EAT LIKE THE PROS! I first wrote Feeding the Young Athlete not only because I taught family nutrition and whole foods cooking at Bastyr University, I was also a mother to a girl playing competitive soccer. Again and again, I watched the players eat nutrition-poor and often sugary foods before and after games. Pre-game doughnuts! Post-game pizzas! Knowing the kids could sustain a higher level of play with better food, I teamed up with my colleague, Scott Murdoch Ph.D., RD, to write this guide. He supplied the scientific research, and I translated it into practical tips and recipes for young athletes. In the five years since the last edition, I''ve seen the interest in sports nutrition grow tremendously, especially among professional athletes. Soccer teams get it.

Mona Nemmer was first hired to help plan and cater meals for Germany''s national youth soccer teams. Word of her success with food and performance spread, and Nemmer became chef and nutritionist for Bayern Football Club. Later, Liverpool FC, one of the most celebrated teams in England, snagged her as head of nutrition. What are these premier league soccer players eating? "It is all local and seasonal," Nemmer says. "We have a focus on real food, to keep natural nutrition as high as possible." Homemade foods are preferred to commercially prepared and packaged foods. She, and other sports nutritionists, know that players who eat and drink well have an edge over the competition, especially in the second half of the game, the second game of the day or the second half of the season. Though baseball franchises have been slow to catch on to the transformative power of food, many are now on board.

The Baltimore Orioles took their chef on the road during the playoffs. Other teams, such as the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, have also sought a competitive advantage through nutrition. In 2015 the Yankees hired nutritionist Cynthia Sass to seek out the finest and healthiest food spread in baseball. Sass has seen first-hand how certain foods can enhance skills. For example, green vegetables can improve contrast vision, such as the ability to see a white ball with its red laces against a night sky. What hitter would not want that edge? Sass rightly states, "Every time you eat or drink, it''s an opportunity to make your body stronger and healthier." In football, the Seattle Seahawks know food matters. The Seattle Times reported: "Seahawks Chef Plays Key Role in Team''s Success.

" There are no sodas, junk food or deep-fried foods in the Seahawk training kitchen. Quarterback Russell Wilson keeps breakfast simple with steel-cut oats, fresh fruit and an egg. Good choices, Russell!With this book, we hope to bring these positive trends to children and teens. Striving for optimal performance applies on and off the field! Preparing for a difficult exam requires the same attention to hydration and eating as any other type of marathon. When we skip breakfast, or choose a sugar-laden breakfast, mental functioning is the first to go. So whether students and players want to apply critical thinking to a multiple-choice test or navigate a tricky maneuver on the field, pre-event food choices play a critical role. Choosing the right food is only half of the formula. While most middle and high school players can''t hire a personal chef, they can (and should) learn to cook a handful of simple dishes.

Cooking helps young people not only invest in their present performance goals, but teaches them how to care for themselves in the future. Start with learning how to hard boil an egg, bake a potato or make salad dressing. Parents, caretakers, and even more importantly, coaches, need to help young athletes forge better dietary choices. With widespread support for eating better to perform better, Feeding the Young Athlete is more relevant than ever. Younger generations care about what''s in the food they eat. This book''s focus on food, rather than powders and pills, and its delicious, family-friendly recipes make Feeding the Young Athlete a game changer for 21st century athletes. --Cynthia Lair, 2017.