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Teenagers are at a vital growing period in their lives. Any parent of a teen will tell you it is hard to keep up with their appetite! When a hungry teens is also an athlete, it presents a new challenge – making sure they are getting enough protein in their diets. With 2-3 hours of practice a day, with sports games and events, proper nutrition and healthy lunches are crucial for middle school and high school athletes.
As young athletes, proper nutrition plays a crucial role in fueling your athletic performance, supporting muscle recovery, and sustaining energy levels throughout long days of training and competition. Lunchtime presents an opportunity to refuel with a balanced meal that provides essential nutrients, including high-quality protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and plenty of vitamins and minerals. To help student athletes make the best choices for their nutritional needs, here are some practical tips for creating lunches your teen will love.
Tips for Creating High Protein Lunches:
1. Lean Protein Powerhouses: Incorporate lean protein sources such as grilled chicken, turkey, or fish into your lunches. These protein-packed options provide amino acids essential for muscle recovery and growth, helping you stay strong and ready for your next training session or game day.
2. Peanut Butter Palooza: Peanut butter is a versatile and delicious source of protein and healthy fats. Spread it on whole-grain bread or an English muffin for a satisfying sandwich, or dip apple slices or celery sticks into peanut butter for a crunchy and nutritious snack.
3. Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is rich in protein and calcium, making it an excellent choice for young athletes. Layer it with fresh fruit, granola, or chia seeds to create a delicious and filling parfait that provides essential nutrients for optimal performance. Incorporate Greek yogurt into sauces and dips for extra protein.
4. Whole Grain Goodness: Opt for whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, or whole-grain pasta to boost your carbohydrate intake and provide sustained energy for intense exercise. Combine them with lean meat, black beans, or roasted vegetables for a balanced and nutritious meal.
5. Bento Box Bonanza: Create a bento box filled with a variety of nutritious foods, including sliced bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, trail mix, and lean deli meats or cheese. This customizable option allows you to mix and match different food groups to meet your individual preferences and nutritional needs.
6. Protein-Packed Wraps: Wrap up your favorite protein sources, such as grilled chicken or tofu, with whole-grain wraps and plenty of veggies. Add a drizzle of olive oil or a dollop of Greek yogurt for extra flavor and healthy fats.
7. Protein Bars and Shakes: For busy days or on-the-go snacks, protein bars and shakes can be a convenient option to help you meet your protein needs. Look for high-quality protein bars made with whole foods and minimal added sugars, or consider blending a protein shake with your favorite fruits and a scoop of protein powder supplements.
8. Ways to Transport Lunches: Thermoses are a great way to carry hot lunches and leftovers are a good idea for easy lunches! Use an ice pack to keep meats and cheeses and water bottles cold. Bento boxes are also a great idea for a variety of snacks and lunches.
Other Tips for Top Nutrition for High Performance:
Remember to Stay Hydrated: In addition to eating nutritious meals, staying hydrated is essential for optimal sports performance and overall health. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and consider incorporating sports drinks or electrolyte-rich beverages during intense exercise or hot weather conditions. Avoid energy drinks, however.
Consult with a Registered Dietitian: For personalized nutrition advice tailored to your individual needs and goals, consider consulting with a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition. They can provide expert guidance on meal planning, nutrient timing, and making the best choices to support your athletic performance and overall well-being.
Choose healthy snacks: Teens are notorious for snacking all day long. Make sure to choose snacks that are beneficial to your nutrition. Granola bars, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, dairy products like low-fat milk, oranges with vitamin c, yogurt parfaits, overnight oats, and just a variety of foods that will fuel your day, rather than chips and cookies, will help with the training load and physical activity requirements.
Fuel Your Potential: As a young athlete, fueling your body with nutritious meals and snacks is key to unlocking your full potential on and off the field. By incorporating a variety of high protein foods, whole grains, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables into your diet, you can optimize your sports performance, support muscle recovery, and thrive both physically and mentally throughout the school year and beyond.
Another way to optimize performance is to delay kids’ smartphone use. When kids and teens aren’t tied to their phone, they can better focus on what’s important!
Remember, lunch isn’t just another meal—it’s an opportunity to nourish your body with the nutrients it needs to succeed. With the right combination of protein, carbohydrates, and essential nutrients, you can power through intense workouts, crush your athletic goals, and fuel your journey to greatness. Eat well, play hard, and be proud of all that you achieve as a young athlete!
30 High-Protein Lunch Ideas for Teen Athletes
Teen athletes need extra protein for their school practices and sports events! Here are some great protein packed lunch ideas for student athletes.
There is NOTHING better than spaghetti in a thermos at school for lunch! This casserole has lots of flavor and protein!
These Chicken Enchilada Sliders are easy to make and will be a new family favorite!
Air Fryer cheesy tuna flautas are a breeze to make and delicious to eat!
These chicken minis are a delicious meal! Warm them and place them in a container with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
These Pancake Sausage Bites are perfect for a delicious breakfast for lunch at school!
Honey butter chicken bacon biscuits are quick and easy, just wrap in foil and include the honey butter separately.
These hearty air fryer bacon and egg biscuit bombs make a great protein packed lunch.
Crispy chicken strips and Caesar salad are chopped, combined in a tortilla, then lightly toasted.
These Mediterranean chicken pita pockets are flavorful, filling, and super easy to make!
You can eat it as-is, turn it into sandwiches, eat with crackers, or even have it on lettuce wraps.
Serve on its own, or alongside other lunch favorites! This would pair well with a side salad, fresh fruit, etc.
This Chickpea Tuna Salad features canned tuna combined with chickpeas, cucumbers, red pepper, and capers tossed in a lemon-dijon vinaigrette. Delicious, healthy, and perfect for make-ahead lunches!
This simple but fabulous recipe for healthy tuna salad is a lightened-up version of traditional tuna salad (but with avocado instead of mayo)!
These Chinese Curry Beef Buns are packed with curried ground beef, cooked with a mixture of spices, onions and garlic.
Rosemary Chicken Sandwiches with shredded chicken, sliced celery and rosemary dressing, is a satisfyingly delicious meal like you might find at the deli.
This Barbecue Chicken Wrap is made with grilled (or rotisserie) chicken, bbq sauce, mayo, broccoli slaw, and almonds, all wrapped up in a spinach flavored tortilla.
This Tuna Spinach Wrap is filled with hearty tuna, fresh spinach, crisp bacon, and tomatoes.
How to Make Pinwheel Sandwiches (Club, Caprese, Ham and Cheese & More)
Pinwheel sandwiches are made using a flatbread, like lavash or even large flour tortillas with layered fillings that are then rolled and cut into individual servings.
These savory hand pies with apple and sage are adapted from King Arthur Flour's "pocket pies" recipe.
Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich is loaded with hummus and feta cheese, fresh vegetables and topped with sprouts. You won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian sandwich recipe.
Southwestern Taco Egg Muffins are a protein filled muffin that is kid-friendly, easy to make and is a quick breakfast or lunch during the week. With eggs, ground beef, cheese, spinach, bell pepper and Southwestern spices you will have a nutritions, flavor-packed meal.
Indian style, protein rich sandwich with chickpeas and potatoes.
These “Everything Bagel” Turkey Cheddar Crescent Rolls fit the bill for the lunch box to dinner and everything in between.
California Club Croissant Sandwich recipe is an easy lunch croissant sandwich recipe with 2 types of cheese and 3 kinds of lunch meat in one flavorful sandwich!
Protein Snack Packs filled with hard-boiled eggs, almonds, hummus, and crunchy veggies.
Made with protein-rich cottage cheese and lots of veggies, these mini egg bites are the perfect lunch!
If you're trying to add more protein to your diet, this Protein Bagels Recipe will be your new best friend! They're seriously easy to make with no rising needed and just 5 common ingredients! Add lunchmeat to make it a bagel sandwich!
These delicious Tuna Avocado and Cucumber Sushi makes a great gluten free main in the lunchbox and a perfect swap for a sandwich.
This ready-to-eat Mason Jar Chicken Taco Salad is the perfect, easy, healthy, on-the-go lunch and delicious salad that your whole family will love!
These Thai Tom Yum meatballs with ground chicken have all the Thai flavors rolled up into one bite.