Eat Well, Perform Well!

Here on FaspitchPower, we spend a lot of time discussing the proper mechanics for pitchers and the strength and conditioning that is necessary for preparing our bodies for our sport. What we haven’t talked about as much is the importance of proper nourishment, not just for playing softball, but also for a healthy lifestyle overall.

All too often I work with girls who show up to lessons or practices absolutely exhausted, and they are unable to give their best effort. Often it is not a one-time occurrence. For some girls low energy levels is a common condition. Granted many have had a hard day at school, or have come straight from another activity that has left them tired; but there is another extremely common factor in chronic fatigue. I often ask the parents of my students what their daughters are eating, and I commonly get answers like this: “today she had some sugary cereal for breakfast, and then she had some brownies and cookies for lunch at school, and we were busy with practice tonight and didn’t have time to cook so we went and got fast food for dinner.”

If that sounds familiar, you may want to take a look at your diet. It is so important to nourish our bodies with healthy and well-prepared foods, especially when leading an athletic lifestyle. So today, I am here to talk to you about “clean eating.”

Note: I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist. I have, however, drastically changed my health by adopting clean eating practices, so this advice is from my own experience. It’s always a good idea to consult a professional if you’re unsure about something, or if you suspect you may have some food allergies/sensitivities.

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is not a diet; it’s a commitment to eating foods that are free of additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. It also involves staying clear of foods that are high in sugar, saturated or trans fats, and refined foods such as processed flours, candy, fast food and sodas including some of the often-consumed “sports drinks.” These foods have very little nutritional value and can lead to serious health problems and weight gain. Many people don’t realize it, but they can also trigger reactions such as migraines, hormonal imbalances, and skin problems (acne, eczema, etc.) in certain people. But most directly related to what we promote at FastpitchPower, these foods are not used effectively by our bodies as energy, and do not lead to maximum athletic performance.

There are three basic steps to following a clean eating regimen:

1. The foods should be pure and whole, or made up of a small list of whole ingredients. For example, if you’re in the mood for chicken, eating some actual chicken is a better choice than eating chicken nuggets, which may contain a lot of mystery ingredients. If you can, buy organic as you usually are shrinking the ingredient list and removing contaminants like pesticide residues. But any step away from processed/fast food and toward whole food is a step in the right direction.

2. YOU should prepare these foods whenever possible. When we make our own food from fresh ingredients, we know exactly what we are eating and we control the ingredients that are being used. That is not the case with pre-made and fast food. I know that sometimes this takes time that we do not have, and it is much easier to just go out and buy something that is already prepared. But if you can start replacing even SOME of your meals with homemade ones, you will be that much healthier. Try to plan ahead and store some meals to grab and go.

3. Start reading ingredient labels. I don’t mean the chart of calories, fats, carbs etc. I mean the list of everything in the food/drink you are about to consume. You’ll be surprised at what you will find.

Here are some tips that you can use for maintaining a clean diet, as well as some suggestions for foods and snacks that are great for athletes, and anyone who wants a healthier and happier lifestyle:

1. Avoid processed white flour, sugar, hydrogenated oils, candy, and fast food. Sugar comes in many forms: high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, molasses etc.

2. Watch what you drink. Many athletes guzzle sports drinks and juices that contain “high fructose corn syrup” and/or lots of sugar and artificial colorings and ingredients. These are NOT good for your health nor do they help your athletic performance. Good old water is best for hydration. If the rest of your diet is balanced, all you should need during athletic activity is water. On very hot days when you DO need some extra electrolytes, squeeze some lemon or other fresh citrus into your water, and snack on watery fruits/veggies like cucumber and watermelon. You can also try coconut water! It’s teeming with electrolytes. Just make sure the kind you get does not have any added sugar.

3. Choose natural, whole foods that have few ingredients in them, and organic foods if possible.

4. Try eating 4 or 5 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2 or 3 enormous meals per day. This keeps you fueled and your metabolism up instead of crashing.

5. Include in each meal:

• Lean protein (like chicken, fish, grass fed meats)
• Complex carbohydrates (such as beans, brown rice or quinoa)
• Healthy fats (such as nuts, avocado, olive oils)

6. Fruits and vegetables are your best friend! Especially leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, and spinach. They are delicious, easy to cook and require little if any preparation time.

7. Some great snacks to have throughout the day or at practices include:

• Mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)
• Fruit (apples, bananas, oranges)
• Vegetables/fruits with hummus or almond/peanut butter.

8. Read the ingredients on EVERYTHING. Even on foods that you think would be safe can sometimes have bad ingredients in them. A good rule of thumb is that if the list of ingredients is short, and consists of things that you’ve heard of, it’s good. If there is a long list of words that don’t even sound like English, it probably should not be eaten. Remember, “If you can’t pronounce it, DON’T EAT IT!”

This is a lot to take in. Eating healthy is not always easy today because we are continually bombarded with unhealthy choices. Changing your lifestyle takes some work on your part and a bit of will power. But you only have the one body you’ve been given. If you expect it to perform, you have to perform for it. If you feed your body garbage, it will give you a garbage performance in return. Nourish it with the foods it deserves, and it will perform for you every time!