Nutrition guidelines for athletes:

Here are some quick tips to get you going and keep you going!  If you would like more specific help, please schedule a nutrition consultation appointment with us.  We would be excited to help. The cost is $75 for initial appointment and plan.

Quick tips:

1.  Best website for figuring out caloric needs as well as nutritional content of foods, individual daily protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements:

www.nutritiondata.com

At the end of the day it all comes down to calories taken in vs. calories burned = weight loss.

2. An active person needs to drink 1/2 their bodyweight in ounces per day. To determine the amount of water you require, take your current bodyweight and divide it in half. A 130 lb.  person needs to drink 65 ounces of water per day. If you stick to this rule, you will feel great!

3. Read labels! Choose foods that have ingredients that you can read. Also, avoid ingredients that are known offenders- there are a ton, but the big ones are:

trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, sugar,  hydrogenated oils, etc....

4. Choose nutrient dense foods. Examples are:

brown rice vs. white rice

home cooked oatmeal made with honey, dried fruit, nuts and 1% milk vs. packaged oatmeal like maple and brown sugar oatmeal which is basically sugar and oats.

Whole wheat pasta with lots of vegetables in light olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan vs. white pasta with alfredo sauce.

5. ALWAYS eat  breakfast!  Make sure to start your day with some protein and carbs. It has been proven that you will eat less later in the day if you start your day with breakfast!

6.  Finally, if you are trying to lose weight, start with baby steps. Choose one thing and give it your best shot. here are some ideas:

1. read labels and stop eating sugar.

2. do not eat after 8pm.

3. Limit your intake of alcohol. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, is high in sugar and is dehydrating to your system!

4. Treat your body like an athlete. Feed it foods that will benefit your energy level and keep you feeling strong and healthy!

Again, these are quick tips, if you would like more help, give us a call!