Below is a Weekly Food Plan Chart for you to consider. (This chart was designed by my brother for his middle school track and cross country teams. The lunch foods are specific to the school he coaches at, but are probably very similar to what is served at other schools.)

Notice: No sodas, candies, or other junk foods.There’s plenty of time for that at birthday parties and other celebrations, bbqs, vacations, and holidays. Attending school is your main job right now, and in order to perform your best on the job you need to eat a healthy diet. It will help you stay more awake and active, help you concentrate better, and allow you to think more clearly and quickly. In addition, you are competing in a sport and need to take an even more serious approach to your diet. Since you are exercising more you will need more carbohydrates and calories than normal, and also take in more fluids in a day.

After Working Out:

Muscle Recovery is maximized if food/liquids are taken in within 15-60 minutes of finishing a workout. Eat a high concentration of carbohydrates and an adequate amount of protein - about a 4:1 Carb to Protein Ratio.

Eating and/or drinking carbohydrates shortly after exercising helps replenish your muscle glycogen stores at a much higher rate than if you were to wait and eat. During this time, eat 50-75% of your weight in carbs. ex: 90 lbs = about 45-68 grams of carbs (11-17 grams of protein). If you do this you will recover faster, have more energy, and be ready to train or compete the next day!

Snacks at School:

Baked potato instead of fries

Trail mix, pretzels and fig newtons as alternative to chips

Energy bar instead of a candy bar

Real fruit instead of fruit snacks

Veggies with hummus instead of ranch

Water/Sports Drink/Fruit juice instead of soda

Whole wheat instead of white

String cheese and trisquits/wheat thins

Yogurt and granola

Beef/Turkey Jerky

Corn Nuts or Sun Chips instead of Cheetos or Doritos