More Quick Nutrition tips and Meals, News (Young Guns Hockey)

PrintNews Article
Click to view full-size image
More Quick Nutrition tips and Meals
Submitted By Rich Ciaravella on Sun 01 10, 16
Here is a very good article on the basics of nutrition for young and old hockey players.  As the player gets older and grows you will have to trial the timing and types of different foods that works best for each players body before the big game.

 

Family Fuel - Give and Go Meals

Be sure to include these important nutrients

By: Heidi Smith – RD Sport Dietitian

When the hockey season overlaps with the holiday season dinners can sometimes become more of a ‘grab and go’ than a sit down meal. Drive thru dinners can work on occasion, but if they become the norm, you may start missing out on essential nutrients from fresh vegetables, fibre, iron and calcium. It’s also challenging to find whole grain, lower fat, lower sodium options to fuel young hockey players before ice times. Every hockey family can benefit from making a list of quick, portable, nutrient packed meals to eat in the car or in the stands for parents! Check out the list we have started and begin adding your own favourites.

Building a meal to go – is as easy as 1,2,3.  Be sure to include these 3 important nutrients:

1.  Complex Carbohydrates – 1-2 cups per meal.

Carbohydrates need to be continually replenished in the athletes diet.  Complex carbohydrates come from less refined whole grains such as brown rice, whole grain pasta/breads, corn, quinoa, potato, yams and whole fruit.  The challenge with eating whole grains before exercise is that higher fibre foods are slower to digest.  Experiment during the season and see how close to exercise you can handle these higher fibre options. If white bread and pasta feel better in the 1-2 hours before exercise, just be sure to fill up on whole grains during your other meals and snacks. Parents looking to trim down may choose to reduce dinner carbohydrates to ½ cup if they are not exercising regularly and bump up the veggie portions.  

2.  Lean Protein – 10-20g protein per meal.

Protein is important for muscle maintenance, bone health, and to feel full after a meal.   You may prefer to keep protein portion smaller in the 1-2 hours before exercise to speed digestion. Quick sources of protein for a ‘dinner-to-go’ include:  Leftover cooked meats (chicken, steak, ham, turkey), Fish (Salmon, tuna, sardines), Beans (Chickpeas, Black beans, hummus, soy beans), Cheese (shredded, feta, goat), hardboiled eggs, Nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds), Seeds (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds).

3.  Colourful Vegetables – 1+ cups per meal.

Include a variety of different colours to get a variety of essential nutrients: Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine), Dark/Red and Orange (Peppers, carrots, squash, yams)  and Vibrant greens (cucumbers, broccoli, snap peas, green beans). Every colour offers important phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and fibre. The athletes diet should include at least 2 cups of vegetables per day.

Tips for Building a Meal to Go

Prepare Ahead of Time
Cook extra meats, slice and keep in the fridge or freezer.  Next time you cook pasta or rice, cook extra and keep in the fridge or freezer in 1-2 cup portions for quick reheat in the microwave. Wash and chop vegetables or buy pre-washed chopped lettuce/veggies.  

Invest in Some Quality Containers
Look for glass or good quality containers that can be heated in the microwave. Check online for shapes and sizes to fit your needs. Even glass mason jars can be filled for quick grab and go meals and smoothies.  

Keep Flavour Boosters on Hand
Once you have your 3 nutritious components you can boost flavour by adding salad dressings, crumbled bacon, feta cheese, hot sauce or bottled sauces (peanut sauce, thai sauce, bbq sauce, soya sauce). For fast digestion, eat 1-2 hours before exercise and aim to keep fat content below 20g and sodium below 500mg.

Pasta Salad to Go
This salad makes a great pre-exercise meal eaten in the car on the way to the arena and packs well for Mom or Dad to eat while in the stands.  For athletes bump up the pasta content and make sure dressing and feta are lower fat for fast digestion.  For less active parents – bump up the veggies and reduce pasta.

  • 4 cups cooked rotini pasta
  • ½ cup chopped leftover chicken
  • ¼ cup crumbled light feta cheese
  • ½ cup grape tomatoes
  • ¼ cup broccoli pieces
  • ½ cup diced red pepper
  • ½ cup diced carrots
  • 2 Tbs light Italian dressing
  • 4-5 leaves of fresh basil chopped

Mix all ingredients and package in individual containers for a quick grab and go dinner.  For an even quicker salad – you can substitute the fresh veggies for defrosted frozen mixed veggies. Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.  

Serves 4
Per serving:  295kcal, 47g Carb, Protein 15g, Fat 4g, Sodium 500mg


For more information:

website: www.heidismithnutrition.com
twitter: @heidismith01
videos and books: gumroad.com/heidismithnutrition


HOMETOWN HOCKEY FEATURE

Heidi Smith is a Sport Dietitian and Head of Nutrition at the Health and Performance Centre at the University of Guelph. She has worked alongside some of the world's top hockey players including NHL, National, Olympic, Junior, and Rep. She is the author of the practical sport nutrition handbook entitled "Nutrition for the Long Run". Heidi is also a mother of three rep hockey players and understands the demands faced by today's sport focused families.

This article has been viewed 3411 times.
Social Networking
Follow Us On
Visit Young Guns Hockey on Facebook
- and -
Follow Young Guns Hockey on Instagram
Manage Subscriptions
Signup to receive email or text messages for the teams you want to follow.
News ArchiveOther Recent Articles
  • 30
    Mar
    Organization
    We are so proud of the hard work and effort of all our participants in our training sessions and Spring Hockey programs.   Congratulations to all of the (DOB) 2005 and 2006 players who have been selected to play in the OHL.  
  • 28
    Mar
    Organization
    Due to the cancellation of spring tryouts, we will be looking at holding Pre-Tryout sessions at a later date in summer.  Once schedules and dates have been released for Tryouts of different associations, we will look at booking some dates for some ...
  • 20
    Feb
    Organization
    NOTE: PRE-TRYOUT SESSIONS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.  Keeping the health of safety of participants and hockey families as the foremost priority, YOUNG GUNS has decided to cancel all pre-tryout sessions.  Refunds/Credits will be issued in the near future.  ...
  • 19
    Feb
    Organization
    This can be a stressful time of year for not only players trying out for different teams but the parents as well.  Sometimes the parents are more effected by tryouts than the kids.  Let's keep things in perspective, we all want the best for our ...
  • 17
    Feb
    Organization
    The greatest challenge that athletes have is to play their best when it really counts. Regardless of the level of competition, whether a championship, nationals, the Olympics, or the Stanley Cup, every athlete needs to rise to the occasion of the ...
  • 15
    Feb
    Organization
    Great podcast/article on the science of training that corroborates the methodology of YOUNG GUNS style training! rooted in our core values is the essence of what they talk about: Stepping out of your comfort zone Intentional practice Don't be ...
  • 12
    Feb
    Organization
    Scoring goals and preventing goals is the driving force behind every drill created in hockey. Defensive structure, neutral zone play and offensive flow dominate practice rinks across Ontario. Teams that produce and prevent high quality shots win ...
  • 08
    Feb
    Organization
    Hockey season is back on track, but before you go out to play – have you done your homework to make sure that your body is power-fueled? Skating and playing hard require lots of energy and enough fluids to keep you in the game. Carbohydrate-rich ...
Printed from younggunselitehockey.com on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 2:34 PM