Castle Jill - Eat like a champion : performance nutrition for your young athlete

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Jill Castle, MS, RDN, CDN

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Castle, Jill, 1966

Eat like a champion : performance nutrition for your young athlete / Jill Castle, MS, RDN, CDN.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8144-3622-6 (pbk.) ISBN 0-8144-3622-6 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-8144-3623-3 (ebook) ISBN 0-8144-3623-4 (ebook) 1. AthletesNutrition. 2. Teenage athletesHealth and hygiene. I. Title.

TX361.A8C38 2015

613.711dc23 2015002871

2015 Jill Castle.

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Printed in the United States of America.

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Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Gracie, Madeline, Caroline, and Ben:

May you always stay connected to the young athlete who lives inside you.

A book like this doesnt happen by itself. Id like to thank the many friends, colleagues, and family members who helped me along the way:

To my husband, Jon, who let me set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. most days of the week, and who was ready to be the primary parent when needed. Your unending support and understanding keeps me going.

To my dad, who sparked my interest in nutrition.

To my outstanding research assistant, Leigh Delavan, RD, for her help with this project.

To my registered dietitian colleagues and my family and friends who kindly read portions of this book during its writing. To the dietitians, research experts, and professional athletes who graciously gave their opinions and expertise, and provided quotations used in this book.

And, last, thanks to my terrific agent, Lauren Galit of LKG Agency, who helped make this book a reality, along with Bob Nirkind and the staff at AMACOM Books, who provided guidance and support along the way.

Young athletes need skills, training, mental preparation, and nutrition. Success doesnt happen when you leave out any one of these.

Yan Vengerovskiy, head coach and cofounder, Maritime Rowing Club/New Canaan High School Crew

Sixteen-year-old Ethan, a rising tennis star, found himself in a progressive performance slump. Losing competitions and struggling to get through his regular training schedule, he mistakenly thought a shoulder injury was dragging him down. After months of physical therapy, he went to his pediatrician, who was alarmed by his lack of growth and sent him to me.

Ethan wasnt any taller than he had been at age 14, and his muscles hadnt filled out as expected. Ethan was putting in time and effort to train, day in and day out, including extra weekend lessons. His tennis plateau wasnt from a lack of effort or an insufficient drive to win. It stemmed from a poor diet. Ethan wasnt eating enough, or nutritiously enough, particularly considering the grueling workout he put in each day.

He was skipping breakfast many mornings, eating a protein bar for lunch, and often turning up late for practice after school, when he would eat another protein baror not. Ethan usually felt sick to his stomach and fatigued after practice, so when he got home he didnt want to eat dinner. Instead, he ate late at night, after his homework was done and he had showered and relaxed a bit, while talking with his friends on the phone. Then he ate his favorite foods: a whole pizza or a submarine sandwich and chips.

Ethan was making the mistake many young athletes make. He was missing one of the main ingredients for athletic success: solid nutrition. Unfortunately, Ethans nutrition had been poor for years, and as a result, he wasnt as tall or as muscular as he wanted to be. Ethan needed a big dose of sports nutritionnot only for his athletic endeavors, but for improved growth and his overall health.

Together, we worked to build a solid nutrition plan, which gave him more calories, nutrients, and fluids, balanced throughout his day. I built more structure and timing into his meals and snacks; asked his mom to have a healthy dinner ready when he returned home from practice; and encouraged Ethan to dump the late-night junk foods. I wanted him to make sure he ate breakfast before he left for school, as this would not only interrupt his overnight fast but set the appetite hormones in motion and nourish his body. Packing healthy snacks in his duffel was critical, as he needed to stay on top of eating all day long, not just as an afterthought or when he felt hungry. I also laid out a hydration plan, gave him tips for boosting calories on tournament weekends, and taught him about the role of food in fueling athletic performance.

Eventually, Ethan overcame his tennis plateau, improved his game, gained muscle weight, and had the resources and knowledge to be motivated to eat for both sport and health.

In this book, I will provide a broad background of knowledge for parents of young athletes like Ethan. Ill share information on how and what to eat for optimal athletic performance, showcase the dangers of nutritional imbalances, poor food choices, and improper timing of meals and snacks, and offer insight on how to manage the athlete nutritionally given the challenges that may arise during the childhood and adolescent years. Along the way, Ill try to correct misunderstandings about the relationship of food and eating to optimal athletic performance.