The Athlete’s Appetite

The Athlete’s Appetite


I was recently asked to speak to an elementary sports team about their eating habits. Healthy diet is healthy diet, so the recommendations don’t really change that much for athletes over anyone that wants to be healthy. Nevertheless, in preparation, I did look up some articles and editorials on the subject and found some dos and don’ts I’d like to share.


In an article titled, “9 Foods an Athlete Would Never Eat,” you can get most of the don’ts covered.  Number one on the list was soda. When you go back and review my article on high fructose corn syrup, you’ll know that it’s not helping; and the caffeine in soda will cause more dehydration placing an athlete at greater risk for injury. A study from Purdue University showed that diet sodas are probably even worse, because the artificial sweeteners in them trick the body and release more insulin which drives whatever sugar you have in your blood into fat storage instead of having it available for muscle activity.

Next on the list was canned soup because of the high sodium count and rice cakes due to their utter lack of nutrition and extremely high glycemic index. Likewise, cereal and white bread were targeted because of their high glycemic index and the resulting insulin effect. These foods are more likely to cause weight gain than enhance athletic performance. I was pleased to see microwave popcorn on the list as well. This snack is loaded with unhealthy fats and sodium as well as the toxin PFOA. This perfluorooctanoic acid lacing the popcorn bags is a known carcinogen and is the same bad chemical found in Teflon. The authors did note that if you pop the corn on a stove with a bit of coconut oil, you turn the snack into a sort of super-food loaded with antioxidants (from the coconut). The final food that athletes would never eat is granola. Even though granola contains more fiber and nutrients, just like the cereal and rice cakes, the glycemic index is too high.


So what should athletes (and all the rest of us) choose to eat? We all need healthy protein in the form of lean beef, chicken, fish, or eggs. There are numerous vegetarian sources of protein as well. As a rule, try to consume these about two hours before engaging in athletic activity. We all need healthy carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables. Some whole grains are acceptable for athletic activity as long as they have enough fiber in them, to slow down the sugar release. An English muffin is often recommended as an example. However, every article I found regarding fueling for an event was pushing the fruits. Strawberries, grapes, apples and the like provide instant energy and more electrolytes than a sports drink. Just try to limit the high glycemic fruits such as watermelon, pineapple, and cantaloupe. And don’t forget the healthy fats. You may not get your kids to choke down avocado or raw coconut oil, but you can give them some nuts or seeds to satisfy their fat needs.


Please understand that I’m aware of the rationale that “They’ve worked hard and they deserve it” or that “They’ll just go burn it off.” But, when you give your kid a burger, fries, and a coke before, after, or in between athletic events you are perpetuating a lie and setting them up for poor athletic performance, illness, and increased risk of injury. We all need to think of food simply as fuel and for the athlete who is more like a race car you want to put in the highest octane fuel you can provide!