Thomas Beasley

Home cooked eggs and toast are a great meal option for athletes.

Proper nutrition is instrumental to athletes and can sometimes mean the difference between a win or a loss. According to Woodside students and teachers, food could be the winning difference for games. 

Because food supplies energy to the body, top athletes need food to perform well in their sport. There are many good foods that help during games and practices. 

“When you’re an athlete, you have to think about when you are going to be exerting the most energy,” Woodside culinary teacher, Amanda Olson, said. Let’s say you have a big game, or you know you’re going to have a really hard practice, you want to try to not eat a huge meal right before, but maybe eat a good dinner the night before or a big breakfast in the morning so it has time to digest.” 

The time of day you consume food helps drastically in a match and eating well the night before will ensure good performance.

“The night before I would definitely recommend some carbs, ideally ones that are whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat pasta, really any kind of grain,” Olson said. “[I would recommend] healthy fats because those last in your body for a long time, healthy fats are things like olive oil, fish, and meats. If you don’t eat meat, you could eat tofu. “

Athletes at Woodside have many eating habits they use to perform well in their games.

“To prepare for a game I usually have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas, [and] probably an energy drink like a Powerade; I need to get my electrolytes,” Junior Varsity sophomore Jose Rebollar said. “The night before, [I will have a] heavier meal like pasta or like chicken.” 

Bananas are a favorite among athletes. 

“Before practices, I eat eggs and bananas,” Varsity swimmer Sadie Cryan said. “If it’s a morning practice, I have eggs, but if it’s in the evening, I will eat a banana or something.” 

Healthy foods in general are very important for athletes. As well as nutrition, people should also focus on hydration.

“It’s important for athletes to not only eat good food, but to also hydrate adequately,” Woodside nurse Nanette Pasion said. “Nutrition is a big part of what sustains us, what makes our bodies move, [and] what makes our bodies heal or recover after a strenuous workout.”