Breakfast, Lunch, and a Snack Before Practice

We all have those days when we rush out of the house and forget to eat breakfast. Hopefully we have enough time to grab a piece of toast or a granola bar or something, but let’s face it, we sometimes have to leave the house in five minutes flat. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the teenage population who do have time for breakfast, don’t actually use that time to eat. They skip the meal.

Now, we all have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I’m not about to argue with that. Besides, I can barely go four hours without eating during the day; I’m not sure how I manage to go a full eight every night.

Regardless, imagine my shock when I found out that my high school teammates were not only skipping breakfast but were also skipping lunch because the cafeteria was too crowded. Several of the players were merely grabbing something from the vending machines minutes before practice started. When my coach found out about that, she immediately hired a nutritionist to talk to the program about how to properly fuel your body as an athlete. We had also fundraised enough from tournaments to be able to stock the volleyball cabinets with snack foods and such for healthy snacks before practice such as Luna Bars, fruit leather, and other foods.

One of the parents donated the small bowls of breakfast cereals from his work that his coworkers wouldn’t eat. My coach constantly had to stress just how important feeding your body was and the players on the team started to feel the difference in how they performed when they had properly fueled their bodies with protein filled breakfast, something with carbs for lunch, and then something besides red hot Cheetos for a snack before practice.

It can seem difficult to make sure you have lunch when you are in high school but it is essential. There are plenty of Pinterest posts about simple meals that you can fit in a Tupperware container that aren’t insanely expensive. Even if you’re just having a PB&J every day, it’s better than nothing and certainly better for you than school pizza.

If you have trouble eating in the morning, try to get at least a Luna bar or banana on your stomach, both are easy to grab and eat on the go. Be careful with granola bars though, there are many kinds that are simply sugar and don’t provide the protein or vitamins you need. Check out the organic section instead of the breakfast isle for a healthier selection of bars.

I’d love to hear how you kept yourself fed as an athlete during high school/college. Shoot me a comment!