Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. This show is brought to you by nutritional weight and wellness. I'm not going to waste any time this morning. I'm going to start right off with some thoughts I have centered around today's topic. As our kids are heading back to school, many of them will be looking for ways to perform their best in whatever sport they've signed up for. We all know football practice has already started.

We all know we've had some pretty hot, humid days this summer.

So certainly staying hydrated is one critical piece for athletes to perform well, particularly

during a hot, humid summer.

In fact, I would say that drinking plenty of water might actually be at the top of the list,

in my mind, when I think about what do our kids need to be putting in their bodies

to perform their best as athletes.

But because we are dietitians and nutritionists here at nutritional weight and wellness,

and we say it time and again, food matters.

We'll be talking a lot today about eating plans.

What is the best eating plan for a young football player?

Or what if your son or daughter is playing tennis?

What should he or she eat to have agility and endurance as well as focus and concentration

when they're on the court?

What should a student who's in track eat for speed?

Is the diet for a student training to be a shot putter the same as the diet of a hockey player?

Here's an even better question.

What did Sunni Lee, the women's gymnastic all-around gold medal winner, eat for her peak performance?

Good question, right?

You know, back when I was a teenager playing high school basketball,

and keep in mind, we're going back a few decades now,

but back then I don't remember anybody really addressing sports nutrition.

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