Being a teenager is hard enough, add in school and traversing friend groups seems difficult. Throw in those who want to participate in sports; talk about a full plate. This is all happening during the peak time of growth and transformation for young adults, which requires a substantial amount of energy. Consuming enough food to fuel all of this is a daunting task, and most probably do not realize they aren’t fueling properly. The most noticeable hit taken is in the performance of student-athletes. A majority of kids suffer form Low-energy availability (LEA), and this can lead to decreases in performance, as well as higher injury risks (Smulligan). That being said and speaking from personal experience, there is a noticeable decrease in energy and performance that is caused by under eating while experiencing LEA. Eating, and in particular eating for performance, is not exactly on a kids mind when they are this busy. Not only have I seen and increase in performance when taking my nutrition seriously, but other people have as well. Even sprinkling in just two servings of vegetables, athletes could see and feel an increase in performance and energy levels (Schwartz). Starting with the basics of macronutrients and understanding what an athlete should eat based on their needs is a huge step in a positive direction. There is a reason that the highest and most competitive athletes focus so much on their nutrition, it is never too early to start, and only positives can come from being more intentional about what you eat.
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