Nutritionist shares meal tips for high school football athletes

In addition to preparing for the game physically and mentally, high school football students must also get the right food to boost their performance. On her website, licensed nutritionist Wendi Irlbeck wrote what these players can consume for breakfast, during gameday, and when recovering from a workout or after a game.

Irlbeck suggested that for breakfast, high school football player can have hard-boiled eggs and apples, or greek yogurt and cherries. Athletes can also try a fruit smoothie with protein powder or whole grain protein waffles with blueberries. Players can also combine corepower protein shake and banana, or egg sandwich with grapes.

Irlbeck also shared that four hours before the game starts, high school football athletes must eat a full meal rich in carbohydrates and protein. She suggested some items like an egg bagel sandwich, greek yogurt fruit parfait, grilled chicken pita wrap, or turkey sandwich.

Two hours before the game or before training, it’s best to have a protein rich snack like a fruit bar, a protein bar, or pretzels. Then, having water or a sports drink an hour before the game helps players hydrate.

Meanwhile, for recovery nutrition, Irlbeck suggested having five servings of fruits and vegetables for muscle soreness reduction. To reduce muscle breakdown, she recommended having 25 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of activity, the so-called 25-50-30 rule.

In addition to these tips, Irlbeck noted that high school football players can benefit from drinking tart cherry juice after a game or a workout. She wrote, “Tart cherries are loaded with antioxidant anthocyanins, which act to reduce inflammation and share similar properties to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. Research has found improvements in fatigue post exercise and attenuated muscle damage and soreness with just 8 ounces of tart cherry juice.”