Healthy Recipes For Teenage Athletes

If you need to make high protein school lunches for teenage athletes, you’ve come to the right place; because as a mom to 3 kids, I know what it’s like when an active kid can eat you out of the house.

While school sports are a great way for kids to get involved, socialize, and learn new skills, they also work up an appetite. And we all know that this means that the first words out of their mouth when they get home are… “I’m starving!” Right?

School

These easy school lunch ideas will keep them energized and ready to score the winning point every day since they have a good balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

Easy Team Meal Ideas

Providing our kids with a healthy balance of nutrients in each meal will help them stay energized and their bodies growing properly, especially for student-athletes. All the extra activity in after-school practices and game days burn a lot of energy and calories.

However, you want to make sure these calories are coming from the right sources such as protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats -not packaged foods.

These are easy to incorporate into any meal especially lunch if you have the right ingredients. Below are examples of each food group so you can get your ideas going.

Balanced Meal Ideas For Athletes

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All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive myPack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!

Protein helps build and maintain healthy muscle, and that’s essential for athletic endurance. Great sources of protein that are also lunchbox building blocks! They come in the form of grilled or baked chicken, deli cuts, beans, hummus, peanut butter, yogurt, and cheese.

Lunch Ideas For Teens (printable Guide) %

These are essential for supplying energy which is vital for athletic performance. Keep in mind, there is a difference in obtaining carbs from fruit juice or sugared snack bars vs. brown rice.

The juice or granola bar will give a surge of energy, but this won’t last! The results are an energy crash later, which is not what we want for our kids.

Carbohydrates found in whole grains, sweet potatoes, and starchier veggies break down slower and provide long-lasting energy. Great options include brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pitas, bread, and wraps, as well as sweet potatoes, corn, and beans.

Healthy Recipes For Athletes

Fat, healthy fats, provide us with energy, help our bodies absorb vitamins, helps our brains to function, and keeps you full, longer. All of which you want for your child.

Healthy fats that are perfect in a lunchbox include nuts, seeds, peanut butter ( or no-nut butter), avocado, guacamole, salad dressings made with olive oil or coconut oil, and full-fat dairy ingredients like yogurt and cheese are great sources.

Fiber isn’t just to “keep everything moving” but also has a lot of nutritional benefits as well as being essential for the digestion of foods.

Ten Portable Snacks For Athletes On The Go

Make sure to keep it simple- Wraps, bentos, and thermos lunches are all kid and teen favorites. However, that main item might not be enough so always add lunch sides with a variety of veggies, proteins, and healthy fats along with the main item.

With athletes and active kids, durability is key. Since, more than likely, the lunch bag will get tossed around the gym bag or thrown on the ground before practice. I’ve shared all my top lunch containers for teens here.

For my athletes, I like stainless steel containersbut if they are “too old” to carry one, a reusable “brown paper bag” never goes out of style.

School Lunch Box Ideas For Teens (easy + Healthy!)

If you are looking for a comparison of durable thermos containers, check out this post. You can pack hot lunches like Burritos Bowls, Teriyaki Chicken Bowls, or soup!

This Chicken Teriyaki recipe is great to make for dinner and then pack the leftovers for lunch the next day. Served over brown rice and packed along with fresh fruit and veggies.

These bite-sized favorites are a great source of protein from the eggs and cheese. Make a batch at the beginning of the week and use them to pack into lunches or to serve for breakfast! Each recipe yields 24 mini quiches, and most teens eat 6-8 in one sitting!

Healthy Appetizers To Make, According To A Registered Dietitian. Nike.com

Hummus is an excellent source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It’s also extremely versatile! Pack it with some leftover chicken for extra protein!

If your school has a no-nut policy, swap the peanut butter for another nut-free butter such as sunflower seed butter or soybean butter. These go great partnered with some yummy homemade banana chips!

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Make a large batch of chicken salad, serve some in bentos and use the rest for making wraps and sandwiches later in the week. Get the chicken salad recipe here.

Easy Healthy School Lunch Ideas For Kids & Teens

And that’s it! Aren’t those great ideas? Of course, if you have ideas and just need to get it all organized when it comes to meal planning, check out our family meal plans. A week of dinners and comes with family-friendly recipes, a completed shopping list, and meal prep breakdown.

Serving: 1 bowl Calories: 482 kcal Carbohydrates: 49 g Protein: 42 g Fat: 12 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g Trans Fat: 0.05 g Cholesterol: 109 mg Sodium: 1351 mg Potassium: 806 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 14 g Vitamin A: 51 IU Vitamin C: 2 mg Calcium: 43 mg Iron: 1 mgIf you’re looking for ideas on what to pack your middle or high school athlete for lunch, check out these 7 school lunch options for student athletes.

Student athletes are busy. They leave the house early in the morning for school, and may not get home until late in the evening. That can make eating enough high-quality food to support growth, development and sports performance, a challenge.

The Best Carbohydrates For Teen Athletes » Off Season Athlete

To meet their higher energy needs, student athletes need a nutritious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day. I’ve shared a lot about breakfast in the past, including some healthy breakfast ideas fit for a champion and quick breakfast options to eat on the go. I’ve also shared some protein-packed, egg-free breakfast options. Today’s post, though, is all about school lunch options for student athletes.

American schools that participate in the Federal School lunch program are required to offer a nutritious lunch for school students. When putting the menu together, schools follow federal guidelines meant to provide a minimum standard of healthful food. For example, a school lunch must include whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Though schools follow guidelines, the lunch they provide is not individualized to the specific calorie needs of each student. Instead, the school lunch must meet the set minimum and maximum calories for the

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Being served. That means, a 16 year old, 5’2”, 115 pound female dancer is offered the same school lunch as a 16 year old, 6’2”, 170 pound male football player, even though their caloric requirements are much different.

Most schools offer additional food for purchase, but even students who have the money to buy ala carte items may not be getting what they need. I’ve worked with high school athletes that would need to buy two or three school lunches to get enough food to feel full and satisfied.

My point in mentioning that isn’t to discredit the lunch provided by the school. The guidelines satisfy the needs of the majority of students, and doubling the portions could lead to an overconsumption by many students. My point is, the lunch provided by the school is not individualized to meet the specific needs of athletes. If you want something that meets your specific needs, you’ll need to buy more food, or pack your own lunch.

Healthy Snacks For Teenage Athletes: Complete Guide

The best way for student athletes to meet their daily nutrient needs is to eat a variety of different foods, from the different food groups. When considering school lunch options for student athletes, make sure that the meal includes all three macronutrients – carbohydrate-rich foods, high-quality protein and some dietary fat.

Because carbohydrate is the preferred fuel source for the brain and working muscles, student athletes need to include a variety of carbohydrate-rich foods at lunch. Examples include breads, cereals, crackers, pasta, rice, noodles, pretzels and other grain-based foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans and other legumes are also great sources of carbohydrate, as are dairy foods like milk and yogurt.

In addition to the nutrient-rich carbohydrates I just mentioned, treats and simple sugars are also sources of carbohydrates. While these foods don’t contribute many, if any, vitamins and minerals, they still provide energy to the body. Most student athletes have carbohydrate needs well over what they can comfortably obtain from whole foods, so including a treat or sugary sweet with lunch actually helps them meet their daily needs. Sweets and treats should never be eaten in place of nutrient-rich carbohydrates, but including one with lunch is perfectly fine. Examples include a piece of chocolate, fruit snacks, fruit leather or “roll-ups” and drizzling honey on yogurt.