Apart from the 3 square meals per day, how can my 17 yr old daughter a competitive rower , what protein shakes can she have to 
increase her performance & bulk do you recommend? What foods does she need to eat and what portions she does train 6 times per week.
Great question. I”m not a nutrition specialist but my experience having been a 17 year old doing active sport is that she needs between-meal snacks.
So orange juice in a carton, hummus in a bread roll, carrot sticks, muesli bars, cold egg omelette.
A good balance of fats and carbs to replenish energy between the mealtimes. I have never used protein shakes – she’s still growing at 17 and I would not recommend bulking up. Just ensure that she eats enough to be energised for school, rowing and life.
When she gets past high school and if she’s still rowing then she’ll end up doing more strength and conditioning weights and that will be the time for bulking up under proper supervision.
The book that’s worth you buying for her and you to read is Nancy Clark’s Sport Nutrition Guidebook.
Or check out the British Rowing magazine as they often have nutrition articles.
Any one got advice to add?
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Nutrient timing is as important as the food she is eating, so after training it is important to eat carbohydrates within 40-50 minutes of completion of the workout – this is when your body will best absorb the carbohydrates needed to give energy for the next workout. Dried fruit and nuts or energy bars are easy to carry around for this.
With regards to protein, athletes should consume at least 1g of protein for each kg of their body weight so for example, if she weights 60kg she needs to be consuming at least 60g of protein a day, throughout the day. And remember, a 150g breast of chicken is not all protein – only around 40g of it is protein. If you need more advice about where to find good protein go to – http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein.
Joy
Thanks Joy, great advice. Appreciate you chiming in.
Sound advice, but basic. If you would like something a bit more specific then please contact me through my website.
Further considerations are nutrient timing,type of training, performance goals and body composition. When is the best time to eat and what to eat all have an impact on performance.
James, would you like us to promote your services to the Rowperfect readership? Please get in touch.
British Rowing – Nutrition Advice for High Performance Rowers – covers the subject well. Basically a normal mediterranean type diet with enough complex carbs for the energy needs of the training programme with no supplements. It is a myth that extra protein will increase muscle bulk – enough is needed of course but it is an appropriate training that produces the desired effect. Some girls, particularly, might benefit from extra iron.