Are you a youth athlete? Or maybe you're responsible for feeding one? Whatever the connection, we’re here to help. If your goal is to reach the top, then you must take nutrition seriously.

Take a piece of paper and a pen. Spend a minute to write down everything you’ve consumed over the past 24 hours, I’ll give you a second…

Finished? Good, I want you look at what you’ve written down and answer one simple question honestly (feel free to leave a comment in the comments section of this blog).

Would a professional athlete, swimmer, footballer (you get the idea) be happy with your meal plan?

If not, but your goal is to become or sustain a professional sporting career then the odds are stacked against you. Food is fuel, water is fuel and anything else you consume should have one primary purpose – FUEL.

Over the coming weeks, we are going to release some innovative ideas, cooked up by our sports scientists to help youth athletes improve what they eat. We’re starting with snacks, a controversial subject because professional athletes don’t snack, right? Wrong, everybody snacks but it’s about choosing the right kind of snack.

Important Reminders:

Size Matters, everything in moderation. We like to encourage athletes to become comfortably full, not stuffed!

Content Counts, snacks usually hold the least nutritional value of all the ‘meals’. However, a little preparation and they really can make all the difference.

Timing is Key, snacks should be consumed between meals not directly before or afterwards.

Cost, all our recipes can be bought for under £5.

Convenience, all our recipes can be prepared in under 5 minutes.

Snack Recipes for Youth Athletes

Peanut Butter Apple Boost 🍎  packed with vitamins (A, C, E), Protein, Omega 3 & Iron!

Directions 📚 Rinse apple & slice it into 4 or 6 sections. Remove cork & thinly spread peanut butter over each segment. Add a tbsp of sliced almonds & a walnut to each. If you’ve taken our chocolate chip tip, add a sprinkle and enjoy.

Lemon & Lime Crisps! Packed with Vitamin A, C and K! 🍋

Directions 📚 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add your Kale to a large bowl, grate lemon & lime zest into the bowl, followed by a seasoning of flaked sea salt. Mix well and spread mixture over a roasting tray (make sure they aren’t crossed over). When the Kale is crisp, return it to the mixing bowl and squeeze one lemon & lime into the mix. When cool, stuff into a lunch bag and enjoy.

Chocolate Trail Jar packed with a nutrient rich punch of protein, iron, fibre & zinc!

Directions 📚 

Add: 10 Almonds, 10 Cashew Nuts, Handful of Sunflower Seeds, Handful of Unsweetened Raisins & 1 TBSP Dark Chocolate to your jar. Shake well, pack and go. Ready to enjoy later. 

Help TeamYSN spread the word, comment and share this post with the hashtag #RefuelRighFeelRight