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4 Ways to Get Athletes More Fuel During Breakfast

  • November 1, 2024
  • Nutrition
EducatorsParents

Kristen Ziesmer headshot.Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, especially for busy athletes balancing sport, school, extracurriculars, and social activities. And unfortunately, breakfast is also an easy meal for athletes to skip, especially when the day starts with before-school practice or an early conditioning session. In other cases, your athlete may not have a large appetite in the morning, or won’t wake up early to make time for a seated breakfast.

Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, is sharing a few tips to help ensure that your athlete gets the nutrients that they need in the morning so that they avoid under-fueling.

 

Breakfast Basics

 

Why does breakfast matter for athletes?

While research has gone back and forth over the years when it comes to the importance of eating breakfast, for young athletes, it’s an important meal. “We have seen research that shows that kids who eat breakfast have better academic outcomes as well,” Ziesmer says.

Ziesmer explains that skipping breakfast, especially for an athlete who’s in a school environment, will typically mean that they’re unable to keep up with their caloric needs since their opportunities to eat are limited during the school day. If your athlete trains before school, they may not be able to eat another meal until lunch, which means not only are they training while under-fueled, but they’re also missing the chance to recover.

 

Make breakfast simple—but nutrient dense

“Ideally, an athlete is adjusting their bedtime to get adequate sleep while still waking up an hour before they have to leave the house so that they have ample time to actually eat something,” says Ziesmer. However, most young athletes don’t want to sit down and spend 30 minutes eating at the kitchen table in the morning—they’d rather get an extra 20 minutes of sleep and take their meals with them. If your athlete isn’t a morning person, that means pre-planning breakfast options that can be made ahead of time and eaten on the run.

Breakfast also shouldn’t be a bowl of sugary cereal with a non-dairy milk, or a pastry with a caffeinated drink, says Ziesmer. Often, the ‘quick grab’ breakfast options tend to be almost entirely made up of simple carbohydrates. While these carbohydrates are important, athletes also need protein and fiber in a healthy breakfast in order to boost recovery and feel satisfied throughout the day. Otherwise, they risk a quick boost of energy from a high-sugar breakfast followed by a crash.

 

Look for protein plus carbohydrates

“If you’re just getting carbohydrates, especially quick digesting carbohydrates, it’s not going to stay with you for very long,” says Ziesmer. “You’re going to start to feel low energy, maybe develop a headache, and will struggle to think straight. Adding protein helps avoid that.”

Even if you’re shopping for frozen breakfasts for your athlete, you can still find options that are more satisfying and healthy than others, says Ziesmer. “I generally recommend aiming for 20 to 25 grams of protein at each meal, so look for that on the nutrition labels as you’re shopping for breakfast options,” she says. “Often, there are options that are more protein-dense, whether you’re looking at boxes of pancake mix or frozen waffles or yogurt.”

 

Add fiber and healthy fats

Your base of protein and carbohydrates can be dressed up with extras, says Ziesmer. She likes adding a dollop of peanut or almond butter on top of most sweet breakfast options, from pancakes to smoothies, to add healthy fats. And she’ll add a side of berries or other fruit to increase the fiber and micronutrient content of the meal. For savory dishes, using olive oil to cook is a fast way to add healthy fat, and sneaking vegetables into any egg-based dish is a great way to boost fiber intake. The healthy fats and fiber aren’t just for taste: They help your athlete stay fuller for longer.

 

4 Quick and Healthy Breakfast Options

 

1. Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are a staple for Ziesmer. She recommends assembling single-serve jars of steel cut or rolled oats with your athlete’s preferred toppings, which can include nuts and seeds, dried fruit, apples, bananas, berries, nut butter, maple syrup, honey, and cinnamon. Store in the refrigerator if using fresh fruit. Each night, add water, milk, yogurt, or nut milk to one container, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. The oats will soften with the liquid, and in the morning, these overnight oats can be enjoyed cold or warmed up in the microwave.

 

2. Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast casserole in white dish with a piece cut out.Ziesmer’s go-to for athletes who prefer something savory in the morning is a breakfast casserole that can be easily dished out and warmed up in the microwave for a one-plate breakfast. Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with olive oil, then layer fresh or frozen shredded hash brown-style potatoes and chopped vegetables that your athlete likes in an omelet, like peppers, spinach, and onions. You can even add breakfast meat like ground sausage (or a tofu version) or black beans for added protein. Then, crack eggs over top. Ziesmer suggests at least two eggs per day, so for Monday to Friday, you would use 10 eggs total. You can also top it with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the eggs have set, and then cut into slices to use daily. You can also make these even easier as single-serve options by using a jumbo-size muffin tin. Again, your athlete can quickly warm this up and be on the road in minutes—with a full complement of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats.

 

3. Breakfast Smoothie

For an athlete who truly dislikes breakfast, a liquid option may be easier for them to stomach. Blending Greek yogurt, frozen berries, a banana, a scoop of peanut butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup with a sprinkle of cinnamon can be a simple, easy option for an athlete in a hurry.

 

4. Speedy Classic Breakfast

When her kids are craving a hearty breakfast on a busy day, Ziesmer has a secret trick: frozen pancakes and microwave eggs. For athletes, frozen pancakes or waffles are a great source of quick carbohydrates and can easily be paired with a protein. She’ll toast the waffles and top them with yogurt, berries, and a bit of maple syrup to add protein, fiber, and sweetness. Then, she uses a nonstick spray in a coffee mug before breaking two eggs into it and scrambling them with a fork. She microwaves them on high for 30 seconds, and quickly has a side of scrambled eggs to go with the pancakes for the perfect big breakfast.

________________________

Takeaway

Breakfast remains an important part of a young athlete’s day and is a meal that should be prioritized, even when an athlete is busy. Offering nutrient-dense breakfast options that your athlete can eat on the run can help prevent under-fueling throughout the day.

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Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.