TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer When chilly fall weather hits, there’s no meal that’s more comforting and satisfying than a hearty soup or stew. And with your athlete in the middle of a competitive season and busy school year, soups are also a simple option for parents who are simply too [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Cooking for hungry young athletes can get expensive fast. But there are a few simple ways to get smart about saving, even as food prices continue to stay high. Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, shares a few [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Calcium is the mineral that is most critical for bone health, no matter an athlete’s age. But is your athlete getting enough calcium in their daily diet? It can be tricky to make sure that they are eating enough to hit the 1,300-milligram per day recommendation, [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer While June 21 is National Smoothie Day, every day can be a good day to have a smoothie! This is especially true for busy athletes, as smoothies can be easy to prepare and deliver nutrient-dense meals and snacks in an easy-to-drink and easy-to-digest format. Whether your [...]
You may be hearing a lot of buzz around sweat testing for athletes, especially as more companies bring out sweat testing patches that are easier to wear during practice and competition. But does sweat testing actually make a difference for the average athlete? Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD and [...]
There’s a reason that if you watch the Olympic Games closely, you’ll notice that some teams aren’t just swigging water from water bottles. Rather, they appear to be sipping slushies—that refreshing combination of water and ice that many of us remember from when we were kids. It turns out that this frozen [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Walking through the aisles at the grocery store, you’re confronted with dozens of terms and phrases that are all trying to suggest that a certain food is healthier than another. Some are labeled clean, some are labeled paleo-friendly, some are labeled GMO-free or organic. But what [...]
As an athletic trainer (AT), you play a unique role in a young athlete’s life. You typically have significant insight into an athlete’s health and wellbeing, and often serve as an athlete’s advocate to their coaches and their parents. One key area that is often overlooked by coaches, athletes, and families is [...]
From a young age, it’s important that your athlete understands that not all kids are going to look the same or have the same abilities. This diversity can be tricky for very young athletes to grasp, but starting the conversation about physical differences early can help your athlete develop into a mature, [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer If you’re a busy parent, dump and go meals should be your best friend when it comes to getting nutritious, filling, and even budget-friendly meals ready in minutes. The concept is simple: You dump your ingredients together, hit a few buttons, and come home to a [...]
You may have noticed the term 'intuitive eating' cropping up on blogs, websites, magazines, and podcasts lately. Maybe your young athlete even mentioned it as a nutritional approach they would like to try. While intuitive eating can be helpful for many people, it’s important to know that it has some limitations for [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer You may have heard about the importance of B vitamins for young people, especially athletes. But before you head to the store to buy a supplement for your athlete, let's dig into a few of the nuances you should know about when it comes to vitamin [...]
Talking about nutrition, especially to young athletes, can feel difficult. Your word choice can make a big difference and even the most casual conversations can have lasting impacts on your athletes. Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, shares phrases that parents and coaches [...]
You've probably heard how important protein is for athletes. But how much do you really need, when do you need it, and how is it actually helping you? Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, explains the latest research around protein intake for young [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Noodle bowls are one of the most versatile options that busy parents can make to keep athletes well-fed and properly fueled—and most noodle bowls can be repurposed into leftovers for lunch or tweaked into entirely new meals for the next night! Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Multiple studies have found that most people are deficient in vitamin D, one of the essential vitamins that everyone—but especially athletes—need in order to function at their best. Athletes are even more at risk because a low level of vitamin D can be disastrous for bone [...]
Amy Eichner, PhD You might have found yourself in the grocery store staring at two similar bars or drink mixes on the shelf. While they look pretty similar at a glance, the labels on the back may look completely different. Why is that? It's because one is using a nutrition [...]
You may have heard about branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs, in a sports magazine or on a fitness nutrition website and wondered what all the hype was about. You may have even wondered what the heck a BCAA actually is and if you need it. But while BCAA powders and capsules [...]
You may have seen a headline about coconut sugar being the new ‘healthy’ sweetener. Or perhaps you saw that honey is a ‘superfood.’ It’s important to remember that sugar is sugar, but there are some minor differences between sugar alternatives and things to look out for when considering a substitute to plain [...]
When you think of muscle growth and the nutrients required, protein is probably the first nutrient that comes to mind. But there’s more to growing strong muscles than simply eating a lot of protein. With young athletes in particular, there are a few important things to keep in mind if you’re trying [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD Does your young athlete need a break from their sport? As a parent, it can be hard to spot the signs that your athlete needs to take a season (or even just a few weeks) off from competition and training. After investing so much time and money [...]
It can be difficult to ensure that your young athlete is getting enough protein—especially when they are leaving early in the morning for practice before school and staying late for a second practice or other extracurricular activity. Processed, carb-based snacks can become an easy choice due to their shelf-stability and transportability. However, [...]
If your athlete has torn, ruptured, or otherwise injured a muscle, tendon, or ligament, they’re dealing with a soft tissue injury. These injuries can be frustrating, since the area that’s injured can look perfectly normal, but on the inside, the body is hard at work trying to heal. While your athlete is [...]
There are so many different cooking oils on the market, and it can be difficult to know which oil is the healthiest to use when cooking or baking for your young athletes. A high-quality oil can provide vital nutrition, and here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in [...]
Alkaline water, mineral water, carbonated water, coconut water: There are so many different water options available that it can feel a bit overwhelming at the grocery store. Which one will serve your athlete best, or is plain old tap water the optimal solution? Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD, explains [...]