Dear Players and Parents s1

NUTRITION & HYDRATION GUIDELINES

Dear Players and Parents,

The Riverside Brookfield Coaching Staff is looking forward to the 2016 football season. The importance of taking care of your body has been stressed during the offseason strength and speed program. The results of our hard work have been monitored. Congratulations on your success, but don’t be satisfied.

More and more stress will be placed on how well you perform. To reach your highest potential, all of your body systems must be perfectly tuned. Nothing is more important to your well-being and ability to perform than good nutrition. Eating the right foods helps you maintain desirable body weight, stay physically fit, and establish optimum nerve-muscle reflexes. Without the right foods, even physical conditioning and expert coaching aren't enough to push you to your best. Good nutrition must be a key part of your training program if we are to succeed.

The following foods should be reduced and preferably eliminated from your diet due to their high fat or simple carbohydrate content. They include pop, crackers, bagels, processed meats, muffins, fried foods, corn, white rice, hot dogs, white bread, white pasta, and white potatoes.

Your probably wondering what is left to eat. Here is a list of better food choices to help your performance on and off the field.

Almonds Apples Asparagus Avocados Beans Bananas Berries

Broccoli Cantaloupe Celery Chicken Cottage Cheese Crab Cucumbers

Eggs Fish Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Kiwi Lobster Mussels

Nectarines Oatmeal Olive Oil Onions Peaches Pears Peppers

Pecans Plums Shrimp Soybeans Tomatoes Turkey Yogurt (low sugar)

Oranges Peanut Butter

The most important meals of the day are breakfast and the pre bedtime meal. These will be the ones that keep you from losing weight and muscle mass during the season. It is important to eat every 2-3 hours as well. Don’t skip meals.

Below are guidelines for Pregame Meals:

 Allow enough time for digestion. Eat the meal at least three hours before an event.  Choose a meal that's high in starch. Starch is easy to digest and helps steady the levels of blood sugar. Examples of complex starches include oatmeal, yams, and whole wheat pasta  Consume only moderate amounts of protein. Protein foods take longer to digest than starch. And high-protein meals may lead to increased urine production, which can add to dehydration.  Limit fats and oils. They take too long to digest.  Restrict sugary foods. Sweets can cause rapid energy swings in blood sugar levels and result in low blood sugar and less energy.  Avoid foods and drinks that contain caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the body to increase urine output, which can contribute to dehydration problems, and a full bladder can be very uncomfortable.

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 Watch out for foods that produce gas. Certain raw vegetables, fruits, or beans may cause problems for some young athletes. Be aware of the foods that cause you problems, and avoid them just before an event.  Within these guidelines, chose foods you like to eat.  Remember to drink plenty of fluids with your pregame meal.

HYDRATION

How much is enough?

Athletes should drink at least 3.7 liters daily, which is the minimum recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and up to 10 liters to

match losses. Unless weight gain is desired, the fluids used should be low in sugar.

Before practice, athletes need about 16 to 24 ounces (2 to 3 cups) of water, two to three hours before training and games. While on the

sidelines and in the locker room, players should drink at least 8 to10 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes, or more if they sweat heavily. After

training, replenish with at least 64 ounces (8 cups) fluid, and even up to 1 ½ times that amount (96 ounces) to be completely rehydrated.

Beverages that are cooler than room temperature are absorbed best, since they move throughout the bloodstream to the muscles faster.

Fluids that taste good are also more likely to be consumed, so find your favorite and drink up!

After practice, replacing fluids at a rate of 1 to 1.5 times the amount lost, or about 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound lost at practice

is critical to remaining hydrated.

The above guidelines are simply that, guidelines. The information is useful data supported by sports medicine specialists but in no way is it supposed to completely replace current dietary habits. It is OK to have a “fat day” where you may have those higher fats and simple carbs. Also, changing bad habits takes time and requires a group/ family effort. Good things come out of hard work. Maximizing the physical and mental performance of these student athletes’ is our goal. Let’s work together.

Brendan Curtin

Head Football Coach

Riverside Brookfield High School [email protected]