Last Updated on August 2, 2025 by Mandy Tyler, M.Ed., RD, CSSD, LD
Back-to-School Nutrition Tips for Student Athletes
As summer comes to an end and athletes head back to school, it is important they have a plan in place for meeting their sports nutrition needs.
Check out these back-to-school nutrition tips to help ensure that athletes are fueled for optimal performance – both in the classroom and on the playing field.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #1: Start the Day with Breakfast
The first back-to-school nutrition tip for student athletes is to start the day with a healthy breakfast.
Eating breakfast is important for student athletes. A high-carb breakfast can help refill their energy stores and provide them with fuel for the day ahead (1).
In addition, regularly eating breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function, memory, grades, and school attendance (2).
Despite the importance of breakfast, I find it is a meal often skipped as athletes rush to get out the door.
Breakfast On-the-Go Ideas for Student Athletes
Providing busy athletes with a variety of easy breakfast ideas can help set them up for sports nutrition success this school year.
Here are some of my favorite breakfast-on-the-go ideas for student athletes:
- Fruit smoothie
- Protein overnight oats
- Greek yogurt parfait with mixed berries and granola
- Whole grain bagel, peanut butter, banana, low-fat milk
- Instant oatmeal with sliced almonds, blueberries, high-protein milk
- Hardboiled-eggs, breakfast bars, grapes
- English muffin with ham and cheese, apple slices, low-fat milk
- Cottage cheese with pineapple, fig bars, 100% fruit juice
Fuel Up for Morning Workouts
If athletes have morning practice before school, it is important they fuel-up before working out.
Similar to gas in a car, carbohydrates provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best. Thus, before morning practice I encourage athletes to fuel-up with a high-carb snack.
Easy, high-energy snack ideas that athletes can enjoy before morning practice include:
- Banana or small piece of fruit
- Applesauce squeeze, dried fruit
- Breakfast bar, granola bar, fig bar
- Dry breakfast cereal, protein granola
- Toaster waffles, bagel, low-fat muffin
- Oatmeal energy balls (recipe from Kiran Campbell, RDN)
- Graham crackers, animal crackers
Following morning practice, student athletes should make it a priority to eat breakfast before starting the school day. If athletes have limited time, they can pack one of the grab-and-go breakfasts listed above to enjoy before class.
Pro Tip: Following practice encourage teen athletes to swing by the cafeteria to get breakfast and a chocolate milk to support their recovery nutrition needs.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #2: Pack Snacks for the School Day
The next back-to-school nutrition tip is to plan ahead and pack healthy snacks to eat throughout the day.
Well-planned snacks can help fill nutrient gaps in a student athlete’s diet. In addition, they help provide athletes with the energy needed for the day’s activities.
To create a balanced snack, athletes should combine a carbohydrate-rich food item with a food providing protein.
Healthy snack ideas for student athletes include:
- String cheese with pretzels
- Apple slices with nuts
- Beef jerky with granola bars
- Whole grain crackers with nut butter
- Hummus with pita chips
- Peanut butter and jelly on honey wheat bread
- Trail mix made with pretzels, whole grain cereal, dried fruits, jerky pieces, and nuts
Pro Tip: For additional snack ideas, check out my blog on backpack snacks for athletes.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #3: Refuel at Lunch
Eating a healthy lunch at school is important for student athletes. A nutritious lunch can help athletes refuel from morning practice. In addition, it provides athletes with the energy needed for afterschool practice and competitions.
Key components of a healthy lunch for student athletes include:
- Protein
- Whole grains
- Fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats
- Hydration
Back to School Lunch Ideas for Student Athletes
Simple grab-and-go lunch ideas that student athletes can enjoy this school year include:
- Sandwiches: Peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese wrap, tuna pita pocket, roast beef and cheddar sub sandwich, ham and Swiss cheese on an English muffin
- Bento Box Lunch: Combine your favorite items to create a meal
- Protein: Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, string cheese, deli meat (turkey, chicken, ham, roast beef), shredded rotisserie chicken, nuts, nut butter, hummus, edamame
- Grains: Whole grain bread, crackers, pita chips, pretzels, brown rice, quinoa
- Fruits and Veggies: Seasonal fresh fruit, dried fruit, baby carrots, sliced cucumber, celery sticks, mini peppers, cherry tomatoes, guacamole
- Leftovers: Burrito bowl, fajitas, grain bowl, spaghetti with meat sauce, chili with rice
Pro Tip: For additional school lunch ideas, check out my blog on high-protein school lunches for athletes.
Enjoy School Lunch
If your school participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the meals provided must meet federal nutrition standards.
NSLP guidelines require that school lunches include the following components: low-fat milk, grains, meat/meat alternatives, fruit, and vegetables.
To support their nutrition needs, student athletes should make sure to take all the components that come with the meal. In addition, drinking milk at lunch is an easy way to add protein as well as essential vitamins and minerals to an athlete’s meal plan.
Pro Tip: If still hungry after eating the school lunch, athletes can consider purchasing a second entrée. Athletes can also pack extra snacks to eat with their lunch or later in the day if hungry.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #4: Make Hydration a Daily Priority
This school year I encourage student athletes to make hydration a daily priority. Hydration is important for athletes to support both general health and sports performance.
Tips to help athletes stay on top of their hydration needs this school year include:
- Drink a nutritious beverage, such as water or low-fat milk, with meals and snacks.
- Carry a refillable water bottle as a reminder to hydrate throughout the day.
- Enjoy a variety of fruit and vegetables that contain a high-water content, such as: watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, cucumbers, and celery.
Hydration Plan for Activity
The hydration needs of athletes vary greatly in regard to both the amount of fluid and electrolytes (namely sodium) lost in sweat. Therefore, having an individualized hydration plan for activity is important.
This school year consider working with a sports dietitian nutritionist to assist you with developing a hydration plan for activity.
Pro Tip: Find additional tips for hydrating surrounding activity in my blog: Hydration Tips for Athletes.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #5: Fuel-Up for Afterschool Sports
When planning for the day, it’s important for student athletes to have a nutrition plan in place for afterschool sports.
Since it may have been several hours since lunch, I encourage student athletes to have a carbohydrate-rich snack before their afternoon practices or competitions.
Hand-held snacks that athletes can easily eat while walking from class to practice are ideal. Some of my top choices include: banana, applesauce squeeze pouch, fruit leather, pretzels, or a cereal bar.
Post-Workout Snack for Student Athletes
Following their workout, student athletes should plan to eat a snack to support their recovery nutrition needs. This is especially important if it will be several hours before they eat their next meal.
The three goals of recovery nutrition include:
- Rehydrate: Consume fluid and electrolytes toreplace sweat losses
- Refuel: Consume carbohydratesto refill energy stores used during the activity
- Build and Repair: Consume protein to build and repair muscles
Some of my favorite post-workout snacks for student athletes include:
- Low-fat chocolate milk, granola bars
- Greek yogurt, berries, and protein granola
- Sliced cheese, ham, whole grain crackers
- Turkey and cheese wrap, tart cherry juice
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, high-protein milk
- Turkey jerky, pretzels, grapes, low-fat milk
- Bagel with nut butter, honey, and banana slices
- Sports bar with sports drink
- Post-workout smoothie
Pro Tip: For additional recovery nutrition snack ideas for athletes, check out my blog with 15 post-game snack ideas.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #6: Plan Ahead for the Week
With busy practice, competition, and school schedules it is important for student athletes to plan ahead to meet their sports nutrition needs throughout the week.
Since each week’s schedule may look different, take time on the weekend to consider the following:
- Do you have morning practices that you need to meal prep breakfast on-the-go for?
- Do you have any away games or competitions that you need to pack bus snacks for?
- Will you be taking lunch to school during the week or buying lunch from the cafeteria?
- Do you have evening practices or competitions that may require you to eat dinner in the car?
Take Time to Meal Prep
Based on their schedule, I encourage student athletes and their families to plan out their meals and snacks for the week.
In addition, I suggest taking time to meal prep items, which will help save time on busy weekdays.
Easy meal and ingredient prep tasks may include:
- Chopping fresh fruit and vegetables
- Hard-boil eggs to pack in your lunch
- Prepare overnight oats for a quick breakfast
- Individually package pretzels, nuts, or trail mix to have with snacks
- Make a large batch of brown rice or quinoa to enjoy with dinner during the week
Back-to-School Nutrition Tip #7: Prioritize Sleep
Finally, this school year I encourage student athletes to prioritize their sleep.
Adequate sleep is important to support a student athlete’s health as well as sports performance. Unfortunately, as schedules fill up, sleep is often an area that gets neglected.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children and adolescents get the following amount of sleep each night (3):
- Youth 6-12 years old: 9-12 hours
- Teenagers 13-18 years old: 8-10 hours
Develop Positive Sleep Habits
To support student athletes with getting quality sleep, focus on developing a consistent sleep routine and positive sleep habits.
Ideas for creating positive sleep habits include (4):
- Set-up an ideal sleep environment that is cool, dark, and quiet (like a cave).
- Create a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time (including the weekends).
- Develop a relaxing sleep routine; consider reading, journaling, deep breathing, or mindfulness exercises.
- Use caution with caffeine close to bedtime – aim to avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours prior to bed (5).
- Limit the use of electronics before bedtime, including smartphones, TVs, computers, and tablets.
Pro Tip: Have student athletes use the “night shift” feature on their tablet or computer to adjust the screen’s color to warmer tones (less blue light) in the evening. This can be helpful when students are using electronics for homework at night.
Back-to-School Nutrition Tips for Student Athletes
You are now set with back-to-school nutrition tips to help ensure student athletes are fueled to perform at their best this school year.
For additional sports nutrition tips, make sure to check out my blog with key nutrition strategies to support athlete gut health.
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About the Author
Mandy Tyler is a Sports Dietitian Nutritionist in the San Antonio, TX area. She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. Mandy has experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. She believes the key to reaching one’s full potential, both in everyday life and in sports performance, relies on a healthy nutritional foundation.
If you are looking to take your performance to the next level, make sure to check out my new Sports Nutrition Game Day Guide. This downloadable guide is written to help athletes develop an individualized plan to achieve peak performance on game day.
