Human beings need to improve their eating behavior. There's no question about it, but it's important that we are careful when making blanket, all inclusive diet recommendations in spite of age, gender, health status, culture, and financial situation. I love that I hear conversations about better nutrition. We all need to be a part of it. Parents, kids, teachers and coaches are encouraging better eating, but we have to be mindful when giving advice without having a good understanding of how the message might be interpreted.
The conversations and recommendations range from simply avoiding junk food and extra sugar, to eating only organic food or avoiding "white foods". Of course, nearly everyone can benefit from eating less low quality food. But there is danger in making blanket statements of "don't eat this" to any group, let alone a high risk group such as athletes, especially female athletes.
Female Athlete Triad Syndrome
Just yesterday, NPR did a story on female athletes and the effect that poor eating habits and misguided dieting can have on athletic performance and long term health. It's important to recognize that many female athletes are more concerned with body weight than they are about properly fueling their bodies, but male athletes can be at risk for malnutrition too. Adequate intake with a focus on eating quality food can help prevent serious problems including loss of bone density. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals like fruits, vegetables, dairy and grains are essential. Even if all the grains chosen aren't whole grain, they are important to the teen athlete's physical demands. Also, plant based proteins such as those found in baked beans, potatoes, and regular pasta can help round out a meal (not to mention the beneficial carbohydrate and vitamins these foods provide).
How a Dietitian/Nutritionist Can Help......
Dietitians and nutritionists are trained to assess a person's current eating behavior, diet quality, and health status. It is important to understand an individual's eating habits, their feeling's about food, their activity level, and their body image, before giving nutrition advice. Sometimes One-Size-Fits-All nutrition advice can lead to a decrease in diet quality, especially if the message received was about avoiding certain foods. A good example is how someone might perceive the recommendation to avoid "white foods". Whereas, the intention is to encourage replacing white rice, bread, and pasta with whole grain versions, the interpretation might be to avoid those foods altogether. This is unfortunate since rice, bread, and pasta are nutritious foods that can be part of a nutritious meal especially for a young athlete. It's also important to consider that children and teens depend on their parents for food. If the family isn't supportive of switching from white grains to whole grains, then the child or teen may opt to avoid the food altogether.
Brown rice is a great choice because it is higher in dietary fiber, but white rice is OK too!
Planning Ahead
I'm always surprised to hear athletes aren't planning ahead for meals and snacks. Thinking ahead to what fruits and vegetables you might eat for the next few days or what food will be used pre and /or post workout are key to improving nutritional status. Taking a few minutes to make a plan for the next morning's breakfast can help prevent skipping or eating a low quality meal to start the day. Planning ahead for snacks can help prevent a trip to the vending machine for chips or candy bars. Eventually, planning ahead will be a habit. An IMPORTANT habit to keep as teens become adults.
Remember: If in doubt, ask a registered dietitian/nutritionist for an evaluation. Poor diet quality and inadequate food intake during the teenage years can lead to lifelong health issues.
