Sports Nutrition 2: Maintaining Weight and Muscle Mass

Sports – so fun to have your kids play a sport.  Last week we noted that sports not only require skill but also fuel.  We noted how important it is to stay hydrated and how important carbs are to an athlete as carbs fuel the body.  What about maintaining weight?  Many teenagers lose weight when participating in sports as they not only need calories because they are growing, they need calories to fuel their sports activity.  A local basketball coach was alarmed when one of his players kept losing weight and lost 11 pounds over the basketball season.  And this was 11 pounds the teenager didn’t want to lose.  What are some ways an athlete can maintain their weight and muscle mass while playing sports?  What are some nutrition goals student athletes should focus on to “eat better, play better”?

1.       Maintaining Weight – Not surprising, maintaining weight involves calories.  Athletes, especially growing teenagers, need the calories for growth plus the calories to fuel their sport.  Focus on foods that are energy dense but also provide a lot of nutrients.
  •  Shakes – Instead of water or a glass of real milk with a meal, enjoy a shake.  Can be a milkshake, a protein shake or a smoothie.
  • Trail Mix – a great snack to add to your day.  Trail mix can provide lots of nutrients and lots of calories.  Look for trail mixes packed with dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and even chocolate.  Nuts are high in calories but are heart healthy as they provide the heart-healthy unsaturated fats.  Dried fruit can vary from raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, to dried mangos. Choose a mix that one likes.  But check out the calories and choose a mix that provides a good amount of calories for weight maintenance.   Kirkland has a trail mix providing 160 calories per 3 Tablespoons but there are many brands to choose from.
Snack on Trail Mix
  • Peanut Butter – add peanut butter to your morning toast or bagel, spread it on waffles, pancakes, apples.  Bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a mid-afternoon or pre-practice snack.  Spread some peanut butter on a granola bar.
  • Cheese – have the cheeseburger, have cheese and crackers as a snack, add cheese to your egg salad sandwich. 
  • Pudding – not as popular as it used to be but pudding provides nutrition as well as calories.  Top with some fruit or some whipping cream. 
  • Salads – think egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad – good nutrition and more calories than other salads.
  • 3 meals a day plus snacks, snacks, snacks.  Playing on a sports team is no time to be skipping breakfast or snacks.  Breakfast – think oatmeal, any General Mills cereal, fruit and peanut butter on a bagel.  Lunch- milkshake and a tuna salad sandwich, fruit.  Bring a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich or trail mix to eat before practice.  Think in terms of 3 meals plus some mini-meals as snacks throughout the day. 
  • Other ways to add calories:  Add an instant breakfast mix to your glass of milk, drink more juice.  Six cups of cranberry juice adds about 1,000 calories.  But drink real juice, not fake juice.  Snack on dried fruits, mixed nuts, or have a handful of seeds like sunflower seeds.  Enjoy some avocado dip on your veggies.

2.       Maintaining Muscle Mass – an athlete that is losing weight is not only losing fat but probably also losing muscle mass.  Yes, protein is needed but high quality protein. 
  • Dairy at meals and snacks – have a high quality protein at every meal.  Real cow's milk provides a high quality protein.  Add real milk to your meal or enjoy a glass of chocolate milk, a milkshake, a protein shake, Greek yogurt, pudding, or some ice cream.  If the lactose in milk is a concern, try Fa!rlife milk, lactose free milk, or soy milk.  Add Parmesan cheese to your spaghetti, cheese to your sandwich.  Have some cottage cheese and fruit as a snack.  Add dried fruit to the Greek yogurt to add more calories and nutrients. 
 
Chocolate Milk - a good source of protein
  • Lean protein – grilled, baked or roasted chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork are all quality protein choices.
  • Eggs – another high quality protein source.  Enjoy that egg salad sandwich with a slice of cheese.  Have some scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast or an omelet.  Enjoy some boiled eggs.  
Egg Salad Sandwich with Whole Wheat Bread

It is so important not to skip meals or snacks when playing sports.  Mangieri, who works with teen athletes , has advice for those who skip meals and snacks and head straight to practice or a game.  “You will feel weaker, tired, slower.”   WebMD recommends: “Keeping your body fueled with good food and plenty of fluids will help keep you playing at your best.”  If you know a student involved in some athletics, share this information with them.  Share this information with someone coaching student athletes.  Review some of the articles cited in this blog as all provide good and reliable information on nutrition and athletic performance.

Sources:  eat better, play better, Nuts, peanut butter, Fa!rlife milk, athletes , WebMD  Image Sources:  Chocolate Milk, Egg salad sandwich, Trail mix                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Classic Egg Salad Sandwich adapted from cooknshare.com
Ingredients
·         2 hard boiled eggs          
·         1 Tablespoon chopped celery
·         1 Teaspoon sweet pickle relish
·         ½ Teaspoon Dijon mustard
·         1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
·         3 Tablespoons Mayo
·         Salt and pepper to taste
·         Lettuce or spinach leaves or avocado or add a slice of cheese to your sandwich
·         2 pieces of bread – use whole wheat bread or whole wheat English Muffins for a nutrition boost

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