For many high school athletes, proper nutrition is key to maximizing performance. Nutrition focuses such as protein intake for muscle recovery, carbohydrates for sustained energy and hydration for endurance are all essential to boosting your athletic abilities. Meal preparation, a routine once exclusive to bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, is now finding its way into student athletes’ daily routines in a journey for an advantage on the court, field, pool and trail.
Sophomore Anthony Lee, a member of the mountain biking team, learned the importance of nutrition after struggling in his first race.

“I started mountain biking in middle school, but I didn’t really get into training until last year when all my friends were faster than me at the first high school race,” Lee said.
Lee’s solution? Dialing in his diet through meal prepping.
“For me, I want to get in protein. I’ll try to match my body weight in grams of protein and drink a ton of water. Having a balanced diet, like fruits, vegetables, meats and all [food groups] are super important,” Lee said.
Meal prep is a growing trend among athletes, with many teenagers adopting it as a way of being in control of their sport and their body. Registered dietitian Yoon Kee described the trend towards conscious eating as having strong health benefits, as long as it is done correctly.
“More mindful, planned eating makes it healthier eating,” Kee said. “That also means that you can have an idea of what’s going to happen at the next meal. From that perspective, I think it’s going to be more beneficial.”
Kee feels that meal prepping can reduce stress, especially for busy athletes balancing practice, school and a social life.

“For teenagers, being able to have a predictable, ‘Oh, I have this going on. I don’t have to stress about my meal after my practice.’ I think it’s definitely better for your psychology,” Kee said. “Meal planning as high schoolers is a great baby step towards growth. Being able to nurture yourself and take care of yourself through food is part of that growth.”
Not only is meal prepping effective for time management and stress reduction, but for those with food allergies or restrictions, meal prepping is a way to make sure the foods you are eating are safe and free of contamination.
“Nutrition is super important for me because I have food allergies,” Lee said. “I always have to prepare my food in advance like chicken, potatoes and carrots because that’s the only way I can safely eat and perform well.”
However, there is a downside that comes with the growing social media fitness culture. Teenagers often receive far too much information about bulking, cutting and getting very specific macro goals, which can sometimes translate into unhealthy and dangerous eating habits.
Kee believes that while all this information can be beneficial, it is typically accompanied by risks.
“I really do not like these fear-mongering messages that some of the people on social media will send out,” Kee said. “I don’t think that’s very healthy for anyone, especially for teens who are vulnerable to eating disorders or disordered eating.”

For example, Kee feels as though general health misinformation is spread through the internet, such as the belief that protein is the most important dietary component in athletes. This stress on one specific nutrient can cause others to be overlooked in meal preparation.
“For [some] there’s the fear [spreading around the fact that], you know, you’re not having enough protein,” Kee said. “Actually, there are more nutrients at risk — protein is not one, even for vegans.”
With this rise of meal prepping and nutrition on social media and the internet, Lee takes note of the increasing number of his peers who are taking part in the practice.
“Meal prepping has definitely become more popular,” Lee said. “All my friends who workout have started tracking their macros and calories. You see it on social media, ‘This is what you need to eat if you want to bulk or cut.’”
However, Kee believes this could promote unhealthy obsessions over what you are eating and wants to stress the requirement for balance over obsession.
“This hyper-focusedness on one nutrient is really not healthy for anyone,” Lee said. “For student athletes, especially in high school, you have growing bodies. Your brain needs energy. I really think it’s more detrimental to go that route than beneficial.”

For Lee, meal prep is less about stress and more about necessity and he admits that it is far from perfect.
“One downside of meal prepping is that the food isn’t always as good after a while,” Lee said. “Reheating rice or something — it’s never as good as fresh out of the oven.”
As meal prepping grows in our society, it is important to keep in mind the potential for risk that comes with the practice. Kee stresses the importance of making sure your meal preparation does not turn into meal restriction.
“Sometimes I think when you try to overthink it, it becomes really complicated and food should not be that complicated. If you notice that it gets really complicated and unless you have multiple food allergies or significant health issues that you have to be vigilant [about, it should remain uncomplicated]. Think of food as your ability to nurture yourself. It’s part of taking care of yourself,” Kee said.