Maggie Dion, RejuvInnate Nutrition

In general, what do you consider to be a healthy nutrition plan?
There are three main considerations that young athletes should keep top of mind. First, they should focus on consuming a diet primarily composed of whole foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, animal protein, seafood, nuts and seeds. Secondly, kids should ideally eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. This is the difference between eating strawberries and a pastry filled with strawberry jelly. Lastly, emphasis should be placed on mixing up the specific foods they eat on a weekly basis to help diversify the nutrients and vitamins they consume.

Is it advisable to place focus on what to eat or what not to eat?
When discussing food with kids, it is important to foster a positive relationship with food and their bodies. Many times we fall into the trap of labeling a specific food as good or bad. This can lead to negative feelings and guilt when consuming a "bad food." Or even worse, can draw attention to their body image at a young age. Instead, I encourage parents to talk about food in terms of what the food can help their bodies do. Eating high quality whole foods floods their bodies with nutrients that help them grow up healthy and strong. Explain that this means that they can avoid getting sick, while excelling in school and sports. 

How do you talk to kids about nutrition?
Frame nutrition conversations in a way that is meaningful to kids and young athletes. Performing well in their sport resonates with most athletes. It can be a great motivator for helping them make healthy decisions. For example ask them, "When you are playing hockey, do you want to skate fast, have energy for your whole shift, and make quick decisions that help your team win? OR do you want to feel slow, tired and have trouble remembering plays?" You can then explain that eating healthy foods will help them play their best. In contrast, processed sugary, chemical laden junk foods will negatively impact their performance. When you speak their language, kids are likely to make a positive food choice on their own. This is far more effective than demanding they finish the veggies on their plate. Plus, they will be less likely to reach for processed sweets when you aren't watching over them.

What about the timing of food and hydration??
It's best to eat about an hour prior to a game or practice. This will allow enough time for the food to digest before jumping on the ice or field. Having a substantial meal or snack that consists of a clean protein, complex carbohydrate and healthy fat should provide sustained energy throughout the game without slowing down your athlete.  Another reason for eating at least an hour prior to game time is to allow sufficient time for hydration. I recommend pausing drinking 30 minute following food to allow time for the body to digest and absorb the nutrients. The 30 minutes prior to the team warm up is a good time to sip on water. But, make sure your athlete doesn't over do it with chugging water! This could result in cramping, acid reflux or burping throughout the game.

And what are the best types of foods - protein versus carbs or other?

When selecting meals or snacks prior to jumping on the ice or field, it's important to have a mix of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. This will help slow down the absorption of sugar for prolonged energy and satiety. This is simply the difference between eating an apple verse pairing the apple with a nut butter or sunbutter.

Some hockey parents talk about having 2 mini-dinners - one before and after practice? Is that a good strategy?
Pre-activity fuel and post practice recovery are both important. Prior to practice you'll want to prioritize complex carbohydrates and foods rich in b-vitamins.
For recovery, we want to prioritize foods that will help reduce inflammation, repair muscles, restore glycogen and re-energize the body. Foods rich in amino acids, b-vitamins, magnesium, or antioxidants such as glutathione and Coenzyme Q10 are ideal. A quick Google search can pull up recommendations for how to use food as medicine to get in these nutrients. 

Thoughts on energy drinks? Are they always a no, or are there times when they are beneficial?
I never recommend energy drinks, especially for young athletes. Energy drinks tend to be full of caffeine, sugar, chemicals, artificial flavors, and food dye. None of these ingredients have a positive impact on the body. From an energy perspective, these processed drinks tend to cause a quick burst of energy and a very significant crash shortly after. Athletes are better off prioritizing high quality sleep and a balanced diet. This will allow them to have consistent energy without the inflammation and burden to their liver.

Action tips for busy families running around to practices and games? preparing and shopping etc?
Preparation is key when putting healthy meals on the table! When you are tight on time or running out the door for practice, you are going to go with what is easy and convenient. For many this ends up being packaged, premade meals and snacks that aren't the healthiest option. That said, you don't need to spend 8 hours on Sunday meal prepping in order to put healthy meals on the table. No one has time for that, especially with kids! I recommend taking a look at your calendar each week so you can plan for busy weeknights. If you know you won't get back from practice until 7:00pm, avoid planning an elaborate meal that takes an hour to cook. Instead, plan a meal that is quick and easy to make. Or even better, make something ahead of time. I love crockpot meals that allow you to dump the ingredients in the pot earlier in the day so you come home to a fully prepared balanced meal. 

Yvette Taylor, Queen of the Pantry

In general, what do you consider to be a healthy nutrition plan?

My food philosophy for all of my clients is whole foods first and a well-balanced approach to filling your plate, regardless of age ranges or any preferences/restrictions.  To define it further I am a big fan of a Mediterranean style approach (generally) to nutrition which includes healthy fats (like avocados and olive oil), lots of plants (fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc), fish and lean animal protein (if an option). The Patriots player I cook for eats tons of veggies every day!

I feel it is important to choose the best quality available to you and pay attention to where your food is sourced from. This does not mean you need to buy the most expensive items, just compare brands and explore local options where possible.  One’s nutrition plan can be easily improved by making healthier swaps for food items they already like just from reading the food labels and ingredients lists.  Or even better, making some of these foods at home from scratch.

Is it advisable to place focus on what to eat or what not to eat?

Excellent topic!  I get lots of requests around this especially when someone, or a family member, is newly diagnosed with a food allergy, celiac, heart disease, diabetes, etc. The flip side can be a new diet trend (or fad diets) that people want to try.  While it is completely understandable that the focus lies on the “foods to eliminate” or the “bad foods”, I try to diffuse this up front.  Of course it depends on the individual situation, but if I or my team are going to be cooking for you, we always circle back to the basis of the plate and start there – whole foods with lots of variety (whether it is plant-based or not). If I have the opportunity, I try to help education them in not blindly eliminating an entire food group without really understanding what that means.

It is too easy for someone to get overwhelmed by a food or food group they can no longer eat (even temporarily). It can also be a real challenge for meal planning and preparation especially when there is an illness involved.  I fully understand this and always try to highlight the benefits of the healthy foods they CAN have and build from there.

How do you talk to kids about nutrition?

My approach for kids is to make it fun.  To play with their food!  Kids are visual learners and love to get their hands involved so whether its cooking classes that work nutritional benefits in, or planting a garden, I feel they benefit from the overall process. Having taught countless kids cooking classes over the years (ages ranging from 5 – young adults) they really get excited about the final result and are interested in learning more about, or eating, certain types of foods.

Specific Needs of Athletes:

What are some nutritional considerations for competitive youth athletes?

Physical energy requires balanced nutrition regardless of the sport.  Optimal nutrition ensures healthy recovery time and impacts future performance. So staying on top of good quality calorie intake overall helps make sure their energy needs are met. In other words, back to whole food nutrition and nutrient rich choices.

What is an example of how nutrition can directly impact performance in a positive or negative way?

Nutrition includes hydration. If a youth athlete is not properly hydrated they won’t perform at their best.  Keeping water-rich fruits and veggies in their overall diet can help prevent headaches, cramps and crashes due to hydration.  Some of my favorite foods for this would be watermelon (as a snack, in salads, juices, popsicles, etc), cucumber, celery, lettuces, tomatoes, spinach…  Lots of people think hydration is just drinking water, but we need minerals and natural electrolytes which are found in lots of delicious foods!

What about the timing of food and hydration? How soon before games should they eat? And what are the best types of foods - protein versus carbs or other?

This largely depends on the individual as well as the type and duration of the sport.  For my clients who have young athletes I help them to have homemade, nutrient rich snacks that they can easily grab at any time.  Pre-game choices could be something as simple as a banana, but having healthy banana muffins or a granola bar with some protein and fat in it can be a great pre-post workout snack to help with recovery and replenishment. 

Some popular snacks we make are energy bites that may include peanut butter or a seed butter combined with oats.  Less than an hour before may be a simple quick-digesting carb like a banana or pretzels.  I try to keep the ingredient list simple for these types of fuel so they don’t create any digestive upset. For example, I love using flax and chia seeds in general for healthy snacks and baked goods.  But I will omit or only use a small amount of the ground seeds to prevent cramping.  Both flax and chia are highly absorbent and the tolerance level varies greatly.

Lots of bars and packaged pre-workout snacks can include hidden ingredients that some kids are sensitive to (like sugar alcohols) and can be more difficult to digest or cause cramping. Knowing what foods work best for your athlete should be part of their training plan.

What about hydration? How much water and how soon before games?

Again this all depends on the individual but one rule of thumb is 1 oz fluid/10 lbs body weight 4 hours before an event or practice. As I mentioned previously, hydration is something to monitor constantly, not just prior, so incorporating hydrating foods into meals is a great way to help (think celery sticks + peanut butter, cucumber slices + yogurt).  

However, having water and electrolytes on hand if needed is a great plan.  Lots of kids love energy drinks which can be too much sugar before a game.  There is good reason drinks like Gatorade contain the sugar they do, but we can easily drink too much and possibly affect blood sugar.  If a game or event is longer than an hour then it is a great idea to have an electrolyte drink handy, if 2 hours or more getting some electrolytes in is strongly recommended.  

Some hockey parents talk about having 2 mini-dinners - one before and after practice? Is that a good strategy?

As a former figure skater I can certainly understand this! Hockey practices can be long and skating utilizes a great amount of energy including short bursts.  If their hockey player is hungry before practice then I think a mini-meal is great.  What that meal is depends on the individual. The meal after is excellent for recovery and replacing glycogen stores. Further, the three recovery stages are Refuel, Repair, Restore which include re-hydrating, this means continuing on with a balanced meal plan throughout the season.  

Thoughts on energy drinks? Are they always a no, or are there times when they are beneficial?

They can be extremely beneficial when utilized properly, but I wouldn’t drink them all day long or replace water. They are designed to replenish electrolytes and contain several carbohydrates that help facilitate absorption.  This isn’t something we need to drink constantly.  Other forms are gels or GU. Determining what type and how much truly benefits your athlete can help overall performance. 

Action tips for busy families running around to practices and games? preparing and shopping etc?

Planning - Planning is key! Have some healthy snacks on hand weekly to grab and go.  These could be energy bites, muffins, mini egg frittatas, etc.  Lots of these can easily be frozen so you can make big batches at once even just twice a month.

Shopping can be extremely time consuming especially for larger and busy families.  Delivery services can be helpful for some items to free up valuable time (like Instacart, Prime, Roche Bros or Wegman’s, etc).

Snack Drawer - Create a designated Snack Drawer (or two) in your refrigerator.  Use one drawer or compartment to keep grab-and-go snacks (yogurts, cheese sticks, fruit, veggie slices, etc). One or two specific compartments of the refrigerator where they know they can go to easily grab something they like.  This helps prevent things from getting lost and/or growing in the refrigerator. This has helped some of my clients prevent waste and determine which food items are worth replenishing.

Cooking and Kitchen Skills - Teaching your athletes to meal prep their favorite snack or meals gives them a sense of ownership over their entire strategy.  Get them in the kitchen cooking and prepping!  Doesn’t have to be fancy, some easy snack ideas are:

• Veggie sticks and slices (great way to use up extra veggies)

• Mini egg muffins – frittatas baked in muffins cups for easy grab and go individual servings

• Meatloaf muffins – Make your favorite meatball or meatloaf recipe and bake in muffin tins.  This would be a perfect pre-game mini meal!

• Granola bars with very simple ingredients

• Homemade yogurt parfait – layer a large, deep Pyrex dish with your favorite yogurt, granola and diced fruit including bananas.  Just scoop and serve from the fridge all week.

• Dice and freeze bananas to have on-hand for quick smoothies or protein shakes

• Sheet Pan Meals – Roast sliced chicken breast with lots of veggies seasoned with chili powder (peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc).  Serve in tortillas or on salads for the week

• Crockpot or Instant Pot meals