After School Nutrition for Athletes

For most athletes and parents, after school is a sprint. For the athletes who play multiple sports this is a year round issue. From one practice to a skill workout to a siblings event and then somewhere in there is supposed to be a workout and time for homework. We have noticed this puts athletes and parents in a bind trying to make healthy food choices on the go Part of becoming a better athlete is proper nutrition to help fuel optimal performance and also recovery. How are athletes snd parents supposed to include healthy eating on the go? Let’s go over some of the strategies that have worked well with our athletes. It might take a while for parents and families to catch their rhythm with this, but by even being aware of it everyone will be improving in their nutrition choices. Here are some tips to stay on top of after school nutrition to fuel a healthy and strong athlete. 

Overpack Lunch- Some lunch boxes have an extra bottom storage area where you can put additional ice bags and store more food. This will take some planning up front, but will help a lot in the long run as you can put an additional meal and snacks in depending on what the after school schedule looks like. Ideas for these items could be a sandwich with protein, vegetables on whole grain bread with a piece of fruit, carrots, and mixed nuts. This is a balance that help keep your athlete satiated and provide them energy. 

Leftover Dinner Meal - One of our clients told us that they will prepare a meal for their kid using last night’s dinner for them to eat right after school. Having it set and in a container so that all they have to do is throw it in the microwave when they get home. This is great when the kids will come home after school, but then shortly after have to leave for a practice. When you’re putting away everything at night, just set some meals aside in their own containers so they’ll be easier to access. Again, a little planing saves a lot of headache. 

Healthy Pick Up Food- If there were no left overs the night before or you couldn’t run home after school, have your places marked where you know you can grab a healthy sandwich on the go. Even at our local Kroger, you can always walk in and grab a pre made sandwich with protein and vegetables, a piece of fruit, and a healthy drink in a matter of a couple minutes. Knowing where these options are can help you out in a time pinch. Maybe not as healthy or as low cost, but better than hitting the fast food option with the shortest line. 

Crock Pot - Crock pot meals are a life saver. While everyone is busy running around from one sport to another practice the crock pot can do all the work with minimal input. Making checking, beef, and pork tacos are a super easy way to have a healthy meal to come home to instead of getting home only to realize there’s nothing to eat. We will always add vegetables in ours no matter what we’re making so we have a side dish also ready to go. 

Prep Vegetables and Fruit Weekly - Pick a day each week to dice up and separate all of your vegetables and fruit for the week. By doing this it saves time when putting meals together or creating healthy snacks on the go. Here is our weekly items that we prep in advance:

Peppers

Tomatos

Carrots

Potatoes

Onion

Garlic

Cucumbers

By having all these prepped and ready, it becomes very easy to finish our meals or put them together for snacks at lunch. 

There are a hundreds of things fighting for our time each day and if we aren’t actively looking on where we can save time, it becomes easy to lose it. This leads to feelings of overwhelm and constantly feeling behind. This is a never ending practice, but one that you can constantly modify as needed and by involving each person in the family, everyone feels like they get a say in it. Fueling youth athletes with their schedule is harder than ever, but by making an effort you’re giving yourself a chance to win each day. 

‍