Over the weekend I spoke to a group of teenage triathletes about nutrition. While I was preparing what to share with them I couldn’t help but wonder if they would even be interested in nutrition. I knew that these kids were serious competitors much like myself so I hoped to appeal to this side of them, since being competitive in my own races is my biggest motivator to eat better.

Sure enough these kids were interested in anything that would improve their workouts and race performance. I left our meeting feeling like I had learned just as much from them. These kids asked great questions, took notes and even came up with their own strategies for implementing what they had learned. 

What did they teach me? The showed me how we as their parents, coaches and mentors can get them to make better food choices! Read on for 5 ways you can help your teenage runner or athlete eat for performance.

Don’t make drastic changes to their diets.

Teenage athletes are going to have a higher calorie deficit than the average teen. They need to eat and you need to show them how to make gradual changes to their diet overtime if you want them to develop healthy eating habits that will support their athletic careers. Eating should be a pleasant experience. If you are too rigid with them, they might rebel and eat junk behind your back or quit their sport altogether because its not fun.

Add healthier foods to the family meals.

I know it’s so easy just to hit the drive thru after practice, toss a frozen pizza in the oven or whip up a box of mac and cheese while they snack on gold fish crackers . It’s going to take some time planning and organizing on your part, but ultimately isn’t your kid worth it? His body needs nutritional foods to help him fuel and recover from workouts. Aim to have as many meals at home together as a family as possible. And if it’s not possible, consider batch cooking over the weekend for the week, so you won’t be tempted to pick up a pizza on the way home.

Get your teen involved.

Ask your teen to pick a new recipe or a new vegetable to try each week. You also get him involved in the weekend food prep or cooking. If he didn’t care for a new dish, work together to tweak the recipe to suit his taste or to find new recipes. The internet is a great way for him to search recipes and to look up the nutritional value of whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. Remember he needs carbs from plant based sources, not just pasta and rice.

Accept your responsibility to keep nutritious options on hand.

If you are filling your pantry and freezer with processed foods and/or junk food, don’t be surprised or mad with she eats an ice cream bar instead of a fruit smoothie or snacks on chips instead of guacamole and carrot sticks. And stop buying convenience foods like pudding and fruit cups, peanut butter crackers and lunchables for her lunches. Prepare enough dinner at night that she can take leftovers to school the next day. Or again, batch cook on the weekends and put up single servings either in the fridge or the freezer. Keep high quality protein powder fruit and spinach on hand and teach her how to make her green smoothies.

Listen to your teen.

Ask questions about how they are felt before, during and after practice. Every person is unique and each teen will have different nutritional needs. It’s important for you ask the right questions and really listen to their answers so together you can determine if certain foods need to be limited or eliminated. By listening, you are giving your teen the opportunity to tune into how her body feels and learn to be responsible for what she puts into it.

Do you have a teenage runner or athlete at home? Share in the comments below how you help your teen make better food choices.