Healthy Eating for Ice Skating Demands

Between skating, school and your friends, there’s little time to worry about what you should eat. Fast food and frozen pizza are often the easiest option. But a more nutritious, balanced diet is important, especially for young, growing athletes. And since figure skating is a demanding sport that requires good nutrition, you should make every effort to maintain a healthy diet to perform your best.

Building a Healthy Base
Did you know that food made from grains such as wheat, rice and oats help form the foundation of a nutritious diet? According to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, whole grains provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other substances that are important for good health. In fact, eating plenty of whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal, cereal, pasta and rice as part of a healthy overall diet may even help protect you against many diseases.

When determining what you’d like to eat, be sure to ask for your parents help to choose nutritional foods. Also pay attention to the “Nutrition Facts” label on food packaging to help choose foods that are rich in fiber and low in saturated fat and sodium. It is recommended that older children and active teenage girls have nine servings of grain products per day. That probably sounds like a lot of food, but don’t worry. One serving can be as small as a slice of bread or ½ cup of cereal or pasta. Grain variety is also important, so mix it up a little. Try choosing whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or whole grain breakfast cereal.

Share your healthy eating tips with us!

–Riedell