Introduction

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Have you ever noticed that the more active you are, the more you eat. If your day is filled with lots of physical activity,  such as sports or workouts, then you fall under the athletic teen category. These people need more nutrition than normal teenagers. Athletic teens need more calories than others so that they perform at their best ability. Without the extra calories, their muscles will break down rather than build up. Also, those calories are needed to fuel their performance AND their physical growth. What also matters is what nutrients you really need and where you get it. With proper nutrition, you make yourself feel and look good, and it prevents sicknesses, such as heart disease and obesity, in the long term.



Source:
kidshealth.org

Picture Source:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://wasteawarescotland.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/balanced-meal.jpg&imgrefurl=http://10nutritionblog2.blogspot.com/&usg=__FxjBlxeO9wBaXlPHz_4eSTLTxC4=&h=468&w=600&sz=162&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=-G_AdX8PaS4vOM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=169&ei=dVkfTrPKEY-qsAPf-o1W&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dathletic%2Bteen%2Bnutrition%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1076%26bih%3D561%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=579&vpy=88&dur=7434&hovh=198&hovw=254&tx=84&ty=114&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0

Caloric Intake

So just how many calories should should an athletic teen consume a day? Everyone is different in their own way (age, gender, weight, height) so their isn't a set amount of calories that a person needs a day. To figure out a nutrition plan, first you have to find out how many calories you burn a day. This is called your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) or your maintenance level. The average maintenance level for women is 2000-2100 calories a day, while men have a maintenance level of 2700-2900 calories a day. However, as mentioned earlier, depending on who your are and what you do, your body may require more or less than the average. Triathletes may require 6000 calories a day just to maintain body weight.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
To calculate your maintenance level as accurately as possible, you calculate your BMR, or the amount of calories needed for bodily functions and physical activity. This requires you to use several factors in the equation, such as height, weight, and gender. A higher BMR means that your body has high metabolism- your body can get rid of the stuff you put into it quickly. It is said that the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR can possibly be.

Formulas Based on BMR-

Harris-Benedict Formula (based on total body weight):
     Men: BMR= 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg.) + (5 x height in cm.) - (6.8 x age in years)
     Women: BMR= 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

Katch-McArdle Formula (based on lean body mass):
     BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg) 


You can use these formulas to figure out what you should consume each day.

Sources:
http://healthrecipes.com/calories.htm


Picture Source:
http://www.clipartoday.com/clipart/cartoons/cartoon/cartoon_265611.html

Macronutrients

Nutrients are required for growth and other bodily functions. Macronutrients are the kinds of nutrients you need in large quantities (the prefix macro comes from the Greeks, which means big or large). Their purpose is to provide energy for your activities, promote growth and development, and regulate body functions. The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Both carbohydrates and proteins provide four calories per gram and fats provide nine calories per gram.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy- it's the first thing that your body burns when doing physical activity. Not only do they provide energy, but they also maintain body weight and are involved in the construction of organs and nerve cells. They are stored either in the liver or muscles. There are basically two types of carbohydrates- simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates (also known as monosachharides) are sugars that cannot be broken down into other sugars. Glucose and fructose are some examples of simple carbohydrates. Since these are already broken down, they provide a fast source of energy. Complex carbohydrates (also known as disachharides and polysachharides) are made up of two or more carbohydrates. Examples of complex carbohydrates are lactose (from dairy products) maltose, and surcrose. Since these are made of more than one sugar, it takes time for these to break down, therefore it takes longer for these to provide energy. An athlete should eat complex carbohydrates before physical activities for long-term energy and simple carbohydrates afterwards for fast energy.

Proteins
Proteins are another source of energy, however their main function is to aid growth and development as well as repair damaged cells in the body. They consist of smaller units called "amino acids", which are the building blocks of proteins. All of the body's cells contain proteins. It is very important that athletes have a protein intake so they can heal injuries that occur during physical activity and for growth, especially for the muscles and bones. Just like complex carbohydrates, proteins need to be broken down, which then provides a long-term source of energy. As a teenager, your body requires more protein than an adult- maybe even more as an athlete. If more protein is consumed than what is needed, the body stores it as fat, which is another macronutrient needed to supply energy.

These are fats you should avoid

Fats
The main purpose of fats is to be a backup source of energy when carbohydrates run low. This energy breaks down when their is low food consumption. Fats need to be consumed just as much as carbohydrates and proteins, however, you need the right kind of fat. There are basically three types of fats- saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. They are harmful to your body because they increase the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This kind of cholesterol is stored in the blood vessels in the form of plaques, which if not controlled, can result in heart disease/failure, due to the lack of blood circulation. According to the American Heart Association, you should consume more than seven percent of saturated fats in your daily calories. Unsaturated fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) do just the opposite of saturated fats. Instead of adding LDL cholesterol, it provides a source of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which clears out the LDL cholesterol. 25-35 percent of your daily calories should be unsaturated fats. Trans fats are hydrogenated oils, meaning that liquid oil is turned into solid oil. The flakes on donuts is considered as trans fats. Trans fat increases LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol. If all possible, you should limit your trans fat intake to less than one percent of daily calories.



Sources:
http://www.diet.com/g/macronutrients
http://www.heart.org

Picture Sources:
http://jorgenwelsink.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/healthy-fat-intake/
http://www.hoalian.com/healthy-info/high-protein-diet-foods-for-muscle-building/

-edited by Giovanni

Foods You Should Avoid

Here is a general idea of what foods an athlete should not eat, or at least in moderation:

Sugary Foods: Cakes, pastries, pudding, candy, etc. should be avoided, since they can cause you to have a sugar rush, then your blood sugar levels drop completely, causing you to crash.

Caffeine: Drinks like tea and coffee can cause you to lose concentration during physical activity, cause dehydration, nausea, and headaches.

Fried Food: Fried foods, such as french fries, take a while for the stomach to break down the fat it contains, which therefore makes the stomach feel heavy./

Fatty Food: Especially those with trans fat and saturated fat, such as donuts, red meat, and creamy sauces.

Fizzy Drinks: Soda can lead to stomach problems, which are not pleasant especially during physical activity.

Sources:
http://www.iloveindia.com/nutrition/sports/foods-to-avoid.html

-edited by Giovanni

3 Day Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast- scrambled eggs, 2 scoops of brown rice, 2 slices of ham, glass of non-fat milk, bowl of strawberries and mango

Lunch- tuna fish sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bread and a glass of water

Snack- strawberry banana soy-milk and peanut butter smoothie

Dinner- spaghetti and beef meatballs with marina

ra sauce, lettuce and spinach salad, glass of non-fat milk

Day 2

Breakfast- whole-

grain banana pancakes with small amount of natural maple syrup, turkey sausage, glass of non-fat milk

Lunch- salmon with brown rice and broccoli, glass of water

Snack- strawberry low fat greek yogurt

Dinner- barbecue chicken, brown rice, grilled onions, glass of non-fat milk

Day 3

Breakfast- spinach-onion-tomato-chicken breast-cheddar cheese-omelet, blackberry strawberry banana and soy-milk smoothie

Lunch- turkey cheddar cheese avocado wholewheat bread sandwich, glass of water

Snack- peanut butter bana

na sandwich on whole wheat bread, glass of milk

Dinner- Beef stew with carrots and onions in it, Spinach and lettuce salad, brown rice, glass of milk

*Drink water regularly every hour

-kaiko manson

Picture sources: http://www.slashfood.com/2006/02/23/whole-wheat-banana-pancakes/

http://www.managedmoms.com/2011/02/simple-savory-salmon/finished-salmon-over-brown-rice/

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Beef-Stew.aspx

Conclusion

All teenagers need a good amount of nutrition but athletic teens need more of some of these nutrients than average teens. Athletic teens need more carbohydrates, fats and proteins because they burn more energy during their exercises. They need more proteins because proteins repair cells and so they need protein to repair damaged muscles. They need more calcium because they need their bones to be strong because they are in more bone stressing situations than average teens. These are just a few of many examples where athletic teens need more nutrition than average teens. So if you are an athlete who exercises often make sure you consume a large variety and amount of nutrients. Thank you for reading this blog we hope you learned a great deal.

-kaiko manson