Breakfast for Athletes
Content by: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD
Athletes need balanced, healthy meals. It starts with a healthy breakfast! Learn more...
Calculator
Share Item
Presentation
Author
Skipping breakfast leads to needless fatigue, trouble concentrating at school and less energy for afternoon sports. Just as it's important to make time for exercise, it’s also necessary to make time for breakfast. Even athletes who want to lose weight should eat a hearty breakfast.
What's best to eat? Any breakfast is better than no breakfast, and some breakfast choices are better than others!
Try these hearty breakfasts for a high energy day:
• Oatmeal cooked in milk with banana and peanut butter.
• Whole wheat bagel with eggs, cheese, and orange juice.
• French toast with vanilla yogurt and applesauce.
• Yogurt, granola, berries and almonds.
Quick Tips!
1. A great breakfast option includes cereal + milk + banana.
2. Cereal offers carbohydrates to fuel the muscles. Enriched and fortified cereals provide iron, a mineral important for carrying oxygen from the lungs to your muscles.
3. Milk provides protein to build and repair muscles, as well as for calcium for strong bones.
4. Fruit provides vitamin C for healing bumps and bruises, along with potassium from sweat loss.
Next Steps!
Eat on the run too often? Eat from a travel mug for breakfast on the run. A simple meal provides important nutrients needed for athletic success.
Food consumption begins at the grocery store! The more you understand about what's inside the food you are eating, the better choices you can make. Use this slideshow to help you decipher food labels, and the download as a cheat sheet for all thos...
Reading Food Labels
Working with active teens can be complicated. Navigating a complex social circle, growing bodies and a continual battle with self confidence would be tough on any athlete. Setting up for success!
Nutrition for Active Teens: Professional Resource
Wondering how to fuel your body for the big game? Read about healthy eating habits for game day, so you can power up your performance...
Nutrition for Active Teens: Tips for Powerful Performance