By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
High school athletes can fuel their bodies to achieve peak performance with the help of the Sports Nutrition Game Plan from the Texas Beef Council (TBC).
The program was released in 2023 with the help of Amy Goodson, a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics.
Over 600 coaches, athletic directors and trainers have signed up to use this tool for their programs.
“High school students have a tendency not to eat properly,” Amy Foster, manager of Health and Nutrition at TBC, said. “Fueling your body is super important, and we need to have everybody on the same page—coaches, parents and everyone—fueling our athletes properly.”
Beef has 10 essential nutrients and provides high protein that an athlete needs to perform at their highest level, Foster said.
The Sports Nutrition Game Plan helps high school athletes in every sport but has a focus on football.
“Generally, we’re focusing on football, but it covers every sport and every athlete who needs to fuel properly to perform at their highest performance,” Foster said.
The program is a guide that changes how athletes fuel their bodies for the prime training, performance, recovery and living, with beef as the primary source of protein.
It provides coaches with videos and a nutrition regimen that is easy to implement, equipping athletes with science-backed tools to help them excel on and off the field.
The videos are 20 minutes long and are accompanied with short clips that discuss practices when traveling.
“We also have short two-minute videos that talk about when you’re traveling for sports, if you need a quick snack, how to hydrate properly,” Foster said. “We also have handouts that can go out to the parents or can be printed and put into the gyms to make sure the coach, the parent and the athlete know how to fuel your athlete properly.”
The program, which includes videos, recipes, meal plans and tips for fueling and hydration, is free and designed for athletes from middle school all the way to college.
Learn more about the Sports Nutrition Game Plan at beeflovingtexans.com/nutrition/sports-nutrition-program.
For more information about Texas Beef Council and beef checkoff programs, visit TexasBeefCheckoff.com.