Healthy never tasted so good – Part 4

Football season begins!

High School Football ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both the United States and Canada. It began in the late 19th century, concurrent with the start of many college football programs. American football stands out as the only major autumnal sport.

Why is football played in the fall? Football established itself as an autumn sport to avoid competition with baseball which traditionally has been known as the number one American sport in the country.

According to the latest statistics on athletes, about 2 million high school athletes are injured annually, requiring more than 500,000 doctor visits. Seventy percent of college athletes report playing through injuries with most not knowing how susceptible they are due to lack of proper nutrition. 

Football player health done right!

The demand placed on the football player's body remains high for at least 24 hours after training or the game played. If nutritional demands are not met during this period, recovery will be prolonged over days or weeks. If adequate nutrition is not received from the diet, recovery is not possible. As training continues, stress, fatigue and metabolic waste will accumulate in the body. Large amounts of energy are required for training and competition, which comes from carbohydrates, fats and protein in your body. If enough of these macronutrients are not consumed from your diet, your body will not be able to perform at its optimum level of performance. If the levels of stress hormones remain high, the functionality of your immune system is impaired. Eat a well-balanced diet suited to the protein demands of your body mass and the carbohydrate demands of your activity level.

What should your players consume?

A player should consume a higher percentage of carbohydrates before training and pregame. While postgame meals should contain a higher percentage of protein.

Starting three days before a game, seventy percent of the player's calorie intake should be carbohydrates. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, about five to six grams of carbohydrates per 2.2 pounds of body weight is required for football players.

Hydration Tips: Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily; drink water with added electrolytes; drink water with electrolytes first thing in the morning and throughout the day. This electrolyte enhanced water routine assists with preventing cramping.

Do not drink water 30 minutes before a meal or 60 min after a meal.

Recommended pregame hydration: e-Fuel cranksports.com/products/eFuel/?rid=499404 ) or Cytomax (Cytomax.com). These two products are packed with electrolytes and the sufficient amount of carbohydrates for athletes. Gatorade does not begin to compare to these products so check out the websites and decide for yourself.

About Dr. Charmène Mama Vega

 Dr. Charmene "Mama" Vega is Founder, President and CEO of Mama Vega Enterprises (www.MamaVega.com).  She is also a philanthropist, published author, Medical Nutrition Therapist, holder of a Master of Science degree in Special Education and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities.

 Dr. Vega believes in giving back to the communities where Mama Vega products are sold. For every Mama Vega product purchased, a percentage of each sale is donated to select non-profits in those communites.