High energy levels are the result of good eating and exercise habits. If
you don't pay attention to either of these factors, your performance can
suffer. Keeping Energy Levels Up will help you plan a diet for a winning
performance. Eating a balanced diet that has plenty of starch keeps muscle
energy up. Many young athletes eat more foods high in protein instead, and
that's a mistake. A normal diet contains enough protein to support the added
muscle growth and development of a young athlete.
Going out for sports can easily increase the daily calorie needs of a teen
athlete by 2,000 or more. A teenage boy out for a sport like football or
basketball may consume 5,000 or more calories daily.
You usually burn more calories in a practice session than in actual
competition because more total work is usually done during practice.
However, the rate at which calories are burned for short periods of time may
be greater from short bursts of intense activity during competition.
Activity levels vary among sports as well as with the position played in a
sport. If an athlete who is in shape loses body weight during a competitive
season, it's a good indication that he or she isn't eating enough
energy-providing food. Young athletes should be weighed once a week
throughout the season to guard against unhealthy weight loss caused by
inadequate food intake.
Because of their rapid growth and development and higher levels of
physical activity, many teen athletes should eat the higher levels of
servings recommended from each food group--especially from the bread,
cereal, rice, and pasta group and the vegetable group. A 180-pound tight end
could easily eat eleven servings of breads/cereals and five servings of
vegetables daily. This athlete may even need more than the maximum servings
recommended. Eating the maximum number of servings recommended from all five
food groups provides about 3,000 calories. That's why large male athletes
involved in a vigorous sport like football or soccer will have to eat more
than the upper end of the recommended serving levels.
In no instance should you eat less than the minimum servings for any food
group. You need the minimum servings to supply a base level of essential
nutrients and calories required for good health. Consuming the minimum
servings listed in the Food Guide Pyramid will supply about 1,600 calories,
which is the minimum a teen girl should take in. Teen boys need at least
2,000 calories a day and thus need more than the minimums given.
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