A Nutrition Guide for High School Athletes

Let’s get one thing straight:
You can’t out-train a crappy diet — no matter how many hours you spend in the weight room or on the field, track, mat or court.

And yet every season, someone’s still pushing the same outdated advice:
“Carb load with a big plate of pasta the night before the game.”
“Drink Gatorade to refuel.”
“Eat whatever you want, you’re young!”

Wrong.
If your performance matters, your nutrition better match it.
And that doesn’t mean buying expensive powders, stocking up on energy drinks, or living on spaghetti.

The Carb-Loading Myth: Why Pasta Isn’t a Performance Food

Ah yes, the night-before ritual: a giant plate of white pasta drowning in Alfredo sauce because “we’re carb loading.”

But here’s the truth no one’s explaining to these kids:

Carb loading is not just about eating more carbs.

It’s about:

• The right types of carbs
• When you eat them
• And whether your body is conditioned to store and use them properly

Dumping a load of pasta into your system the night before a game doesn’t magically fill your energy tank. In fact, it can backfire:

• Spikes blood sugar, then crashes it
• Leaves you bloated and sluggish
• Provides zero fiber, vitamins, or minerals
• Doesn’t refuel muscle glycogen effectively unless you’ve been depleting it through training

Let’s be clear:
Not all carbs are created equal. Fuel smart with carbs from fruit, oats, potatoes, brown rice, and veggies — the kind that actually build energy stores without crashing your system.

The Right Way to Fuel: It’s About Consistency & REAL FOOD

The best-performing athletes don’t rely on a last-minute carb binge. They eat with intention every single day.

The Gatorade Illusion: It’s Basically Soda in a Sports Bra

Sure, Gatorade might look cool on the sidelines — neon bottles, commercials with pro athletes, and all the hype. But let’s be real:

Most of the time, Gatorade is just glorified sugar water with a colorful label and some salt sprinkled in.

Why the Sugar Is a Problem

One standard 20 oz Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar — that’s over 8 teaspoons in one bottle.

That much sugar:

• 💥 Spikes your blood sugar fast
• 😴 Leads to an energy crash mid-game or mid-practice
• 🧠 Affects focus and reaction time
• 🐛 Disrupts gut health (which affects immunity and recovery)

You don’t need a sugar crash in the 4th quarter when your body’s relying on stable energy and mental sharpness.

Why the Artificial Dyes Are Dangerous (Especially for Athletes)

You know that bright blue, red, or green glow? That’s not fruit. That’s petroleum-based food dye.
Most Gatorade flavors are loaded with:

• Red 40
• Yellow 5
• Blue 1

These dyes have been linked to:

• 🤯 Hyperactivity and mood swings
• 😵‍💫 Attention issues and irritability
• 😷 Inflammation — which slows recovery and messes with performance
• 🧬 Cellular stress — not what you want when building muscle or training hard

And yes — some of these dyes are banned or restricted in other countries. But not here. Go figure.

💧 So What Should You Drink Instead?

If you’re sweating hard and need electrolytes, skip the chemicals and go clean:

Better options:

• Water + pinch of sea salt + splash of orange juice
• Coconut water (unsweetened)
• Electrolyte tablets or powders without dyes or added sugar!
• Just plain water if you’re not in a high-intensity sweat session

Sugar crashes, brain fog, and chemical dyes have no business in your game-day lineup.
If you’re serious about performance, don’t fuel like it’s a gas station slushie

Sample Fuel Schedule (Affordable & Midwest Friendly)

Let’s break it down into a realistic daily plan. No fancy supplements. No $10 protein bars. Just real food that fuels real performance.

🕖 Morning (Pre-Lift Fuel)

• Banana + spoonful of peanut butter
• Hard-boiled egg + apple
• Water

🥓 Post-Lift Breakfast

• 3 eggs + oatmeal with berries
• Greek yogurt or whole milk

🕛 Lunch

• Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread
• Carrot sticks or baby bell peppers
• Apple
• Cheese stick or nuts

🕓 Afternoon Snack (Pre-Practice)

• Cottage cheese + fruit
• Granola bar with <8g sugar
• Water

🥩 Dinner (Post-Practice Recovery)

• Grilled meat (chicken, pork chop, or beef)
• Roasted potatoes or brown rice
• Steamed broccoli or green beans
• Optional: Corn or salad

The 24 Hours Before Competition: What to Know

This is not the time to overload your system. Here’s what to avoid and what to stick with:

❌ Avoid:

• Fried food
• Soda or energy drinks
• White pasta + white bread overload
• Fast food
• Anything new or risky

✅ Stick with:

• Balanced dinner with lean protein + whole carbs + veggies
• Hydrate all day
• Light, familiar breakfast and lunch
• Small pre-game snack (banana + peanut butter or granola bar)

💤 And sleep.
You don’t win competitions on 4 hours of sleep and a Red Bull.

🛒 The High School Athlete Grocery List

Affordable. Accessible. Fuel that works.

Proteins:

• Eggs
• Chicken thighs
• Ground beef
• Pork chops
• Tuna packets or cans

Carbs:

• Potatoes / sweet potatoes
• Brown rice
• Whole grain bread or tortillas
• Oatmeal
• Bananas, apples, oranges

Fats & Snacks:

• Peanut butter
• Cheese sticks
• Trail mix or nuts
• Greek yogurt

Hydration:

• Water
• Sea salt
• Optional: Clean electrolyte powder/tablets

Bottom Line: You Get Out What You Put In

You can’t skip meals, live on pizza rolls, drink neon-blue sugar water, and expect to perform like a beast.

Winning starts in the kitchen.
Train hard. Eat real. Stay consistent.

📥 Want a Printable Version of This?

Download your Free High School Athlete Nutrition Guide right here ⬇️
Stick it on the fridge, take it to practice, or send it to your coach.

Perfect for athletes, parents, and coaches who want a no-BS, competition-winning nutrition plan.