My two girls (and husband) are starting track next week. Practice is four days a week for one hour at 6pm with meets on Sats. I know I will need to feed them well before practice and then again after as I have a feeling they are gonna be STARVING! But what should I feed them to fill them, give them energy, but not cramps and upset tummy? I'm planning my shopping today so advice and ideas would make my day!!!
Also, they are lean girls, my husband was the same as a kid and he ran too; he told me he would sometimes become anemic because of it. I would really like to avoid that!!! Advise!!!!!!
****I'm getting lots of good suggestions....and I'm taking from it that I SHOULDN'T feed them a meal even an hour before practice. Waiting until 7-7:30 for dinner will be tough. Should I feed them a full meal at say 3pm after school. Then snacks an hour before practice then another small meal/large snack after with Daddy? This is all new for me and I really appreciate the experienced advice.*****************
I ran track when I was younger. My parents made me eat lots of carbs the night before a meet. So there were many spaghetti nights. Also the morning of the races it would be waffles.
Hi- haven't read through the responses but have a snack idea. I would feed them a hearty snack after school to give them energy for practice and then a nice dinner afterwards. Protein is the best power food for workouts. A great choice is bananas and peanut butter. Bananas have sustainability. You don't have to give them just a bananas slathered in peanut butter. You can make a creative wrap using a whole wheat flat bread (I use the brand Flat Out) I smear it with peanut butter, put slices of a banana all over and roll up. Eat like that or cut into pretty slices. you can also drizzle a little honey over it or add in some granola to jazz it up if they want it a little more sweet or have some crunch. A healthy fruit smoothie with non-fat yogurt is great but add a touch of protein powder to the drink. Pour in a fancy cup, let them eat it with a spoon and maybe even sprinkle some granola on top to add some fun crunch.
Before running: banana bread, bananas, oranges, cheese, oatmeal bars, nuts, gatorade, bowl of cereal a good hour before.
Afterwards a healthy, balanced meal with fresh vegetables, complex carb protein. Make sure to eat red meat a few times a week for healthy iron/hemoglobin levels, since your husband already knows he can be anemic.
Hard boiled eggs, bananas, trail mix, Cliff Bars, oatmeal.
A busy family schedule is all too common. Thank you for knowing food is so important. I have specific recommendations for young athletes, however I am not allowed to post it here. I will send you a private mail with my suggestions.
In the mean time, a quality whey protein after a work out will ensure optimal success. (I will send you info on protein bars and shakes that are the best).
A high quality energy drink, natural with electrolytes and B vitamins is also crucial. NO PRESERVATIVES. NO COLOUR, the body is "susceptible" during and after a workout, keep it real. I'll send that email now.
B.
Family Success Coach
Granola, nuts, make sure to give them protein. It is filling but not too heavy for their tummy's.
I'm an adult runner, but a lot of things I have eat are great things for helping with recovery, keeping full, and are healthy. Keep a lot of healthy snacks around, they will need a lot of those as well.
Avocados, berries, any kind of fruit, dark green leafy vegetables and salads (the dark greens have a lot of carbs, which are important for runners, an extra source instead of just grains), fish, nuts, yogurt, and whole grains - bread, pasta, oatmeal, quinoa. Granola bars and trail mix can be great as well, but read the ingredients carefully, you don't want a huge amount of sugar or extra unpronounceable stuff, and not too much of those. These are all healthy things with specific nutrients that runners or people really working out need extra of.
Pretty much anything simple and natural (as in it comes straight off the tree or plant) is great. A lot of the things I listed above work great as snacks you can carry around, or things you can easily add to a meal. Also, make sure they get enough iron, a little red meat each week will work, and veggies (broccoli and spinach), etc.
*Right, it is not about how "big" their meal/snacks are. Merely that they have fuel in their body. But don't feed them a heavy/big meal right before then. The body needs about 1 hour to digest.
After practice just let them have a banana/liquids. Just to momentarily hold them over to dinner time. For the car ride back home.
Bananas
Nuts (if they are not allergic)
Of course have liquids handy. Not juice.
Fruits
Boiled eggs
I was a runner. Cross country and track.
Just don't feed them anything that is heavy... but will provide energy and not sit in their stomachs. Thus, fruits and nuts.
Bananas are good for the potassium/muscles.
Feed them about 1 hour before, practice.
If feeding them too close to their practice time, they will get side-aches.
Don't think about feeding them ALL at one time ALL at 1-hour before practice. Feed, them, even in 2 hours beforehand, 3 h ours before hand etc. Staggering it. Not all at one time.
For example: my daughter takes Karate in the evenings. From the time she comes home from school, I feed her a 'lunch.' She eats that. Then 1 hour later, she gets hungry again. She eats fruit, or a cheese sandwich. Then 1 hour after that, she eats a fruit/drinks milk. So... by the time of her Karate class (which is 1.5 hours long at night), she is by then, 'full' of energy foods. In her system. Not it being eaten/in her system ALL at only 1 hour prior to her class. It is staggered, eating. Up until then. Thereby, the body properly loads up, on energy foods, and processes it, in a more gradual way. Not all at one time. Athletes, do this too.
Keep, a little cooler/ice-chest in your car/trunk.
For AFTER, their practice, have these same foods in it.
So thus, it won't spoil their dinner appetite, but it will be enough to hold them over on the ride home.
Its not so much that they need a large meal, they need what will be used as energy. Usually a day before a meet carbs, lean proteins & a balanced diet during the week. I would also ask your pediatrician about their diet and ways to avoid enemia. Perhaps a multivitamin would be appropriate aswell.
As a former athlete I know that this can be challenging! I was a gymnast for years and when I was about 10, I was at the gym from 4 to 9 every week night. When I was older I was a swimmer and a diver so I was always training for something. I didn't have much choice but to basically shove a snack down on the way to practice (school got out at 3 so there wasn't a lot of relaxing time in between). Then I would have dinner at home late or eat something on the way home. Because your kids are still so young- my kids still go to bed really early- I think I would try like you were thinking and have dinner before ( I would think 4 would be plenty early). Another thought would be to have their meals in more of a snack style so they can "graze" before and after that way they are never really full before practice but they have gotten some energy and nutrition and don't have to wait for dinner or eat too early if they aren't ready. Good foods for that would be veggies and dip (broccoli is great for iron), lot of fruits and even sandwiches that they could eat half before and half after. I think the most important thing will be getting used to the schedule and seeing if they are sensitive- I used to be able to eat a meal right before practice and it never bothered me unless I really over ate.
Good luck figuring it out- you are doing a wonderful thing for your kids by getting them involved in sports this young!
You may need to experiment for a little bit. Everyone is different. Some people do great running on an empty stomach, some do not. An hr or so before their workout you could try a protein and healthy carb - for example some lean turkey and an apple. or any lean meat and veggie/fruit. You could even add a healthy fat a spoonful of nut butter (almond butter, etc.) or a few slices of avocado. The leaner one is the more healthy fats they can have and keep in mind - fat does not make you fat unless you are really overweight and eat too much of it. So nuts like almonds and walnuts are great as snacks. An apple or similar along with some nuts and a lean protein would be a great post workout snack - eat w/in 30min of completing workout to help with muscle recovery.
Also - water. You don't want them to get dehydrated, especially once the weather warms up. I drink water and on longer runs I drink http://www.vitalyte.com/ you can find it at REI or The Running Center or online. It's much better for you than Gatorade or any other "fitness" drink that is usually loaded with junk.
