise and eating schedule based on their class schedule.  Obstacles come up obviously of not eating in the hallways or the classroom, so that leaves lunch to get a decent amount of your calories.  This is where the Act comes in.

The guidelines for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Understand that this Act was created to change around the rise in obesity.  They could care less about athletes getting enough energy.  Here is a quick-hitter of some of the guidelines:

  • Schools are required to serve both fruits and veggies daily.
  • Students must have one fruit and vegetable on their tray and can ask for seconds of both of these items.
  • By 2014, all grains offered must be whole grains.
  • By 2014, the maximum amount of sodium allowed in a high school lunch will be 740 milligrams (boy they’re going to have to do some serious number calculations to get under that number).
  • Flavored milks must be fat free and plain milk low fat.
  • The five components of a school meal will be meat/meat alternative, grains, fruits, veggies, and milk.
  • Here is the big key.  For high schoolers, their lunches will run between 750 and 850 calories.  The aim was to provide one third of a student’s daily caloric needs.

Personally, I think these parameters are great, but for athletes who need a whole lot of energy for their sport demands, this could be limiting.

How to get the right amount of calories in for your athlete.

It starts with breakfast.  Sleep is important, but for athletes you should get up a little bit earlier to get a quality breakfast in.  You need to get your engine fueled so the metabolism will start firing.

For athletes, a piece of toast won’t suffice.  Change that to a whole grain bagel with peanut butter, add some fruit, and 8 ounces of low-fat chocolate milk will start your day off right with a good mix of carbohydrates and protein.

You need to also get in some mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks.  Something that will be quick.  Maybe it is a peanut butter jelly sandwich, maybe it is a pre-made meal replacement shake that won’t spoil in your locker, or a couple of granola bars.  Whatever it is, you need to add these calorie boosters to your diet to get you to the next meal and keep your energy up.

Figuring out your caloric needs as an athlete.

If you are an athlete, you need to eat more than the average individual.  You are working out or practicing for 2 hours a pop.  That energy has to come from what you are eating.  To determine that number, you really need to talk with a sports dietician.  That goes beyond the scope of what this post is about.

Just remember though, that three squares a day for an athlete just isn’t going to cut it.  For example, I had an athlete who was a cross country runner at 105 pounds.  I have a metabolic machine and Dietmaster™ software that figured out she needed 2700 calories to maintain her energy levels and bodyweight.  A 285 pound football player needed to eat 3700 calories just to drop down to 275, have lower bodyfat, and have the right amount of energy for off-season lifting.

If you are a parent, I would be very happy with this Act.  It was created for the right purposes.  If you are a parent of an athlete, then you should start strategizing where and how you will get other calories in so that your athlete doesn’t bonk out on the playing field.

Photo Courtesy of USDAgov on Flickr