PrintCalling all athletes! Energy-boosting foods needed
I'm a high school student that happens to play football in the fall and rugby in the spring and summer. I just can't seem to find more than a handful of foods that can re-energize me and put me on track for the rest of the evening so I can work productively without feeling worn out.
Granola bars failed (too much sugar, I think).
Nuts work...but there's gotta be some more foods that keep me going, at least from 5:00-11:00 PM.
If there are any athletes, or if you have any sort of experience with energy-boosting, lower sugar foods, please, voice your expertise in the comments! What do you do?
(Sorry JEP, I borrowed the format of the topic title, I hope you don't mind).
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
22 Comments:
i like kashi products. they're whole grain, so you get plenty of complex carbs, to go along with the simple sugar carbs. They have a nice line of bars, frozen dinners, and cereals. They cost a little more than the standard Quaker granola bars, but they're higher quality, and better tasting.
beth1 at 9:27PM on 02/24/08
As a recreational triathlete and physical therapist I may be able to give a little advice. During long workouts the sugary and salty stuff can be very helpful (2-3+ hours, in fact anything over an hour you really do need more than water. Gatorade, Powerade, Clif shots etc will all give the sugar and electrolytes needed esp in hot weather...can't tell you how much watered down Gatorade with salt tablets dissolved in it I drank during ironman training, then didn't want to look at it for many months after!) To get re-charged after a workout be sure to eat a combination of carbs and protein shortly after, things like peanut butter and jelly on multi grain bread, egg and lean meat sandwich on multi grain bread/english muffin, yogurt with granola nuts and fruit, turkey sandwich. Don't go for just the simple sugary carbs, look for complex low glycemic carbs and be sure to get some protein for recovery and muscle building. It's more work than just grabbing an energy bar (again ok for long workouts) but the results are better. Good luck!
mrsmoosie at 9:36PM on 02/24/08
I'm assuming that you're having to eat on the fly, but it's not completely clear from your post. If that's the case, I'd think about things like...
Cheese. Eat it with crackers, fruit, etc.
Trail mix. Add some dried fruit to your nuts.
Hard-cooked eggs.
Peanut Butter and crackers.
Jerky. But eat it with some high-fiber carbs.
Milk. It's the original protein drink, but you can add some protein mix.
Yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit.
Pack a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread.
Avocado. Cut it in half, add salt, eat with a spoon right out of the shell.
LoCo at 9:40PM on 02/24/08
really good suggestions, I'd like to add sweet potatoes to the mix. Pretty low glycemic index and really hearty. I eat one with a big scoop of greek yogurt to recharge after long workouts.
mrsmoosie - I'm inspired by your hobby, as I'll be a PT in a few semesters!
Littlebluesiren at 12:37AM on 02/25/08
LoCo covered the best foods. I'd also add snack-sized cans of tuna in water, with the pull off lids. Wasabi peas. Dark semi sweet chocolate. And apples (horses eat a lot of apples).
To drink:
2 parts green tea - 1 part orange / pomegranate juice - 1 part water - honey: makes a tasty drink that has sugars, vitamins, light caffeine and electrolytes, and yet has none of the crap that they put into gatorade (sucrose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, ester gum, sucrose acetate, monopotassium phosphate, isobutyrate, artificial colors) and it's cheaper too! Great for providing fluids and energy while working out.
Coconut water is also excellent for quick hydration and a boost of energy. Get the kind with no added sugars. There are some that are blended with other juices like tangerine that are awesome.
After or in between workouts make this: a couple good splashes of milk + a couple spoons of yogurt + banana (or strawberries, mango, whatever) + whey protein powder in your flavor preference + ice, in the blender.
seyo at 2:33AM on 02/25/08
After a long run or swim, my new go-to meal is scrambled eggs on tortillas with a little bit of queso fresco. When I have spinach on hand, I through that into the mix, or top it with salsa. One taco is an easy snack and two is a meal for me (although because I'm a petite female, you might want more than two.) I figure about one egg per taco. It takes probably five minutes start to finish, and I notice that my energy level immediately increases. I often have an apple or some grapes too.
July at 8:25AM on 02/25/08
Great suggestions! Another one, which I like about an hour to 90 minutes before a run, is a Clif bar topped with a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter.
CookiePie at 9:44AM on 02/25/08
There are some quality powdered protein mixes you might try adding to a smoothie. Whirl a half banana, some strawberries/blueberries, some good yogurt, and the protein powder; add juice or milk and you're good to go for a few more hours. A quality health food store will have a good assortment- be sure to read the labels to make sure you're getting a well-fortified mix.
moibec at 10:38AM on 02/25/08
I'm still trying to understand what it is you're doing between 5pm and 11pm. It sounds like you have a job and/or practice/workouts? When do you eat dinner/supper? If you're still in high school, you're still growing and your brain is still developing. It's essential you get a well-balanced diet and enough calories throughout the day, especially if you're an athlete.
Yes, I'm speaking as a mother, and I'm sure you get enough of that at home. My actual point was, if it's a job that's keeping you busy until so late, and if you're snacking but not actually eating "dinner" you might really look at packing a balanced meal in a thermal lunch sack with those hot/cold packs. Or get a bento. It doesn't have to be a large or heavy meal, just something more substantial than a granola bar or trail mix. A simple protein-rich sandwich on whole-grain bread, a piece of fruit, and something you can easily munch on while busy, like trail mix or pretzels or whatever.
Also, if you have access to a microwave and fridge, you can easily pack any number of things that benefit from re-heating, especially one-dish type things like soup or leftover casserole or whatever.
OK. Mom-speak is off. Sorry to sound like a nag. I'm famous for lecturing.
LoCo at 10:56AM on 02/25/08
I'm going to follow this thread because I'm really interested. I run into the same problem. Energy takes a nose dive. I wake up on full power and gradually slow during the day. I don't play rugby or football but I work out 5x/week.
Lately I've become enamored with kale. It's not an energy food but it definitely serves a healthful purpose.
What about beans? Do you ever eat beans? Chick peas/garbanzos/cecis are delicious as are black beans and cannellini beans. I know they're supposed to be slow burning fuel.
Good luck!
chiff0nade at 10:57AM on 02/25/08
Oh chiff, you reminded me. I meant to mention hummus. Eat it with veggies as a dip, or spread it on a sandwich with ajvar, avocado, veggies, etc.
If you're not fond of chickpea hummus, you can make a hummus-like bean spread from any number of other beans -- cannelini, great northern, even lentils make great spreads.
LoCo at 11:07AM on 02/25/08
As far as protein powders go, I really like Solgar. Many protein powders are marketed in the bodybuilding spheres and have tons of weird ingredients that are at best ineffective. Solgar is a quality brand so you know you are getting what you pay for.
seyo at 12:32PM on 02/25/08
How about PB&J (or another natural, sugar-free nut butter)? Peanut butter for the salt and protien, whole wheat bread for slow-burning carbs, and jelly for a bit of sweet kick. PB and bananas are good too, and easy to eat.
Do you really eat dinner at 11pm and then start your homework? If that's the situation, you're only getting a few hours of sleep a night, which means that your problem is less likely to be food related and more likely to be sleep-related. Athletes need more food AND sleep, as do teens.
HeartofGlass at 12:56PM on 02/25/08
Peanut butter can keep me going for hours but it's so caloric, I don't feel like I'm doing my weight loss goals any favors. I also notice I'm not looking for snacks after having PB on some homemade multigrain bread for breakfast. For an athlete who plays as much as deepitbhatia, it might do the trick if used sparingly throughout the day.
As for hummus - I've been having it with apple wedges as scoops to steer clear of excess bread when possible.
chiff0nade at 2:00PM on 02/25/08
I agree with Heart of Glass - if you're working out 6 hours a day, your body probably needs 8 - 9 hours of sleep to recover. This might also be chiff0nade's issue. If you're working out hard, you need recuperative sleep to keep up.
That said, beans and whole grains seem to do the trick for me. I especially like lentils with quinoa (http://www.bitchincamero.com/mel/?p=140), brown rice & kidney beans and any kind of beans with bulgur (http://www.bitchincamero.com/mel/?p=145).
bitchincamero at 3:36PM on 02/25/08
I'm a big fan of alton browns protein bars. They are fairly low fat, high protein with enough energy to get you going.
http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/2007/11/home-made-power-bars-for-busy-days-and.html
A lot of people swear by chocolate milk after a workout. Its a perfect mixture of carbs and protein.
After a long workout on my bike I always make sure I pack a wrap in the car with veggie salami and salad so that I have something healthy instead of lots of sugar.
Think about your calorie intake too, maybe you're just plain not eating enough. Also caffeine helps but only if you use it every now and then.
jennywenny at 6:19PM on 02/25/08
Wow. The response has been great from all of you.
Low GI, high fiber, high protein seems to be the consensus.
@seyo: I would definitely like to try making that drink, soon, especially with the antioxidants tea can pack.
@LoCo: I do a lot of extra-curricular stuff with organizations in my school (theres a DECA fundraiser, I'm on the committee for a 25 hour fast we're doing to raise awareness towards ethical mining, there's a South Asian heritage month in May that we're planning two shows and a dinner for, and right now is in the middle of math and computer science contests times, so homework (unfortunately) gets pushed back to around 11, right after a light dinner. I'm sure if i regulate my schedule a bit, it will help with the energy levels. And don't worry about the lecturing =) It shows that mothers care.
@chiff0nade: I eat a whole lot of beans (East Indian upbringing, in Canada). So dal (lentils), garbanzos, kidney beans and black-eyed peas are a common occurance in my household, more so than meat/poultry. But, I'm not the fastest player on the field so I definitely need to balance out my body fat percentage to something lower, and peanut butter as an energy food would probably be good, just because its so filling with such a small amount of it (I really love all-natural peanut butter. President's Choice in Canada is doing a pretty good job of pushing affordable natural and/or organic products for the masses, and theirs, I find is really good. The closest Whole Foods is about a 30 minute drive from here, hardly justifiable for a quick grocery trip when I can walk to the Fortinos behind the house.)
@HeartOfGlass: Unfortunately, yes, homework is pushed back a bit (11 PM on most nights. That is probably part of the energy dilemma, since Bio, Chem, Math and Anthro/Soc/Psych homework takes a while.
That was a long post by me. But you guys/girls have really gave me some good options as to keeping me going for after practice/school. Thanks a lot for your input, and if you have any more tips, or food ideas, keep them coming, and they will be well appreciated, by any Serious Eats reader looking for a similar solution. Thanks =)
deepitbhatia at 6:27PM on 02/25/08
Hey, if you have time, go to www.crossfit.com They give much more info there, but basically their recommendation is a zone diet for the athlete, where increased calories come from increased consumption of fats (good ones, of course). Crossfit happens to be the strength and conditioning program of military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and athletes as well, and the zone diet has proven the most effective for them, by and large. I and a lot of athletes I train with have converted to crossfit and its diet, and it's something I sincerely wish I had known about in high school. I know this is a "long answer," in a sense, but I can tell you the effort is well worth it. The "conventional" knowledge that circulates popularly is well behind newer research in fitness, and it's usually up to the individual athlete to find out what's really known out there. Go to the main site and poke around: www.crossfit.com, then read this: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/start-diet.html, and then read this: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-download/CFJ-trial.pdf
That should give you a basic idea of what I'm talking about, and why I think it's absolutely effective.
binlu at 10:25PM on 02/25/08
Also in terms of general health I would actually recommend against legumes (beans and peanuts). There's a lot of research, but:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0999/is_7190_318/ai_54561205
And an analysis of the zone diet vs. the contemporary diet:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/JANA%20final.pdf
binlu at 10:38PM on 02/25/08
Pasta works, pb&j works. Mostly what you are trying to do is match your intake to what you are burning off, and what that means is that all the blahblahblah about a balanced diet is true. Fuel up at breakfast-- not cereal, something substantial, like oatmeal with fruit. Lunch is a good time to go the protean route: canned tuna, chicken, like that. If you are working out for over an hour you need fuel. I have found that Gu Energy Gel is the best tasting product out there-- the chocolate is made from Belgian chocolate, and actually tastes pretty good. One before and one after will help with your glycogen, then eat a balanced dinner-- some kind of protean, a baked potato, and greens. You need to take in a lot more water than you think-- when you are working out, sports drink is a good idea, for the extra calories. Milk is good with meals.
Avoid bogus supplements, protean drinks and the like. They are a scam, and they lead to bad habits and bad nutrition.
outsidecounsel at 11:51AM on 02/26/08
@binlu, I did a quick search on the bean subject, and found many, many studies which stated that FULLY cooking beans eliminates the lectin. Red kidney beans, the ones served to the hospital staff, are particularly high in lectins, and require adequate cooking. Apparently, their tough hulls contribute to lectin retention, thus the need to cook thoroughly. In all likelihood, unusually high lectin level to which the illness was attributed was probably caused by undercooked beans.
Personally, I would not stop eating beans and legumes, foods which have been eaten by humans for millenia, and which have well-studied nutritional benefits, based on such a small amount of recent information.
LoCo at 12:03PM on 02/26/08
@LoCo, that would mean, then, that legumes we don't normally eat in a fully cooked state, such as peanuts and bean dips would still be sources for these lectins and other potentially harmful compounds. As they are rich in carbs, cooking can often make these carbohydrates easily digestible, resulting in an insulin spike (also bad as an energy food). Compared to other sources, they are also relatively low in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Also, the argument that people have been eating cultivated items such as legumes for ages isn't exactly sound, as it's been widely accepted for a while that human nutrition declined with the advent of agriculture. Hunter-gatherer societies enjoyed better health, less disease, and spent roughly half the amount of time that agricultural societies had to in order to get their food, which is also the reason current dietary research is looking into existing hunter-gatherers and why they still have less health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease than our supposedly advanced culture. The cultivation of legumes and grains meant that we could easily produce more quantity in calories, not necessarily quality. (sorry deepitbhatia for stealing the thread)
binlu at 6:01PM on 02/26/08