The Surge

While the average person burns between 1,200 and 3,000 calories daily, the average athlete can burn anywhere between 2,000 and 8,000 calories in the same time period. A higher depletion rate requires a higher intake. To compete at their best, athletes need to be refueling and recovering properly, which is why nutrition is one of the most overlooked yet important parts of high school athletics.

As young athletes develop, their dietary needs often shift. Between the ages of 13 and 19, the majority of people gain anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds and often grow two to five inches taller. These changes are not just physical — they are metabolic and hormonal. Athletes must learn that as they undergo physical fluctuations, they become responsible for maintaining a consistent and balanced nutrient intake. A 2023 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that almost 20% of high school students skip breakfast daily and in turn were more likely to show signs of mental distress and physical exhaustion. 

When he was just 17, the now five-time Olympic medalist Tom Daley developed an eating disorder that stunted his progress for the 2011 diving season and could have led to the loss of his life had it continued to spiral. His experience shed a light on previous gaps in nutritional and mental help that many people needed. Athletes that cast aside proper nutrition, whether it be intentional or not, may find themself facing the medical and mental consequences of poor eating — eating disorders, brain fog, anxiety, depression and slowly, inability of an athlete to compete to their full potential. Although eating is certainly not a cure, it is one of the many steps towards success. When monitored healthily, nutrition becomes a form of both recovery and resilience.

Although the basis for fueling physical activity is mostly the same, what many people — even athletes themselves — fail to realize is that each sport is different in the food groups they prioritize. Nutrition is not just fuel, it is capable of enhancing any competitor’s complex strategy to success. For endurance athletes like water polo players, rowers, long-distance runners and swimmers, carbohydrate consumption is crucial. Carbs are broken down into glucose, blood sugars that lend the body energy, prolonging speed and resolution during competition. Oftentimes, endurance athletes will consume complex carbohydrates both the night before through pastas and rice, and three to four hours prior. Similarly, speed and agility requires quick sugars, so basketball, football and hockey players as well as sprint swimmers and runners consume simpler carbs, such as fruit, energy gels and cereal bars, closer to competition.  

Strength and power athletes such as weight lifters, professional fighters like boxers and wrestlers and those competing in field events for track, often compete within weight brackets, requiring them to focus more on proteins. Foods like chicken, beef and beans repair and grow muscles, allowing these athletes to bulk up fast. Finally, more skill based athletes that rely on routine or precision need brain foods. Tennis players, divers, archers, golfers and gymnasts may find themselves consuming dark chocolate, broccoli and eggs to boost and maintain precise cognitive functions. 

This is not to say that certain athletes should only be consuming one food group — science sustains that athletes should be balancing their meals to include every food group. However, depending on how they compete, the caloric and nutritional needs of an athlete will be different, which is why it is so important to be on top of individual needs. A mile runner and javelin thrower may practice together after school each day, but their dinner plates should not look the same.

Because nutrition plays such a critical role, it must be handled delicately. High school athletes might not recognize it, but athletic trainers, coaches and advisors are not just equipped to guide them along the path of sport-oriented eating — they were trained for it. College and pro-level athletes have dozens of people on staff dedicated to their nutrition — chefs, nutritionists and counselors. High school athletes deserve the same amount of care, especially during such a transitional period in their lives. Athletes need to be seeking out this kind of assistance while teams and schools should be pushing for emphasized nutritional education. Eating well may just be the difference between winning states and staying a hometown hero.

Bottom Line: Proper nutrition is not optional; it separates first place from last and can have monumental effects on a person in both the short and long terms. What an athlete puts on their plate may very well be the determiner of how far they go.