Page 3 - ROOT by Brock January February 22

FitneSS FOCus: FUELING FOR SPORTS
Nutrition and hydration are important in and electrolytes. Drinking fluids with
our everyday lives and even more essential electrolytes like a pediatric electrolyte drink
when athletes play sports. Athletes have or small sips of a sports drink mixed with
additional nutrition requirements due to water is acceptable. If you have time to
the usually rigorous training and game snack during a long game, try these foods:
schedules during the season.
• Banana
The easiest way to break down how to • Raisins
fuel the body for sports is to think of it in
three stages: pre-game, during the game, • Low-fat yogurt tube
and post-game. Each of these stages has AFTER THE GAME: Following the
different nutrition requirements and game, the focus should be on replenishing
recommendations to meet athletes needs. and repairing your muscles.
PRE-GAME: Carbohydrates are the It is important to continue to hydrate,
body’s primary energy source and help replenish electrolytes, and eat easily-
support those bursts of activity during digested proteins.
game time. You will want to include foods Try to eat a balanced small meal or snack
that contain some protein before the within an hour of finishing the game.
game to help repair muscles following the Foods to include are: ask the rdN:
game. Be sure to drink at least 32 ounces
of water before game time to ensure good • Low-fat chocolate milk and a piece of WHAT ON EARTH ARE SPROUTED
hydration during the game. Here are some fruit GRAINS?
foods to try: • Smoothie made with yogurt, berries, A sprouted whole grain contains ALL of
• Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and oats the original seed, the bran, the germ, the
endosperm, and the grain. Because sprouted
• An apple with peanut or almond butter • Nut butter and jelly sandwich grains are still living, the nutrient makeup of
• Mini whole-grain bagel with nut butter • Trail mix with seeds, nuts, and dried the food changes, and the nutrients are more
fruits available during digestion. These are found
• Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fruit
Source: in your grocery store's refrigerator or freezer
DURING THE GAME: Most game section because sprouting grains is scientific
times are over an hour, and the activity https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/ and delicate. They are also available in flour
is usually intense. During game time, specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine- form at your local health food store.
the main focus should be on consistent articles/fueling-and-hydrating-before-
hydration and replenishing glycogen stores during-and-after-exercise IF SOMETHING IS LOW CARB, DOES
IT MAKE IT A HEALTHY OPTION?
Generally, when something is labeled a low
carb item, it can mean one of two things.
Either it is a low carbohydrate normally, or
processing, sweeteners, and preservatives
make it a low carb choice. For example,
meats and vegetables contain little to no
carbohydrates naturally. In general, watching
added sugars and refined carbohydrates
is important to keep your body healthy,
but trading carbohydrates for sweeteners
is not the best idea. Watching portions of
foods containing whole grains or complex
carbohydrates is better for you in the long run
instead of choosing the low carb alternatives.
Have a question? Send it to
eathealthy@brockco.com