Is this a good sample diet for a Freestyle 3 figure skater who is 13 and trains 3 hrs a day?:
Breakfast:
-1 cup of regular instant oatmeal
-1/2 cup of strawberries
-1 slice of wheat bread with peanut butter
Mid-Morning Snack:
-Plastic bag of dried fruit
Lunch:
-Turkey sandwich on 1 slice of wheat with 1 small stripe of mayo
-3 oatmeal raisin cookies (small)
-Small bag of baby carrots
-1 cup of sliced strawberries
Afternoon Snack:
-7 low fat ritz crackers
-7 low fat cheese cubes
Dinner:
-1 small chicken breast
-1/2 cup of brocolli
-1/4 cup of brown rice
Nighttime snack:
-1 sliced apple
-low fat peanut butter
This is just a sample. Do you think this is healthy and energizing enough? If you can, please give me suggestions. THX!!!
Answer This sample diet looks quite good, Emmaley. I admire your choice of brown rice, and your inclusion of fruits and vegetables. My feeling is that you could enhance your fitness and energy level by increasing your intake of raw vegetables, especially if that broccoli was cooked and not raw. You might want to add a green drink to your daily diet for an extra dose of antioxidants and vitamins. Sample some offbeat items from the buffet as well, such as dulse or other sea vegetables. It takes a while to acquire a taste for arame, perhaps, but it is loaded with trace minerals from the sea. We tend to sweat out our minerals as athletes apparently. We want a constant supply to keep us running.
Generally speaking, fruits are assimilated best on an empty stomach. I eat fruits as appetizers before almost every meal. Wait until your hunger returns before eating the rest of the meal. This will be fifteen to forty-five minutes, depending on how much fruit and what kind. Dried or sweet fruit takes longer.
There is a big difference between brands of peanut butter, cheeses, and loaves of whole wheat bread. Go for quality. It is as important how food is produced as what kind of food you eat. Organic is better by far if you can afford it. Fresher is also better, as is rawer. Because of the high nutrient content in organic food and the low toxin content, I consider it a bargain, especially when you factor in the cost of health care nowadays!
These are just a few thoughts for you to ponder and experiment with.
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