A properly fueled teenage athlete is happier, stronger, faster, more energetic and ready to compete!
Through my program, teen athletes:
Create and master an optimal fueling strategy based on age and size, training regime, and unique sport
Avoid the 3 most common mistakes made by young athletes (...and their parents!)
Learn about key nutrients that are essential to fueling for practice, training, competition, or in/off-season
Learn how to effectively balance macronutrients and micronutrients to enhance strength, endurance, and recovery based on specific needs
Create a plan for meal timing whether training, competing, or fueling for a multi-day tournament
Hydrate effectively and learn about the critical roles of electrolytes and water
Confidently choose foods that will enhance performance and end the cycle of under-fueling and under-performing
Learn how to use nutrient-dense food to prevent illness and rehab from injury
Did you know that...
Adolescence is the second most rapid period of growth (after infancy). What your teen eats (...or fails to eat) sets them up for health outcomes through adulthood.
Teenagers are at a high risk of being malnourished with either many nutrient deficiencies or nutrient excesses.
Active teens have drastically different nutritional needs than adults.
Amy Rains holds a M.S. in Nutriition and is a self-proclaimed "foodie". She is a college professor of Human Nutrition and has worked with hundreds of D1 NCAA college athletes with many nutrion-related concerns.
Nutrition Coach to D1 NCAA college athletes
PhD Student, Functional Nutrition
Recipe Developer and creator of Wholesomelicious.com
Busy Mom of two teenage athletes
Youth Baseball Coach
Why it’s so important to pay attention to your teen’s nutrition:
Rapid growth spurts. Rapid growth requires a significant increase in calories and essential nutrients to support the development of bones, muscles, and organs. Proper nutrition during peak growth spurts with the right balance of nutrients also helps to maximize building more muscle and strength to set them up for success in their sport.
Increased Physical Activity from sports: the combination of growth spurts and demands of training from sports often increases calorie needs that can be twice as much as most adults!
Mood swings: while mood swings are a normal part of adolescent hormonal changes, nutrition plays a huge role in how your teen manages emotional stability. Properly fueling throughout the day can prevent low blood sugar and irritability, and paying attention to eating the right types of protein to enhance neurotransmitter production is also key! Teens who are also going through anxiety or depression are typically low in crucial micronutrients or have an imbalance of gut bacteria that can all be helped with proper nutrition.
Bone health: adolescence is the key age where bone health is set up for life! If your teen is not consuming the right foods during these years, they are much more at risk for stress fractures or osteopenia and osteoporosis at an early age. In most cases, you can’t get back what you didn’t build during these years!
As teens go through puberty, their bodies are undergoing significant metabolic changes, making it harder to predict exactly what they need. They may experience fluctuations in appetite or energy levels. A lack of essential nutrients and poor eating habits can absolutely delay growth or result in weaker bones and muscles.
Immune system function: ever wonder why your teen is always sick or catching every illness that goes around? A poor diet will weaken the immune system making them more vulnerable to illness, infection, and injury. This can further affect their growth and development, but also cause more missed training days and competition for their sport.
