Fall is a season of change. As a parent, you’re transitioning from warm summer days spent watching your children on the baseball field to preparing them for long school days followed by after school activities. During the summer, it can be easier to make sure your athletes are fueled to train and compete, because you’re present. But, how do you make sure that they have the energy they need to sustain a full day of classes followed by strength training, conditioning, batting practice, and more? Let’s explore a few strategies to help your athlete sustain their energy throughout the day while also optimizing their athletic performance.

Have A Plan For The Day
To achieve any goal, a plan must be developed. Start by mapping out your child’s schedule from those early morning hours before leaving for school to them returning home after baseball activities. Seeing everything outlined will help you determine when snacks may fit in at regular intervals while also incorporating meals. Eating every few hours is ideal to help maintain energy and keep hunger pains at bay, and involving your child in the planning process leads to a better buy in. Who doesn’t like snacks?! An example of a daily plan could include breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and/or a pre-training snack, a post-training snack, and dinner. Timing is key, but the plan you create should provide some flexibility, as schedules can change often.

Access To Healthy Options
Balanced snacks and meals can help your child meet the appropriate number of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) needed to prevent injury and illness. Ideally, their plan should include foods that are low in sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and saturated and trans fats. Sticking to healthy food options such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and low-fat dairy products can help achieve that goal. At times, it can be hard to find healthy options at school, so taking a look at your child’s school lunch menu with them each week will help you both determine which foods would be good choices to eat and if there are any nutritional gaps that need to be filled. Together, you may also determine that a packed lunch in addition to snacks may be the best option for them to optimize their energy and ensure that healthy options are available. Being prepared will help your athlete make healthier choices when fueling their body leading up to their afternoon training sessions.

Putting Together Snacks and Meals: Know Your Resources
Knowing when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat is critical to your child optimizing nutrition for performance and achieving their individual goals. It’s important to note that there is not a one-size-fits-all food plan that works for everyone. We all have different goals and needs. Working with a licensed healthcare provider such as a sports medicine physician, a registered dietitian (RD), or a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSC) can help your athlete maximize their goals. These professionals help to design nutrition plans that account for your child’s age, sex, activity level, training schedule, caloric needs, goals, and more. There are also numerous apps and programs that can help you and your athlete make choices based on individualized goals. You should understand that nutrition doesn't have to be complicated and difficult to understand and track, and you, as a parent, are not expected to know everything. Resources will be your friend!

Nutrition is as much a part of baseball as strength training, conditioning, fielding practice, and batting practice. When prepared, a healthy diet provides energy, aids in muscular development and recovery, assists in reducing injury, and provides nutrients to enhance your child’s performance on the field. Creating healthier eating habits now will not only optimize your child’s play but it will also set them up for success later in life!