injury – Nutrition with Wendi

What to Eat the Night Before a Game?

July 28, 2022January 17, 2023 fitness, Health, injury, Sports Nutrition, teen athlete, travel, youth athlete

What should I eat the night before a game?

Great question! We get this question from athletes all the time or from parents or coaches concerned about educating their athletes. What to eat the night before any competition or event depends on many factors.

It’s actually more important to be cognizant of what you’re eating and drinking in the days leading up to your game or competition. (Learn more here)

Avoid making common mistakes on intense training days or on competition days.

Fried foods
Spicy foods
New foods
High-fat foods
Consuming high-fat or high-fiber right before activity

My five tips to keep in mind when thinking about the night before game day

1. What you eat the night before any competition should be practiced in advance. I can’t stress this enough.

If you try new foods you could end up getting sick with stomach pain, cramping, or digestion issues, the meal could negatively affect your sleep, and ultimately end up disrupting your performance the next day.

Our clients and athletes learn through our coaching sessions that the meals and snacks consumed leading up to the event have a greater influence on performance than the meal consumed the night before.

2. Limit oils, too much fiber, and high-fat cuts of meat that take a great deal of time to digest and can prevent you from properly fueling up with carbs.

Too much fiber can also cause GI distress Your goal is to fill up glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrates).

3. Avoid consuming fried foods, heavily processed foods, dressings, sauces, and spicy foods.

Fuel up with a high-quality lean protein source paired with some fruit, complex carbohydrates, and veggies. You want to have a balanced plate ultimately containing foods from all food groups. (Full day of eating) *Example menu2

Meals to consume the night before game day

Grilled chicken sandwich on a whole-grain bun with veggies, 1-2 cups whole-grain rice, mixed berries fruit cup, and low-fat chocolate milk
Lean ground turkey meatballs, whole-grain pasta, watermelon slices, 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt + pineapple slices
Deli ham or deli turkey sub with a side of pretzels, apple slices, and low-fat chocolate milk
Whole-grain burrito or burrito bowl with lean flank steak, brown rice, grilled veggies, and a small serving of guacamole (keep fat light)
For plant-based athletes, grilled tofu, chickpeas, brown rice, tomatoes, mixed greens, a side of grapes, and a light dressing paired with 1-2 whole-grain rolls
93% Lean ground beef burgers on whole-grain bread or in pita wrap paired with a side salad, raspberries, and low-fat milk.
Whole-grain rice bowl with grilled shrimp or lean flank steak tossed in roasted broccoli with diced avocado (keep it light 1 tbsp) and fresh fruit
Roasted sweet potato with lean ground turkey or tofu in a whole grain wrap with hummus and blueberries
1-2 Whole-grain chicken wraps with beans, spinach, tomato, mashed hummus, and fruit

4. Have a small snack of protein + carb 45-60 min before bed (see more ideas here ) **Be sure to also practice out these foods to ensure you know they won’t make you sick.

5. Get a minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep! (consequences of poor sleep & athletic performance

Consume a casein-rich snack like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or string cheese paired with an apple or banana.
Casein (slow-digesting dairy protein) will help repair and rebuild muscle while at rest.
A small serving of carbohydrates will top off the fuel tank roughly 45-60 min before bed.
Cherries and bananas have also been shown to support restful sleep. Cherries are a natural source of melatonin which helps you fall asleep.
Bananas are a great source of magnesium which is a mineral aiding in muscle relaxation. The perfect combo to help your muscles relax, recover, and for you to sleep well before your big game or competition!

NO NEW FOODS THE NIGHT BEFORE A GAME OR ON GAME DAY! I can’t stress this enough!

Practice foods and meals you want to eat the night before a game a week before to know “it works and feels good for you”.
Focus on getting 7-9 hours of sleep and have a small protein + carb snack before bed.
You can’t expect to perform are your best if you have not been consistently consuming balanced meals and snacks leading into game day.
You’ll have to plan ahead with balanced meals using my plate method. For additional ideas, check out my meal and snack guidance which also explains my “4-2-1” method.
In the days leading up to your competition prioritize plenty of lean protein and complex carbohydrates to provide you with the fuel you need.
You can’t perform like a beast if you eat like a bird (additional snack ideas!

Performance Nutrition (1) (download for the 4-2-1 game day timing)

GOOD LUCK and don’t forget to have fun!

What are the benefits of partnering with Nutrition with Wendi to help you with your performance or recovery?

” Wendi has helped me feel better going into games and camps and has assisted with my weight gain goal. I have gained a solid 10 lbs since we started working together and I have more energy during practice and training. My muscles aren’t as sore after games either.”

– Ian Ness Teen Hockey Athlete

The Nutrition with Wendi team utilizes evidence-based science to tailor nutrition programs for athletes to optimize performance, minimize health risks, and enhance recovery from training while focusing on injury prevention. We partner with parents, sports performance staff, and special needs and recreational athletes to offer nutritional guidance and optimal athletic performance and lifestyle plans. We provide virtual services including telehealth but are based in Nashville, TN. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more nutrition information. Service

Macronutrients 101

July 12, 2022August 13, 2022 fitness, injury, Sports Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, teen athlete, youth athlete

Many have no idea what a serving of fat, carbohydrate, or protein is. So here’s a quick 101 on our macronutrients that include fat, carbohydrate, and protein!

Teens and adults who want to be healthy and successful long-term should understand the role and function of each essential nutrition along with the amount it should be consumed for energy.

There are six essential nutrients that include our macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and protein that provide us with energy in the form of calories), and the other three nutrients that do not provide calories but are also essential for life include vitamins, minerals, and water.

🥯Carbs are important. Why? Carbs = muscle and brain fuel and if you’re too full to get your carbs in your energy and performance will suffer. ⚠️ That’s why it’s important to work with a dietitian to find the right balance of nutrients. 👊

Many want to go keto but I discourage it…Carbs are the optimal fuel for athletes..why?👇👇👇

🥑Fat cannot:

❌Restore depleted glycogen

❌Athletes who adapt to⬆️fat need⬆️need more oxygen to convert fat➡️energy

❌Replace ATP w/in working cells as quickly or efficiently as carbohydrates.

Please keep eating 🍠carbohydrates for the sake of your health, well-being, energy levels, and athletic performance.

On an individual level, ideal fat intake person to person depends on so many factors.. i.e.
📌Body weight
📌Activity & goals
📌Total calories
📌Health status/ailments/genetic risk factors

So many asked about protein for kids… specifically 🤷‍♀️How much protein to feed teen and adult athletes?

It depends but it is important to start with a baseline:

📌25-30 g of protein for biological girls/meal
📌30-40 g of protein for biological boys/meal
📌10-15 g of protein at snacks for both teen girls and teen boys.

I recommend using the performance plate model to avoid worrying about counting calories as an athlete or busy adult. If you stick with your portions for weight management, muscle gain, or fat loss you’ll be set. Just remember that ALL meals matter!!

Under eating and underfueling will not serve you.

Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN is a registered dietitian nutritionist, and performance coach. Wendi utilizes evidence-based science to tailor nutrition programs for athletes to optimize performance, minimize health risks, and enhance recovery from training while focusing on injury prevention. She partners with parents, sports performance staff, and special needs and recreational athletes to offer nutritional guidance and optimal athletic performance and lifestyle plans. Wendi provides virtual services including telehealth but is based in Nashville, TN. Wendi works with clients of all levels and ages across the US as well as Canada and the UK. You can find more about Wendi and schedule an appointment with her on her website.

Testimonials of Wendi’s expertise from colleges, coaches, parents, young athletes, and high school administrators can be found at the testimonial link on her website. You can also follow Wendi on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more nutrition information. Service

Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthful Eating

June 28, 2022January 17, 2023 food freedom, Health, injury, Sports Nutrition, teen athlete, Weight loss, youth athlete

Let’s walk through a way of eating that is not restrictive, stressful, or judgemental but rather curious and satisfying. The pendulum swing from extreme dieting to overeating can be difficult. You will find yourself tired of Yo-Yo dieting where you lose some weight just to gain back even more. Are you battling cravings and feeling a lack of willpower. Gentle nutrition approaches cravings in a non-judgmental way. Instead of saying “I shouldn’t have eaten that”; Get curious and ask yourself, “Why am I craving this food?”, “Is there something I could have added earlier in my day?”. Nutrition Coaches can help guide you through the process of understanding “why”.

Gentle Nutrition is a concept of Intuitive Eating which embodies foods that satisfy what your body wants and nutritional knowledge. It empowers people to listen to their internal authority. Let’s walk through how you start.

Reject Diet Culture

Diet Culture is everywhere and is a multiple billion-dollar industry. Ever notice how diets continue to evolve into something new? Maybe diet culture evolves because it does not work. Diet culture is rooted in the belief that appearance and body shape are more important than physical, psychological, and general well-being. Nutrition Coaches can help distinguish what is fact versus myth about nutrition.

Honor your Hunger

Hunger is a body mechanism to signal the brain to start looking for food. Cravings can signify that you are deficient in a certain nutrient. An example might be craving meat when low in iron. Cravings can be physical or psychological; working with a Health Coach can help identify what your cravings are signifying.

Practice eating when you are hungry and learn early signs of satiety. Fullness can take 15 minutes to hit, especially if you eat fast. Tips for feeling fullness: Take a sip of water between bites. Chew thoroughly. Taste all of the flavors. If you think you are full, wait 15 minutes and reevaluate if you are still hungry. Grab additional food, if fullness is not met.

Make Peace with Food

Remember there are no forbidden foods and every food has a place in our diet. Some foods are great for fuel, others provide emotional satisfaction, and some foods satisfy cravings. Food is nourishment and can be there for celebrations and memories. Having forbidden foods is an “all or nothing” way of thinking, meaning once you have forbidden foods you are more likely to feel ravish toward that food item.

Challenge the Food Police

Food is nourishment and can bring satisfaction. There are no “good” or “bad” foods. Rigid rules can result in increased stress and anxiety causing other complicated issues. There is a difference between rules that heighten anxiety and general guidelines that can be flexible.

Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Having the same simple nutrition food can be helpful with meal planning but as time goes on even your favorite foods get old. Discover new foods to satisfy your taste buds. Find foods that help you feel nourished and satisfied.

Respect your Fullness

Snacks can be a beautiful way to bridge the gap between meals. Learn how to listen to hunger cues to improve your quality of each day. If extreme hunger or extreme fullness negatively impacts your day; then a Health Coach can help identify early signs of hunger and meal preparation to stay in the sweet spot of hunger and fulness optimizing concentration and performance. Respect your fulness by putting away the leftovers once full; knowing if hunger kicks in that the leftovers are in the refrigerator waiting for you.

Cope with your Emotions with Kindness

We all have experienced snacking while not even hungry. Family gatherings, late-night snack runs, movies on the couch; Cravings can be psychological and that’s okay. Working with a Coach can help identify why the cravings their and alternative paths you can take. Sometimes a food craving can only be satisfied with food. A coach can help build your self-care toolbox giving you many options when the coping tool is needed.

Respect your Body

It is tough to not overthink how our bodies look despite the majority of the day we aren’t even looking at ourselves. A health coach will help bring importance to: How do you feel? Do you have the energy to do the things your love? Practice gratitude for what your body can do daily; rather than focus on what it looks like. Challenging your thoughts can empower you to change your negative feelings about yourself. Negative thinking has become normalized in society partially related to diet culture. Work with a coach to identify and practice reframing these negative thoughts.

Movement – Feel the Difference

Movement can be fun, nourishing, mood-lifting, and more. Compulsive movement is very inflexible, rigid, and only focused on changing your body. When movement gets too rigid you will find yourself “all or nothing” when it comes to movement. Sometimes it is great to simplify movement. For example, when you get off from a sedentary job and want to work out without going to the gym. A 10-minute youtube video may be all that you need. Sometimes the movement is the transition you need to leave work at work and become present at home with your family.

Honor your Health with Gentle Nutrition

Gentle nutrition is where satisfying your taste buds pairs with sustainably nourishing your body. Gentle nutrition is connecting the foods you eat to how you feel; It is understanding how medication impacts your hunger. Gentle nutrition will look different for everyone – talk with your health coach to see how gentle nutrition looks for you.

Nutrient Timing for Athletes: What to Eat and When to Eat it!

January 24, 2022November 19, 2022 Health, injury, Sports Nutrition, youth athlete

Practice how you want to perform….(Learn through graphics)

When I played sports in high school and college my coaches would always say, “you perform as you practice.” There’s a lot of wisdom with that! I ran cross country in high school but also played softball. I actually went on to play college softball and wish I would have known then what I know now.

Fueling competition day!

Experiment with your eating schedule on a practice day so you can identify the best strategy to give you energy and peak performance! This is applicable to coaches, parents, and athletes of all ages! What we eat directly affects how we perform. Use my “4-2-1” eating schedule with some of these meal ideas to try out for your own fueling plan WITH PICTURES!!

👇 NWW’s🍉rule of👍 : “4-2-1 method”

What are some ideas during half-time, between quarters or periods?

What are some other meals and snack ideas??

Breakfast ideas (how to create a breakfast habit)

Premier protein shake + apple
2 Eggs, spinach, tomatoes, blueberries, whole-grain toast/oatmeal
Fruit smoothie with Fair life milk, Greek yogurt, chia, spinach
Kodiak Cakes waffle, English muffin, pancakes + hard-boiled egg
Greek yogurt parfait + fruit, with oatmeal
Oatmeal cup, string cheese, fruit
Strawberries, peanut butter toast + Core power protein drink/Orgain protein drink

Smart snack ideas

Hard-boiled eggs + whole-grain toast with banana slices
String cheese with pepper sticks and hummus
Greek yogurt with fruit
Beef jerky with cucumbers or apple
2 oz. Deli turkey slices with a pear
Protein bar (Quest protein bars, Pure Protein, One Bar, Kirkland protein bar, RX bar)

Lunch and dinner ideas

4-5 oz. 99% Ground turkey, baked sweet potato, 1 cup roasted vegetables + avocado slices
Grilled steak, steamed brown rice (1 cup or 1-2 fists), ~ 1 cup roasted vegetables
Baked salmon, quinoa (1 cup or 1-2 fists), spinach side salad, ¾ cup pineapple
Oatmeal (1-2 cups), toppings of choice (nuts, dried fruit, flax, Fair life milk, cinnamon), fruit salad (1 cup), 4 oz.
Egg omelet or frittata with veggies (spinach, onions/mushrooms, sweet potatoes/potatoes in omelet/frittata or on the side), side of melons (1 cup), or berries
Greek yogurt w/ oats & berries (try plain Greek and add almond butter)
Taco bowl with tofu, spices, corn, lettuce, spinach, peppers, and brown rice

There’s no such thing as magic meals. You must eat and fuel properly in the days leading up to competition and this blog provides a surplus of ideas for athletes to experiment with. Use this additional flow summarizing 4-2-1 TM.

-Wendi A. Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN

Nutrition Tips for Reducing Muscle Soreness

December 25, 2021April 21, 2022 injury, Sports Nutrition, teen athlete, youth athlete

Nutrition tips that heal and promote muscle recovery

Remain consistent with fluid and quality food intake to support tissue repair, reduce swelling, diminish inflammation, optimize bone health, and immune function.
Focus primarily on consuming lean protein at each meal paired with plenty of colorful produce (fruits and veggies).
Protein for optimal healing should range from (2.0- 2.2 g/kg/bw/d to support optimal recovery).
Creatine supplementation has been proven in the research to reduce the loss of lean mass and strength following discontinued use while healing from surgery or injury. (position stand papers referenced in my previous blog on creatine here).
Choose a small amount of protein + fruit before and after rehab sessions.
Do not stop eating for fear of putting on weight. Consume plenty of protein and produce at meals and snacks to ensure you are getting in enough calories to promote healing and recovery. (WORK WITH A RD to manage your kcal intake).
Prioritize protein that is rich in leucine, low-fat Greek yogurt, fish, poultry, beef, steak, eggs, and low-fat dairy/full-fat dairy.
Consume foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation and swelling while speeding up recovery.
- Salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocado, and unsalted nuts.
Focus on zinc, calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium-rich foods

Click here to download my Optimal Performance and Injury Injury Rehab Nutrition Handout Here.

In good health and wellness,

Coach Wendi

Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN is a registered dietitian nutritionist and performance coach. Wendi utilizes evidence-based science to tailor nutrition programs for athletes to optimize performance, minimize health risks, and enhance recovery from training while focusing on injury prevention. She partners with parents, sports performance staff, and special needs and recreational athletes to offer nutritional guidance and optimal athletic performance and lifestyle plans. Wendi provides virtual services including telehealth but is based in Nashville, TN. Wendi works with clients of all levels and ages across the US as well as Canada and the UK. You can find more about Wendi and scheduling an appointment with her on her website.