Early morning practices help young athletes perform at a high level. They also make it difficult to receive adequate recovery nutrition to prepare them for the next athletic event and get properly fueled for a full day at school. 

With little time between the end of practice and their first class, some athletes may go more than three hours without the proper nutrition needed to replenish energy and repair muscle. This can make an athlete feel sluggish. It might also make them unable to focus and or cause slow gains in strength or sport-specific skills. 

It can be hard to know what to eat. If you have a young athlete struggling with this, teach them: 

1. that a recovery breakfast does NOT have to be complicated and 
2. to choose snacks that include protein and carbohydrates. 

Here are some examples of easy-to-pack ideas: 

• To-go packet of peanut, almond or sunflower butter + a banana 

• Whole-wheat bagel + to-go packet of peanut butter 

• Whole-wheat bagel + hardboiled egg(s) 

• High protein granola bar (contains at least 10 grams of protein) + piece of fruit 

• Bar ideas include: Kind, Rx, GoMacro, Perfect, 88 Acres and Scout 

• Greek yogurt + granola bar or a banana or both! 

• Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread 

• Bottle of chocolate milk + granola bar 

• Homemade trail mix made with nuts, whole-grain cereal and dried fruit 

• Protein shake like Breakfast Essentials or Orgain with a piece of fruit or granola bar 

Don’t forget your water bottle with any of these! 

Young athletes can use this framework to get ideas for choosing easy refueling recovery breakfasts to get their days started right.