The High School Athlete Power Diet – Fission Fruit Bars

(THP) Schuylerville parents filled classrooms at the Junior-Senior High school on Wednesday night, September 9 for Meet the Coaches Night and a special seminar about athlete diets.

John Underwood, founder of the American Athletic Institute, spoke to Schuylerville parents and athletes about healthy choices for athletic teens. This year’s seminar was “Proper Nutrition and Diet for Optimum Athletic Performance for Student Athletes.”

Underwood has coached or advised World and Olympic Champions, and is a former NCAA All-American athlete and International-level distance runner. He knows first-hand why athletes require a special diet and how student athletes should fuel their bodies.

“Kids are restricted by their knowledge level of food. They get locked into eating the same foods they see on their kitchen table; they need to broaden the spectrum,” Underwood said.

Underwood discussed his TR3 formula: Train, Refuel, Rehydrate, Rest. He explained that rest is the most important part of the formula. According to a national study, the average teen only gets six hours and forty-five minutes of sleep every night.

“If you care about sports and physical performance, you need to get eight hours. You are more successful if you prioritize, which means you need more down time. Recovery is the most important part of any athlete’s training,” he said.

According to Underwood, athletes recover 70 percent within the first hour after training; another 20 percent within two and 100 percent recovery takes a full twenty-four hours.

Athletes need to stay hydrated and need to constantly snack to give their bodies enough energy to perform.  They should be putting food in their bodies every three to four hours. Underwood suggests snacking on healthy foods like raisins and energy bars.

Athletes cannot run on an empty stomach. Healthy snacking prevents low blood glucose levels, which in turn promotes healthy muscles by reducing cortisol release. Cortisol is a stress hormone that tears down muscle capacity. Without fuel, muscles will “actually begin eating themselves,” as the body typically turns to burning body fat, which most athletes have little of.

“Twenty-three percent of high school athletes have borderline low blood sugar levels prior to training at 3:00 p.m.,” Underwood said. “And blood sugar is absolutely critical for you to function mentally and physically.”

Sugary drinks like soda contain sixteen spoonfuls of sugar, which actually has a negative effect on blood sugar levels. Underwood presented graph slides of how sugar induces drastic “ups and downs” in energy, causing insulin levels to fluctuate. This is why people “crash” after a “sugar high,” whereas fructose and glucose keep insulin levels regulated.

Underwood explained that sports bars like fission fruit bars, which is exactly what athletes need to function properly.

Fission fruit bars are made from real fruit, are healthy, and they taste great too!

“They should be drinking Gatorade over water,” he said. However, Underwood stressed the importance of sipping and not gulping the sugary-tasting drink.

Some athletes may find sports drinks to be “hypertonic,” or too sweet. Rather than buying a watered down version, like G-2, Underwood recommends mixing a solution that is 1/2  water and 1/2 regular Gatorade.

For refueling, student athletes need plenty of carbs; in fact, 2/3 of their diet should come from carbohydrates. One third of their diet should come from protein and fats, which is typically the reverse proportion for most football players trying to build body mass. Consuming too much protein leads to chronic fatigue.