The body is constantly building and replacing cells, millions each day! It needs a steady supply of supportive nutrients to build healthy cells and fuel steady energy. Everyone should eat a supportive meal every 3 to 3 ½ hours. This is what works to fuel the human machine for peak performance.

Visually equal proportions of a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate, and a fibrous carbohydrate should be eaten with each meal.

Generally come from things with eyes such as; turkey, chicken and eggs, lean beef or pork, fish, or dairy products.

These are higher glycemic (higher sugar) carbohydrates that fuel energy. The best choices are vegetables that grow below ground; potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots or grains such as oatmeal, corn, or brown rice.

Most above ground vegetables are great fibrous carbohydrates that provide fiber for good digestive function and most of the vitamins and minerals any healthy body needs. Eat a wide variety of colors of vegetables; different color veggies have different nutrients, for example: red bell pepper and green beans.

Fruits are great sources of valuable nutrients and many are high in fiber, but most fruits are also high in sugar and should be eaten in moderation and only in combination with protein to slow absorption and reduce insulin response within the body.

The foods that make up supportive meals are not made by mythical elves in trees and do not come in brightly colored boxes or plastic packages. The foods you chose should be organic if possible and always as unprocessed and natural as possible. Shop often and around the perimeter of the grocery store, that’s where you’ll find the fresh produce, meats, and dairy products.

Not all carbohydrates are created equal; white bread, instant rice, packaged dinners, candy, cakes and cookies, should be avoided.

Allow the appetite to determine how large meals are, but keep the proportions equal and try to make the schedule routine. Eat until you’re not hungry. If you’re hungry in less than three hours, you’ll need larger meals. If you’re still full and it’s time to eat, make smaller meals. It’ll only take a few days to figure this out and you can do it!

Water. Lots of water! We were designed to drink water and need a good amount each day for a healthy body and optimal performance.

Take body weight and divide by 2. Everyone should have at least that number in ounces of clean water each day. Any other drink option is less supportive than water and many common choices can be very detrimental to health and performance.

Sports drinks such as Gatorade and PowerAde have application for athletes in endurance sports or for those engaged in long duration practices (hours of intense exercise). There is also a place for these high glycemic mixes in a well designed supplement schedule around intense exercise and when a high insulin response is desired such as for body building.

But, a 10 year old softball player does not need 35 grams of sugar water loaded with artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives she can’t pronounce. Sports drinks in these applications are not needed and are detrimental to general health, mental focus, and athletic performance.

If presented with a choice of no nutrients or a bar, we’ll choose the bar, but given the choice of natural foods or a bar and we’ll choice whole foods every time! Bars are highly processed, most are filled with chemicals, and are high in fat and high in sugar.

Again, given a choice we’d chose real food, but supplement powders do have a time and place of value. 20-25 grams of high quality protein can be mixed and eaten quickly and conveniently this way. This could be a great choice for between games of a tournament when time and logistics make for limited options and high levels of athletic performance are desired.

Drinking a protein shake on the way to a post-game ice cream binge could also be a great use of a supplement. The protein would provide good cell building blocks, slow sugar digestion, and increase the feeling of satiety to reduce overeating. Eating supportively is easy and the benefits both in the short term and over a lifetime are too numerous to list. A little effort to teach young people healthy eating habits will reward both coaches and parents with better health, better attitudes, better focus, and improved performance in all areas of their lives not just on the playing field.