STUDENT ATHLETE’S GUIDE TO PROPER NUTRITION

Matt Cooper

STUDENT ATHLETE’S GUIDE TO PROPER NUTRITION

The information contained within the pages of this text, as well as all discussion of its subject matter, are meant to support a healthy lifestyle. They are not a substitute for medical advice, nor are they meant to treat or ameliorate any disease. It is recommended that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to embarking on any health and/or exercise program. The information in this guide is meant to serve as a guideline and is also not a substitute for individual advising, coaching, or consulting.

Grocery Guide

Vegetables

Artichoke	Cucumbers	Parsnips
Arugula	Eggplant	Peppers (all kinds)
Asparagus	Endive	Pumpkin
Avocados	Fennel	Purslane
Beets/Beet Greens	Fiddlehead Ferns	Radishes
Bell Peppers	Garlic	Romaine Lettuce
Bok Choy	Green Beans	Rutabaga
Broccoli	Jerusalem Artichokes	Sea Vegetables
Broccoli Rabe	Jicama	Spinach
Brussels Sprouts	Kale	Squash
Cabbage	Kohlrabi	Swiss Chard
Carrots	Leeks	Tomatoes
Cauliflower	Mushrooms	Turnip Greens
Celery	Mustard Greens	Watercress
Celery Root	Olives
Collards	Onions


Safe Starches
Cassava	Sweet Potatoes	Yams
Potatoes	Wild Rice	Taro

Fish
Anchovies	Mahi Mahi	Salmon
Bass	Monkfish	Sardines
Cod	Mullet	Tilapia
Eel	Northern Pike	Tuna
Haddock	Orange Roughy	Walleye
Halibut	Perch	Any Other Wild Fish
Herring	Red Snapper
Mackerel	Rockfish

Shellfish
Abalone	Lobster	Scallops
Clams	Mussels	Shrimp
Crab	Oysters
Crayfish	Prawns

Meat and Poultry
Beef	Goat	Pork
Chicken	Lamb


Game Meat
Alligator	Emu	Rabbit
Bear	Goose	Snakes
Buffalo	Pheasant	Turkey
Caribou	Kangaroo	Venison
Duck	Ostrich
Elk	Quail


Organ Meats
Hearts	Liver	Sweetbreads
Kidney	Bone Marrow	Tongue

Eggs
Chicken	Goose	Roe/Caviar
Duck	Pheasant	Other Bird Eggs
Emu	Quail

Nuts and Seeds
Almonds	Pecans	Sunflower Seeds
Brazil Nuts	Pine Nuts	Walnuts
Hazelnuts	Pistachios	Derivative Butters
Hempseeds	Pumpkin seeds
Macadamias	Sesame Seeds

Healthy Fats/Oils
Avocado Oil	Macadamia Oil	Unprocessed Palm Oil
Butter/Ghee	Olive Oil	Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil/Milk	Sesame Oil
Lard	Tallow

Fruit

Preferred
Blackberries	Boysenberries	Gooseberries
Blueberries	Cranberries	Raspberries


Other Fruits
Apple	Honeydew Melon	Pears
Apricot	Kiwi	Persimmon
Banana	Lemon	Plums
Cantalope	Lime	Pomegranate
Cherries	Lychee	Rhubarb
Coconut	Mango	Star Fruit
Figs	Nectarine	Strawberries
Goji Berries	Orange	Tangerine
Grapefruit	Papaya	Watermelon
Grapes	Passion Fruit	All other fruits
Guava	Peaches

Spices and Herbs
Anise	Cumin	Peppermint
Basil	Dill	Rosemary
Black Pepper	Fennel	Sage
Cayenne Pepper	Ginger	Stevia
Chili Pepper	Mint	Tarragon
Cilantro	Mustard Seeds	Thyme
Coriander Seeds	Nutmeg	Turmeric
Cinnamon	Oregano
Cloves	Paprika

In Moderation

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Nutritional Supplements and Ergogenics

We live in a new world with new environmental factors being presented to us. Bad News? We’ve got more environmental toxins, chemicals, pollution, stress, food quality challenges, and other biological insults. Good news? We can take advantage of modern technologies. However, the supplement world is a difficult sphere to navigate. It is paramount to understand what you SHOULD and SHOULD NOT be taking for health, safety, and athletic regulations. We recommend health, training, and nutrition analysis from a qualified professional to evaluate any potential supplementation questions prior to usage. Further supplementation may or may not apply, depending on the individual. Doses are purely samples only due to age variance in the student athlete-young adult spectrum. That said, here is a cheat sheet to help.

Omega-3 (4g daily)

Vitamin D3 (5-10,000 IU daily)

Probiotic (1 capsule at bedtime)

Essential Amino Acid (EAA)/Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) (5-10g pre, intra, or post-exercise/game

Grass-Fed Whey Protein/Collagen Protein/Rice Protein Isolate (shakes or bar-based) (20-25g post-exercise or as needed)

Unrefined Sea Salt ( 1-2 tsp daily added to water)

Low/No Sugar Electrolytes (serving size varies; intra-game or endurance-based training sessions).

Magnesium (lesser deficiency probability in young population; 100-300mg daily before bed)

Exogenous Ketones (1 serving pre-exercise, training, or game as a stimulant-free, fully-hydrating pre-workout upgrade)

Student-Athlete Nutritional Guidelines

-Ancestral Eating: The majority of your diet should consist of whole, nutrient-dense foods that we evolved to eat rather than processed, refined junk. Aim for an 80/20 ratio, ideally and use the grocery list provided as an example.

-Respect Your Rest: Do not neglect your rest. It is easy to let rest fall by the wayside with an emphasis on training, practice, games, food, and social life, not to mention keeping up with the academic schedule. Sleep no less than seven hours and give yourself a license to aim for above 8, approaching 9 as much as possible. Try not to schedule heavy lifting days or grueling endurance conditioning sessions back-to-back. Reduce your screen time and exposure to artificial blue light at night. If you have to do homework, use the anti-blue light settings on your device(s) or wear blue blocker glasses. Put your phone on airplane mode and power down your WiFi at night for best practice.

-Plan Ahead: Don’t be a victim of your own schedule. Carry backup snacks, water, potentially supplements with you in your locker, gym bag, backpack, etc. Have on-the-go options dialed in so if you have to eat on the go, you’re stopping by a healthy option-think grocery store hot counter-rather than fast food.

-Cycle Caloric Intake: Also known as eating for exercise demands. To optimally recover, build muscle mass, perform optimally, all while keeping body fat at a minimum, tailor your intake of food to what you are doing. On a day of full practice, sprinting, or strength work, you’re going to be eating more. If you’re just running drills or resting? You’ll need to eat less. On that note...

-Know What Fuel to Use: If you’re in the weight room for strength and conditioning, you’re going to want to be more biased towards higher carbohydrate intake. If you’re resting or practicing simple drills (i.e. shootaround), you’re likely going to want to have your food involve a higher fat intake over carbs.

-Eat Purposefully: Eat for enjoyment and taste-the palate is one of the gifts we’ve been given in life-but eat for your goals most of the time. Each choice you make is going to move you more towards or away your finish line. Don’t forget that.

-Timing: Timing isn’t everything with nutrition, but it’s still important. Capitalize on your recovery period post-exercise with a properly timed meal. Don’t skip meals, either. Try to eat 3-4 large, square meals instead of grazing throughout the day, even if younger adults can get away with it more than their elders. Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, but in the young pop, these are good rules of thumb.

-Hydrate: Drink enough water daily and increase this amount by 10-20% on training days. Balance this out with proper electrolyte intake and don’t be afraid to add unrefined sea salt to your water or food.

-Mindfulness: Consider the power of meditation and visualization. Phil Jackson, Jordan, Kobe, Markieff Morris, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love, Luka Doncic, and many other athletes recognize the importance of the mental game for performance. LeBron says the game is about 80% mental. The Mavericks are an example of a team who have an on-staff mental performance coach. For added support, try a free app for morning meditation such as Lucid, Buddhify, etc. or checking out the