The importance of eating healthy for teen athletes is more than evident as most teen athletes will put a lot of the extra calories and fat that they consume on their bodies. They will then go and become more mature and increase in size. This is why it is very important that they be taught the importance of eating healthy as a child so that they do not continue to abuse the body that they are in. Many teen athletes have a hard time gaining the needed weight to play college football or play high school baseball. This is when they are most in need of the proper guidance as to what it takes to gain weight and become stronger for their sport.
It is also very important that they understand how much protein they should be consuming as well. Most teen athletes do not take in enough protein and this is very detrimental to them. They will quickly begin to have muscle cramps and they may even have growth spurts. They can end up becoming injured and as a result, they will not be playing as hard as they could if they ate more healthily.
You may be asking yourself, why is it so important for a teen athlete to learn how to eat healthy? It is simply because so many teen athletes get injured and as a result, they do not put in the work that they could be putting in to stay injury-free. These athletes are the ones that can get a head start in life and with the proper guidance and instruction they can become the person that everyone wants to be around. As a parent, it is your job to make sure that they do not end up in this situation, and therefore the importance of eating healthy for teen athletes should always be remembered.
What is Meal Planning?
Simply put, meal planning means preparing healthy and nutritious meals ahead of time so that you can eat them during the week. This type of planning can be difficult at first, since eating healthy and nutritious foods are one of the hardest things to do. You have to be sure to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods from every meal group and avoid sticking to one particular food group like carbohydrates, fat, or protein.
If you have been following a typical American dinner of fast food and canned goods, you may find that you are slowly gaining weight. This is because you are not getting any nutritional value from the foods you eat, which makes you feel hungry throughout the day. In order to avoid this and get the most out of your meals, what you need to do is to plan out each night’s meal and prepare three healthy dishes based on the food groups listed above. Make sure you also include snacks in your meal planning, such as low-calorie ice creams or low-fat cookies. This will help to keep your body full throughout the evening and get you into the best possible ketosis.
What Are The Benefits Of Meal Planning?
As a parent, one of the things you ask yourself is, “what are the benefits of meal planning for my kids?” You do all kinds of things to make eating with your kids easier, from helping them with their homework, helping with school or soccer practice, to helping them with lunch. All these things you do, you can get done better if you know what kind of meal to serve, what kinds of snacks to serve, and how much time your family has to eat.1
One of the biggest benefits of meal planning, as you think about what your family needs and wants, is the fact that you will be able to keep track of what you are serving your family and figuring out what your nutritional needs are for the week. If you’re like most people, your meal plan might only consist of dinner and breakfast. Your dinner might come once every two days, and your breakfast maybe once every single day. This can lead to some problems, especially if you have someone in the family who is a bit heavy or unhealthy.2
With meal planning, you can create meal options that meet the nutritional needs of all the people in your family and are healthy as well. For example, you can make sure your teenage daughter doesn’t get a lot of milk in her meal because she might be allergic to cow’s milk. Or you can make sure your little boy doesn’t have too much cheese in his meal because he might prefer chicken or something healthier. The point of this article isn’t to tell you how to plan your meal plans; it’s to illustrate how important it is that you plan healthy and nutritious meals for your family. The more you teach your children about what a healthy meal looks like, and what it tastes like, the more likely they are to start thinking like your meals and eating them as well.
One of the other benefits of meal planning is that you will always know what you have in store for your family. Having meal options available for your kids and spouse ensures that they always have something healthy to eat at mealtime.3 This is very important, as most kids don’t seem to bother eating healthy meals unless there is an emergency. You also have to remember that when you get hungry, most kids pick up on what you are trying to say, so making meals that are interesting and fun will help you communicate better with your kids.
Creating healthy meal options is one thing, but making them taste good is another. Making a meal that is healthy and nutritious is only half of the battle. In order for your meal to be appealing to your family, you have to make sure it tastes good as well. This is where a meal planning guide comes into play. You want to choose a system that is easy to read, that has clear written instructions, and that includes everything that you need to know about preparing meal choices for your family. If you take the time to really focus on these items, you will be able to enjoy creating meal options for your family that everyone will enjoy.4
There are many other benefits of meal planning. However, these were just a few of the main ones. It is definitely true that creating a meal plan and following it regularly can do wonders for your health. So take some time and really think about what your family needs and look for a meal-planning guide that includes everything that you need to know. By doing this, you will have a meal plan that will help you enjoy preparing meals, and that everyone will enjoy.
Should Teen Athletes Plan Their Meals?
If you are a high school athlete, it is critical that you plan your meals when you play. Your coach knows how much you need to eat and what type of carbohydrates you should be consuming. But how should teen athletes plan their meals?
It is important to remember that teen athletes need more protein than other athletes because of the additional demands on their bodies. Whey proteins are best if you can find them and consider looking for a supplement that offers them instead of individual ingredients. Many coaches will also put together meal plans for a girls’ team based on their weight class, so this may be an option for you if you are looking to stick with a healthy diet. You could also get a meal plan from your trainer or other athletes to serve as a guide.
In the end, a teen athlete’s diet is just as important as his training. There are lots of great sources of healthy, low-calorie foods that are easy to find if you know where to look. There are also plenty of great supplements that can help you stay on track if meal planning for teen athletes is not your forte. Plan your teen athletes’ meal planning for success, and you’ll find that your kids look and feel better than ever! And, who doesn’t want to look and feel they’re very best during competition?
Image Credits
Cookist / Google Stock Images
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Healthy Food / Google Stock Images
1 “Health benefits of meal planning | Beaumont Health.” https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/health-benefits-of-meal-planning Accessed 27 Aug. 2021.
2 “Menu planning: Eat healthier and spend less – Mayo Clinic.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/menu-planning/art-20048199 Accessed 27 Aug. 2021.
3 “7 benefits of meal planning – Lite n Easy.” https://www.liteneasy.com.au/7-benefits-of-meal-planning/ Accessed 27 Aug. 2021.
4 “Benefits of a Meal Plan | Cook Smarts.” https://www.cooksmarts.com/cooking-guides/meal-planning-for-everyone/benefits-of-a-meal-plan/
Accessed 27 Aug. 2021.
