As an athlete, nutrition is important to keep your body fueled throughout games, practices, school days, and just everyday life in general. Trying to find time to eat between practices and school can be difficult. Also, meal planning is tough when you’re trying to decide whether or not to eat a full meal or to just have a snack, knowing you have practice soon.

Personally, as an athlete playing volleyball and basketball, granola and trail mix have been my go-to snack. These snacks are a lightweight pick me up, that are nutritious and delicious. Five of the girls on the JV girls basketball team agreed trial mix is a good snack before practices and games. They also said they like to eat protein bars to give them energy while playing sports. 

Granola and trail mix are both excellent fuel sources because they have slow digesting carbs, protein and healthy fat. Carbs (aka: carbohydrates) are important because they are your body’s main source of energy according to Fazian Lamb’s article Granola — Your Crunchy Wingman for Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition on Medium.com.

Additionally, fruits are always a great option to eat before practices and games because they have natural sugars that give you energy according to an article on Snackfully by Maggie Ibbtson called “Is Fruit a Good Pre-Workout Snack?” On top of that, fruits also contain healthy fats, which keep you full for longer periods of time, making them a good snack before sports activities. 

Everyday, I like to be fueled throughout the entire day. In order to do this, I eat a hearty breakfast consisting of something like oatmeal with honey and fruits. This way I feel good from the start of the day. For lunch, I eat a sandwich or salad so that it is not too heavy but still fills me up. 

Before practices, I like to eat carbs and sugars so it keeps me fueled throughout the whole practice. For me, this looks like eating a chocolate chip granola bar along with a fruit bar. My favorite fruit bars are from Trader Joes, but there is also a brand on Amazon that has good fruit bars called “Pure Organic.” The brand of granola I usually eat is “Made Good,” and their chocolate chip granola packs are the best in my opinion. These types of sugary snacks are full of carbs, keeping me fueled throughout practices and games. 

Remember athletes, it’s important to fuel your body every day so you can continue playing the sports you love. As Ky Wong, the Japanese teacher and swim coach said, “[Nutrition is] extremely important. It’s 33% of being an athlete. The other 33% is sleep and then 33% is actual performance.”