Nutrition Guidelines for Wrestlers

Nutrition Guidelines for Wrestlers

Healthy Snacks:
Protein shakes
Protein bars
Apples & peanut butter
Banana & peanut butter
Wheat thins or nut crackers & string cheese
Apples and string cheese
Granola
Trail Mix
Wheat banana muffins or banana bread
Cottage cheese & fruit
Soybeans

Small meals for season trips or during competition
PB&J on WHEAT bread on normal training days and WHITE bread for competition days (yes, the fiber in wheat bread is a healthier carbohydrate, but on competition day the fiber takes longer to digest. WHITE bread is quickly digested into usable energy for competition).
Bagel and PB with banana
Tuna
Egg omelet
Turkey Sandwich

Healthy treats if you want to splurge
Vanilla or fresh fruit milkshake
Popcorn with only salt or ranch powder (NO BUTTER)
Dark chocolate covered blueberries

Provide constant FUEL for your body. It is better to eat 5 smaller meals per day than 3 larger meals…

Breakfast – Snack – Lunch – Snack – Dinner

You should be having some form of lean protein that is easily digested and highly bio-available if you are working out hard in the off season as well as during season. Protein shakes are an excellent choice, and are great as an immediate post-workout source of nutrition.

Many sports drinks are helpful in replacing lost electrolytes, but have excessive amounts of high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose or other forms of sugar. Pay attention to the sugar content as you make choices in this area. Alternate choices may be simply consuming fresh fruit or other healthy carbohydrates and drink lots of water.

At tournaments, many wrestlers bring factory canned fruit that, during packaging, has high levels of high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and sodium added. Fresh fruit is better than factory canned fruit.

You should always eat a protein with a carb. Any time you eat a carb alone it converts to sugar too quickly.

Eat wheat breads at all times EXCEPT on competition day. Eat white bread on the day of competition because the fiber from wheat bread may upset your stomach when you are already nervous and performing at maximum exertion.

Greasy fast food like hamburgers, pizza, fries, anything fried, etc. are to be avoided while training and especially on competition day.

Pasta is great the night before competition.

If you choose to cut weight (which is not necessary) it is absolutely CRUCIAL that what you eat is only high quality, nutrient dense foods (healthy carbs, proteins & fats).

​*Those with special diet considerations (Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, food allergies, Celiac disease, etc) are encouraged to work together with a trained and qualified doctor, nutritionist, or other medical professional when making nutrition choices and plans.