Nutrition for Athletes

Food is one of the most important factors in athletic performance, yet many athletes overlook its impact and struggle to maintain proper fuel and strength. This blog aims to provide a clear understanding of how to build and maintain a stable nutrition plan.

For example, one of the most effective diets for tennis players is a starch-based diet, which includes foods such as bread and pasta. Starches are an excellent source of energy because they provide sustained fuel, helping athletes stay energized for longer periods of time. While nutrition plans can vary depending on the sport, learning about different types of nutrition can help athletes find a plan that best supports their performance and goals.

Djokovic is one of the best tennis players, and he is still playing at the age of 38. Not only this, he has the all time record for being NO.1 in the world for the longest time in men's tennis, 428 weeks. How did he maintain his level of athleticism? He claims nutrition is one of the most important things, behind mental attitude. Let's take a look at his usual morning meals (breakfast). He starts his day with hot lemon water, which helps detox the body. Following this, he has a smoothie with fruits and algae which helps mental clarity and makes you feel fresh. He states eating fruits in the morning or before practice provides energy without feeling too heavy. Having a filling but simple breakfast is better than a heavy breakfast because it takes less energy to digest. Djokovic’s breakfast provides an idea of how breakfast for athletes should be. Of course his breakfast is very specific, but the main take-aways are that having a simple breakfast that helps detox and helps fuel you up is the best. 

Now that you’ve seen an example of a professional athlete’s meal plan, let’s break down how you can create a nutrition plan that fits your sport and personal needs:

Nutrition plan:

• Based on individual assessment of energy requirement and hydration status

• Should consider both food and timing of meals (pre or post physical activity)

Protein:

• Athletes need usually 1.5g/kg of daily protein intake

• Young athletes not only need protein for development but also to make up for the amino acid oxidation losses during physical activity.

• Timing of the protein consumption contributes to the youths whole body protein balance (ex. Protein for breakfast helps positively, likewise providing small amounts of protein in 4 hour periods will allow the athlete to hold a positive protein balance for long periods of time).

• Natural protein is better than protein shakes, but protein shakes are better than no protein

Carbohydrates:

• Carbohydrate requirements for young athletes depend on training and competition routines, coaches and physicians should be paying close attention to the carbohydrate intake for their young athletes.

• Carbohydrates drinks are advantages because they promote glycogen synthesis while maintaining hydration

• Young athletes can drink fructose drinks to replenish glycogen faster than glucose, which is useful for short term recovery (fruit juice and dairy products and electrolytes)

Overall, creating a nutrition plan is essential not only for physical growth, but also for improving athletic performance. Nutrients such as carbohydrates and protein are necessary for athletes to stay fueled, recover properly, and remain healthy. It is also important to understand that a nutrition plan is different from a diet. Rather than restricting foods, a nutrition plan focuses on balance, structure, and timing, while a diet often emphasizes what not to eat. For young athletes especially, the goal is not dieting, but developing smart, sport-specific meals that support both off-season training and in-season performance.

References

1. “Junior athletes’ nutritional demands: a narrative review” (2024)

   1. Offers a detailed synthesis of research (5, hours—1980 to May 2024) on dietary requirements, food choices, macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, and risks like eating disorders in athletes aged 5–18 years.

   2. Illustrates how young athletes’ needs differ from adults and emphasizes the need for tailored guidance.PMCFrontiers

2. “Nutritional Recommendations for the Young Athlete” (2023)

   1. Focuses on practical guidance regarding nutrient timing, hydration, supplementation, and educational strategies.ScienceDirect

3. “Sport nutrition for young athletes” (2013, LK Purcell, PMC)

   1. A concise overview of how macronutrients, micronutrients, and hydration play into growth, development, and performance—emphasizing the importance of timing around activity.PMC

4. YouTube video of Djokovic's interview: Novak Djokovic: My diet and the doctor

   
   

Example nutritional food intake by macros from the reference research paper:

Table 1. Examples of Recommended Protein Intake Per Age Group and Dietary Restrictions

Empty Cell	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
No Restrictions	Pork Sausage	Turkey Sandwich	Chicken Breast	Sunflower Seeds
(5 g/link)	(2 g/slice)	(5 g/oz)	(5 g/1 oz)
5-8: 1 link	5-8: 2 slices	5-8: 4 oz.	5-8: 1 oz.
9-13: 2 links	9-13: 3 slices	9-13: 6 oz.	9-13: 2 oz.
13-18: 3 links	13-18: 3 slices	13-18: 8 oz.	13-18: 4 oz.
Bacon	Ham Sandwich	Baked Cod	String Cheese
(3 g/strip)	(4.5 g/slice)	(6 g/oz)	(7 g/stick)
5-8: 1 strip	5-8: 1 slice	5-8: 4 oz.	5-8: 1 stick
9-13: 2 strips	9-13: 2 slices	9-13: 6 oz.	9-13: 1 stick
13-18: 2 strips	13-18: 2 slices	13-18: 10 oz.	13-18: 1 stick
Skim Milk	Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (10 g/sandwich)	Turkey Breast	Peanuts
(8 g/cup)	5-8: ½ sandwich	(5 g/oz)	(8 g/32 nuts)
5-8: 1 cup	9-13: 1 sandwich	5-8: 4 oz.	5-8: 32 nuts
9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 2 cups	13-18: 1 sandwich	9-13: 4 oz. 13-18: 8 oz.	9-13: 48 nuts 13-18: 48 nuts
Large Egg	Shrimp	Ground Beef	Almonds
(6 g/egg)	(1.5 g/medium shrimp)	(7 g/oz)	(6 g/23 nuts)
5-8: 1 egg	5-8: 4 shrimp	5-8: 4 oz.	5-8: 23 nuts
9-13: 2 eggs	9-13: 6 shrimp	9-13: 5 oz.	9-13: 23 nuts
13-18: 2 eggs	13-18: 8 shrimp	13-18: 6 oz.	13-18: 46 nuts
Vegan	Hummus	Black Beans	Tofu	Pumpkin Seeds
(1.5 g/oz)	(15 g/cup)	(2.5 g/oz)	(7 g/oz)
5-8: 2 oz.	5-8: 1 cup	5-8: 4 oz.	5-8: 1 oz.
9-13: 5 oz.	9-13: 1.5 cups	9-13: 6 oz.	9-13: 1 oz.
13-18: 6 oz.	13-18: 2 cups	13-18: 10 oz.	13-18: 2 oz.

Table 2. Examples of Recommended Carbohydrate Intake Per Age Group and Dietary Restrictions

Empty Cell	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
No Restrictions	Oats (27 g/½ cup) 5-8: ½ cup 9-13: ¾ cup 13-18: 1 cup	Medium Bell Pepper (7 g/pepper) 5-8: 1 pepper 9-13: 1 pepper 13-18: 1.5 peppers	5-inch Sweet Potato (26 g/potato) 5-8: 1 potato 9-13: 1 potato 13-18: 1 potato	Mini Pretzels (23 g/19 pretzels) 5-8: 38 pretzels 9-13: 38 pretzels 13-18: 57 pretzels
Medium Banana (27 g/banana) 5-8: 1 banana 9-13: 1 banana 13-18: 1 banana	Broccoli (6 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1.5 cups 9-13: 2 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Quinoa (42 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1 cup 13-18: 1.5 cups	Blueberries (21 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 1.5 cups
Whole-Grain Cereal (27 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Strawberries (11 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1 cup 13-18: 2 cups	Brown Rice (44 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 1.5 cups	Medium Potato (32 g/potato) 5-8: 1 potato 9-13: 1 potato 13-18: 1 potato
Gluten Free	Gluten-Free Bread (12 g/slice) 5-8: 2 slices 9-13: 4 slices 13-18: 4 slices	Baby Cut Carrots (8 g/3 oz) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Cherry Tomatoes (6 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1.5 cups 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 3 cups	Sun-Dried Raisins (33 g/¼ cup) 5-8: ¼ cup 9-13: ½ cup 13-18: ½ cup
Vegan	Apple (20 g/apple) 5-8: 1 apple 9-13: 1 apple 13-18: 1 apple	Mashed Cooked Pumpkin (20 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1.5 cup 9-13: 1.75 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Green Peas (21 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Pasta Noodles (40 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 1.5 cups

Table 3. Examples of Recommended Fat Intake Per Age Group and Dietary Restrictions

Empty Cell	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
No Restrictions	Scrambled Eggs (7.5 g/egg) 5-8: 1 egg 9-13: 2 eggs 13-18: 2 eggs	Walnuts (19 g/7 walnuts) 5-8: 2 walnuts 9-13: 3 walnuts 13-18: 5 walnuts	Ground Beef (85% lean) (4.2 g/oz) 5-8: 4 oz 9-13: 5 oz 13-18: 6 oz	String Cheese (6 g/stick) 5-8: 1 stick 9-13: 1 stick 13-18: 1 stick
Butter (12 g/tbsp) 5-8: 1 tbsp 9-13: 1 tbsp 13-18: 1.5 tbsp	Peanut Butter (8 g/tbsp) 5-8: 1 tbsp 9-13: 1 tbsp 13-18: 1.5 tbsp	Cheeseburger with Cheddar Cheese (15 g/sandwich) 5-8: 1 sandwich 9-13: 1 sandwich 13-18: 1 sandwich	Dark Chocolate (12 g/50 g bar) 5-8: none 9-13: 1 bar 13-18: 1 bar
Milk (5 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 1.5 cups 13-18: 2 cups	Almond Butter (10 g/tbsp) 5-8: 1 tbsp 9-13: 1.5 tbsp 13-18: 2 tbsp	Salmon (1.7 g/oz) 5-8: 4 oz 9-13: 6 oz 13-18: 8 oz	Sunflower Seeds (15 g/¼ cup) 5-8: ¼ cup 9-13: A cup 13-18: A cup
Pancake with Butter and Syrup (7 g/pancake) 5-8: 1 pancake 9-13: 2 pancakes 13-18: 2 pancakes	Cashews (13 g/¼ cup) 5-8: ¼ cup 9-13: ¼ cup 13-18: ¼ cup	Baked Trout (2 g/oz) 5-8: 4 oz 9-13: 5 oz 13-18: 6 oz	Pistachio Nuts (13 g/50 kernels) 5-8: 25 kernels 9-13: 25 kernels 13-18: 35 kernels
Vegan	Hummus (1.3 g/tbsp) 5-8: 2 tbsp 9-13: 3 tbsp 13-18: 4 tbsp	Avocado (12 g/½ avocado) 5-8: ½ avocado 9-13: ¾ avocado 13-18: 1 avocado	Chickpeas (2 g/½ cup) 5-8: 1 cup 9-13: 2 cups 13-18: 2.5 cups	Soy Milk (5 g/1 cup) 5-8: 1.5 cups 9-13: 2 cups 13-18: 2 cups