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Lacrosse is a unique sport; a mix of short bursts of speed, power, and surely mental focus. Of course we know training is crucial to success, but the missing piece to the performance puzzle is very often nutrition. Chugging an energy drink in the locker room before your match will not help performance. Waking up with a 20 oz bottle of soda is like pouring 17 tsp of sugar on a bowl of cereal and eating it. Again, not so effective.
Let's instead delve a bit into some specific nutrition tips for Lacrosse players.
Carbohydrates should absolutely be the cornerstone of a lacrosse players diet. The key, is to focus heavily on quality -- "think fiber, not carbs!" There is a huge difference between white bread and whole grain, high fiber bread; a sugar coated cereal and oatmeal; French fries vs. sweet potatoes. Focus on the quality of the carbohydrates.
For example, definitely eat breakfast, but try a whole grain based cereal with some fresh fruit for the nutrients and fiber. Sandwiches should be made with whole grain bread, rather than their white counterpart. Snacks can be whole grain crackers with peanut butter, fruit or veggie sticks with peanut butter, etc. The list can go on. The focus of carbohydrates should always be on foods that provide a few grams of fiber per serving (exception is milk and yogurt, which are very healthy and carbohydrate based, but provide little, if any fiber).
Fruit and vegetables are also a crucial element for a high performance athlete. Kids often shy away from them and parents don't always push them. However, research has suggested it can take as many as one dozen times to determine if a child likes a particular food. The key for a parent is to introduce kids to as many of these nutrient dense, colorful foods as possible! Make it fun. Here are a few ideas:
- Ants on a log (celery with natural peanut butter and raisins)
- Sailboats (apple slices with toothpicks holding a cheddar cheese "sail"-- of course watch your child to ensure they don't eat the toothpick).
- Homemade trail mix (mixed nuts, dried fruit, and some whole grain cereal)
Keep in mind that dried fruit counts towards the total fruit intake for the day, as does 100% juice (of course this shouldn't be the mainstay, though, as whole fruit provides more fiber), along with fruit puree.
Protein Needs of Lacrosse Players
In the world of athletics, no other macro-nutrient has received the same level of attention as protein. Everywhere you look, everything you see, tells us we need more and more protein, whether you're trying to lose weight or gain muscle. But how about for adolescent athletes; do they too have higher protein requirements like other fitness enthusiasts? As you know, they too are trying to improve performance, put some muscles on those bodies, and of course just improve overall health (at least we hope they are!)... |
