Top Chef: Next Level - Breakfast

You don't have to be a TOP CHEF to prepare healthy, satisfying meals that meet all your nutrient and energy requirements.

As athletes, you must fuel yourself for performance with a proper mix of carbohyrates, proteins, fats and micronutrients. Every meal should include three essential components:

1. A source of quality protein

2. A source of fiber

3. A complex carbohydrate.

To ensure that you have enough energy, it is important to front load your food intake. Too-often, student-athletes skip meals and consume more low processed nutrient-density foods (ie. fast food, junk food, etc) to get them through the day, then have one large meal at the end of the night when they are extemely hungry.

Front load you food intake by starting with a healthy breakfast and then eatingmeals and snacks throughout the day, so the energy and nutrients you comsume all day long can be used to improve training and recovery.

Many athletes' biggest food-related mistake is eating too small a breakfast or skipping it entirely. Even if they eat a full lunch, those who skip breakfast will consistantly underperfrom in the afternoon training sessions and are likely to overeat at night.

Quick Breakfast Ideas

- Oatmeal with your choice of peanut butter, raisins, chopped nuts, brown sugar, and/or honey mixed in

- Yogurt parfait: fruit, granola, and yogurt

- Whole fresh fruit

- Granola with added nuts and raisins

- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread

- Fruit smoothie made with yogurt, whole fruit, juice, and soy or whey protein powder

- Apple, string cheese and hard boiled egg

- Egg white omelet with vegetables and lowfat cheese, wrap in whole wheat tortilla

Football Two-A-Days: What Color Is Your Urine?

What can your urine color tell you about your hydration? At what point are you dehdyrated? How do keep from dehydrating?

It's so important that you learn the dehydration symptoms. Learning the dehydration signs and how to treat someone who is dehdyrated can save a life, perhaps even your own.

What does it mean if you see a dark yellow urine color? Typically, this can be a sign that you are not drinking enough water. Are you dehydrated? How much water have you drank for the day? In general, you should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day. If you're working out and sweating, you'll want to drink additional water. If you do not drink enough water, then your urine becomes over-concentrated with waste, which is why it is a darker yellow urine color.

A urine color rating of 1, 2 or 3 is considered to be well-hydrated

But how do you know if you're dehydrated? What does it mean to be dehydrated?

In general, most people consider urine color to be a sign of dehydration. The darker your urine, the more dehydrated you might be. At the very least, urine color can be an early indictaor of dehydration. Now, while your urine color can be used as a guide to know your level of dehydration, it is only one of the symptoms, there are other symptoms of dehydration you will want to watch for as well.

Do you have a headache? Do you feel dizzy? Both are signs of early dehydration. Other signs to watch for are nausea, weakness, fatigue, walking funny or unsteady and muscle cramps.

If you notice any of these symptoms, especially with an abnormally dark urine color you should immediately take the following steps.

- Stop your activity and get out of the sun.
- Loosen your clothes.
- Sit down and rest.
- Take sips of water.