Nutrition & Recipes
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Turkey and Cucumber Pita
1 whole wheat pita (6½ inches)
4 slices deli-thin roasted turkey breast lunchmeat
2 T alfalfa sprouts or lettuce
2 slices tomato
2 slices cucumber
1 T fat free ranch dressing
Directions:
1. Fill pita bread with next 4 ingredients (turkey lunchmeat-cucumber)
2. Drizzle sandwich with dressing
To Complete Your Meal:
Eat with 1 serving of Broccoli Cheddar Bake to create the following nutritional value*:
Calories: 361
Protein: 26.5g
Carbohydrate: 54g
Fat: 3.5g
*Without the Broccoli and Cheddar Bake, the nutritional values are:
Calories: 250
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrate: 45g
Fat: 2g
Broccoli and Cheddar Bake
4 c. chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
½ c. chopped onion
1½ c. egg substitute
1 c. skim milk
1 c. low fat cheddar cheese
½ tsp pepper
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Sauté broccoli and onion in small amount of water in skillet until tender. Add water as necessary. Drain and set aside.
3. Combine egg substitute, skim milk, and ¾ c. cheese into a bowl and mix well.
4. Add broccoli, onion, and pepper.
5. Coat 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the mixture.
6. Place pan in a larger pan with about 1 in. of water
7. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.
8. Done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese.
9. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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BREAKFAST
"BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY!!!" How many times have you heard this claim? After a full night of rest, during which your body was busy repairing all the damage done to it that day, you wake up with an empty stomach. You want to refuel your body to perform all day and that starts by eating within an hour of waking.
Breakfast should be ~500 calories made up of a high carb, moderate protein, and low-fat combination.
Athletes have many excuses for not eating breakfast. For every excuse, there is an even better reason to eat it! First and foremost, your brain needs glucose to function. It will either use the carbohydrates from a rich breakfast or your body will produce it from protein.
Excuse #1: I don't have time to eat breakfast.
This is probably the most common excuse made about breakfast. Most athletes have a misconception that breakfast has to be an elaborate, sit down meal of eggs, pancakes, bacon, fruit etc. What they don't realize is that breakfast doesn't have to involve any cooking at all. It can be packed in baggies and put in your bag to eat in the car, on the bus, while you walk to class or sit in class, etc. You can put a good combination of food together either the night before or that morning in less than 10 minutes. Some good breakfast combination examples are:
1. dried cereal & yogurt
2. banana & large glass of milk
3. bagel w/ peanut butter
4. peanuts & raisins
5. smoothie w/ fruit, milk, yogurt, protein
If you still find yourself making this excuse, you need to decide how important your sport performance is to you.
Excuse #2: I don't like breakfast foods.
Many athletes don't like breakfast foods at all. Who says you have to have breakfast foods in the morning? You can get 500 calories any way you want to!! You can eat leftover pizza, chicken & veggies, peanut butter & honey sandwich, or a turkey sandwich for breakfast. You can even eat a sugary treat in the morning for breakfast - a balance bar, chocolate cake, or cookies and eat a bowl of cereal for a snack before your workout. It's better to eat something sugary in the morning when you know you will burn it off then to wait until after dinner when you may or may not. SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!!!
Excuse #3: I'm not hungry in the morning.
This is most likely due to eating too many calories the night before. Many times, due to studying or going out, an athlete will consume another meal in the late night/early morning hours. Taco Bell or Pizza at 2am is something all athletes at some time or another have done! This usually curbs your appetite for breakfast in the morning as well as contributing to weight gain.
Another reason an athlete may not have an appetite is if they work out in the early morning hours. Exercise can kill a person's appetite until later in the morning. This athlete can pack a snack for when the hunger does show up (ex. a bagel with yogurt) instead of ignoring the hunger until lunch. This will prevent overeating later in the day by getting some calories when your body demands them.
Excuse #4: I'm trying to lose weight.
Many times an athlete will say they don't want to eat breakfast because it makes them hungrier the rest of the day. Instead, they skip breakfast to "save" calories to create a loss. It's easier to not start eating then it is to stop later on. If this applies to you, your breakfast isn't big enough!! Previously, I mentioned that breakfast should be ~500 calories. If you eat 200 calories for breakfast, then you ate enough for your digestive juices to start flowing but not enough to fuel your body's appetite.
The number one breakfast food is CEREAL. Cereal has lots of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates as well as being rich in iron, fiber. It's also low fat, quick, convenient, and easily portable from place to place. The best part of cereal is there are so many types and varieties, you can mix and match forever!!
Make sure you are choosing iron-rich cereals (iron is hard to digest so drink OJ or eat some fruit high in Vitamin C to help), that are wholesome (where sugar is not one of the top three ingredients), high in fiber (four or more grams per serving), and low in fat.
Cereal is not the only good choice for breakfast. There are plenty of healthy, wholesome options out there for everyone!
Last updated:
March 21, 2007
