I get this question hundreds of times each wrestling season…

It’s a really good question too!  That’s because wrestling is a sport where nutrition is vital to achieving ultimate performance.

In other sports you may be able to slide on your nutrition a bit, and still have a great performance.  But for wrestling, it’s best to get a grip on quality nutrition.  This is because the long, intense practices burn tons of calories and deplete the muscle cells of glycogen (muscle energy).

Here are 2 sample meal plans you can use to get stronger, leaner and have tons more energy on the mat!

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• You will have unsaturated (healthy) fats with each meal.  These help you burn fat, add lean muscle and keep you energized (especially if cutting weight).  They  also regulate hormonal responses in your body for further growth and repair.

• Try to eat organic foods when possible.  Although more expensive, organic foods have an effect on fat loss.  They will be used more readily for fuel and less likely to be stored as fat because the source is void of hormones, antibiotics and fillers

• Green tea is optional (great as a fat-burner if necessary, plus it’s a great antioxidant to keep your body healthy and efficient)

Training Day or Hard Practice Day

Meal 1:  1 egg, 1 slice canadian bacon, 1 slice cheese, 1 whole wheat english muffin.  1 piece of fruit.  water or green tea

Meal 2:  1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup organic non-fat vanilla yogurt, 1/4 cup berries, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.  water

Meal 3:  2 slices whole wheat bread, 1/4lb lean meat (tuna, roast beef, lean ham, turkey breast, chicken breast), lettuce, tomato, slice cheese, piece of fruit, water.

Meal 4:  1/2 cup trail mix.  1 hardboiled egg.  water

Meal 5:  Post workout or practice recovery drink:  1 cup skim milk, 20 grams whey protein, 1 frozen banana, 2 tbsp organic honey.

Meal 6:  1/4lb organic lean meat (pork tenderloin, chicken breast, eye round steak, flank steak), 1 ear of corn or 1 sweet potato, green salad with olive oil, water

Rest Day:

Meal 1:  1 cup high-fiber cereal with 1 cup of milk and 5-6 strawberries , 2 eggs scrambled with 1 slice cheese, water or green tea.

Meal 2:  1 cup 1% cottage cheese mixed with 8 oz organic yogurt and 1/4 slivered almonds, water.

Meal 3:  1 can tuna with olive oil and chopped onions, 1 whole wheat muffin, 2 slices cheese.  water

Meal 4:  2 tbsp natural peanut butter on slice whole wheat bread, topped with fresh berries.  1 cup skim milk.

Meal 5:  1/4lb lean organic meat (eye of round, flank, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, lean ham, fish), 1/2 sweet potato with a little organic butter, steamed vegetables, green salad with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, water.

Meal 6:  1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, 1/4 cup coconut milk.  Mix these together and enjoy!