The only thing easier to make are excuses.
“Sticking to a perfect diet will never work for the busy teen.
Focus on ‘stealing’ protein with convenient, on-the-go, low chew sources.
-Protein Shakes
-Greek Yogurt
-Peanut Butter
Significant amounts of low/no prep quality protein, effortlessly down the hatch in seconds.”
-Ray Zingler on X
“Will you write me a diet plan, Ray?”
Nope.
But it’s not because I am unwilling to help. It’s because it will be unrealistic to commit to consistently and you don’t need it.
The fact of the matter is that most kids don’t eat well.
Shocking, huh.
But beyond not eating well, most (athletes) aren’t eating nearly enough when you factor in age, developmental stage, activity levels, etc.
They are burning far more calories than the small amount of junk ones they are consuming.
So, while, yes, I’d love to encourage the consumption of a whole food based diet full of quality proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats 4-6 times a day, I am dealing with kids who have:
Nothing or a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
Nachos and cookies for lunch.
Gatorade and chips for a snack.
And then a few bites of moms “healthy meal” for dinner.
I wish I was making this up, but that is a very, very common diet for the 14-18 year old.
And in that outlined diet is right around 50g of protein per day if we’re lucky.
Let’s say your kid “eats well” and has 2 additional quality meals ON TOP of the above. We’re still nowhere near even the idea of flirting with appropriate protein consumption for an active athlete.
So, what’s the solution? Force them to pack salmon and bland chicken breasts in Tupperware’s to consume throughout the day like bodybuilders? Ain’t gonna happen.
What kids need to do in today’s world is leverage low chew, highly convenient protein sources.
Low chew? Huh? It takes more effort than you think.
Shakes, Yougurt, PB, etc.
An 8 oz bland chicken breast for a kid who’s not hungry, won’t eat, and takes 15 minutes to shovel down?
Or
A 50g of protein shake that has more protein than the chicken breast, but is down the hatch in 30 seconds?
No brainer.
Shovel down two cups of yogurt? 6 swallows and you’ve damn near 40g of protein down the hatch.
Between the shake and the two cups of yogurt, we’ve spent <:60 likely OVER doubling their current protein consumption.
These simple little hacks should be done IN CONJUNCTION with their “main diets”.
Ideal? No.
Work a lot better than what they are currently doing? Without a doubt.
