Last week we talked about why nutrition matters. This week is the first basic: eat enough.

Young athletes are growing and training at the same time, and that takes a lot of fuel. If your athlete is tired all the time, getting sick a lot, or not recovering between practices, look at how much they’re eating before you look at anything fancy.

How Much Is Enough?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 give estimated daily calorie needs by age, sex, and activity level. For active boys, that works out to about 2,600 calories a day at age 13, about 2,800 at 14, and about 3,000 at 15. “Active” here means regular physical activity beyond everyday life, the kind of load your ballplayer already carries with practice, games, and workouts.

Those numbers are estimates for a typical active kid, not a personal prescription. Growth spurts and heavy training blocks can push needs higher. Height, weight, and how hard they’re working all matter. If you’re unsure whether your athlete is getting what he needs, talk with your pediatrician. They’re the right person for individual questions about weight, energy, and growth.

What Underfueling Looks Like

A boy who isn’t eating enough often looks “fine” until you watch him closely. He fades in the later innings. He’s cranky after school. He picks at supper, then raids the pantry at 9. He gets every cold that goes around. None of that means he’s lazy. It often means the tank is empty.

More food isn’t the same as better food, but for growing athletes, more good food usually comes first. Skipping breakfast, grazing on chips instead of lunch, and showing up to practice hungry will undo a lot of hard work in the weight room.

The Homeschool Angle

At home, the pantry is always open, which is both a gift and a trap. It’s easy for a snack to replace a real meal when math runs long or co-op day gets chaotic. Put breakfast and lunch on the school schedule the same way you put spelling on it. Protect them. A sandwich, fruit, and milk beat an empty stomach every time.

This Week

Pick one day and write down what your athlete actually eats from waking up to bedtime. Include drinks and snacks. Don’t change anything yet. Just look. Did three real meals happen? Did he eat before and after practice? How close does the day look to those calorie estimates for his age?

Next week we’ll dig into carbs, protein, and healthy fats, and how to build plates that fill those needs without making mealtime complicated.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19