Nutrition for Youth Baseball Players: Meal Plans and Snacks

Optimal nutrition for youth baseball players is key to their long term success.

Here are my home cooked meal plans and healthy snacks that have helped my 3 boys play at a top level.

I’m not a doctor nor a certified nutritionist, but I’m going to share what has worked with my three boys and helped my oldest son become one of the top ranked high school players in America.

Baseball Nutrition Plan for Practices

There are two parts to this:

1. Before Practice Meal
2. After Practice Nutrition

Nutrition Before Practice

Our baseball nutrition plan before practice is pretty simple:

1. Some carbs
2. Some healthy protein

But not too much that will make your child sluggish.

Generally, because we are tight on time, my boys will eat in the car since we have a 20-minute drive to practice.

Eating ASAP After Practice!!!

There are many studies done that show that immediate nutrition is very important for post-workout recovery.

I always have food for them to eat ASAP once they get into the car

It is usually the same as the pre practice meal.

1. Some carb
2. Some healthy protein

I always also vary up.

Sometimes I just give them a nutrition bar, a protein shake, or healthy beef jerky to eat.

This will sustain them until we get home.

The shorter the time between practice ending and eating, the better for the post-workout recovery.

Baseball Eating Plan for Tournaments

Tournaments are often harder because of time but you can get around this by doing meal preps.

There are 3 parts:

1. Pre Tournament Meal
2. Game Break Nutrition
3. Post Game Meal

Pre Tournament Meal

We always have some type of carb and protein, and if you don’t have much time, then the child can eat in the car.

I always have 4 things for my boys

1. Eggs
2. Carb (either bagel, rice or pasta)
3. Some healthy meat (chicken or steak)
4. Sometimes some fruit

Game Breaks at Tournaments

This is the most important part for nutrition for youth baseball players because it is so easy to neglect this or get lazy with this part.

You generally have a short break of 2 hours, but it’s actually less than 2 hours because the coach would demand that the kid be at the field for warmups, generally 30 to 45 minutes before the next game.

Because of these short time restrictions, you don’t have much time to get in the car, find a place to eat, get in line, eat, and rush back.

That’s why I always make meals for my boys to eat either on the field or in the car during the game breaks.

I usually prepare something similar, which is carbohydrates and protein.

Sometimes I may make a huge pre-tournament meal and they just eat the leftovers.

Post Game Nutrition

Similar to the post practice nutrition plan, it is really important for post workout recovery for your child to eat ASAP.

Generally, they eat the leftovers, or they eat something simple: a few carbs and some protein, just to hold them over until we get home or sometimes you get a treat, and we just go eat at a restaurant.

My 4 Nutritional Rules for Youth Baseball

I have a few rules I follow:

1) Eat 1 g of protein for ideal body weight.

I learned this from a nutritionist.

You should consume 1 g of protein per ideal body weight.

If your child is 100 lbs. right now and you want him to get to 130 lbs., then he should be eating 130 g of protein every day.

For some kids, like my 3 boys this is really hard to do because you have to eat a lot so the only way to hit this goal is by drinking protein shakes.

2) No Soda Ever!

Soda is full of sugar and slows you down.

Your body is like a fine-tuned sports car.

Why would you ruin it so that your child plays worse?

3) No Junk Food Before Practices and During Tournaments

My kids occasionally do get to eat candy, chips, ice cream, etc. but we never eat it during practices or tournaments because it slows them down and makes them play worse.

4) No Fast Food Before Practices and During Tournaments

This is the same as junk food.

No burgers, fried foods, etc.

Why would you want to eat something that will make you play worse?

Creating Lifelong Healthy Habits

Some of you may think I’m being too strict but not only do these rules make your child play better but more importantly you’re teaching them to develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

Healthy Snacks

I also have these handy in the car so my boys always have something to eat

1 ) True Height Protein Waffle

This is made by TruHeight, the same company that makes the growth supplements and my boys love these.

They have 110 calories and 5 grams of protein.

2 ) Healthy Beef Jerky

These don’t have any sodium nitrate nor unhealthy ingredients and excellent for extra protein.

3 ) Protein Bar

This is another favorite because they taste good and have 15 grams of clean protein per bar.

Water and Electrolytes

Proper hydration is also a very important part of nutrition for young baseball players.

I always make sure not only that they have water but that they have electrolytes.

Here is one of the common electrolytes that I make sure my boys drink every day.

Baseball Supplements

My boys don’t take any supplements specific to baseball, but they do take a very good multivitamin since they were 4 years old.

Recommended Vitamin for Young Kids

When you’re shopping for vitamins, you have to be careful because most of the over-the-counter vitamins don’t work really well.

There’s a long story behind that in terms of absorption or companies putting filler ingredients in there.

I’ve been using this brand called USANA Health Sciences since all three of my boys were toddlers.

Growth Supplements

TruHeight supplements supposedly helps your child grow.

My boys have been taking these and I can’t prove they helped my son grow to 6’3″ but they do play a role in a well rounded diet.

Whey Protein Shake

My oldest son started to take whey protein to get stronger when he turned 15.

There are many different brands but he likes the one made by USANA Health Sciences.

Green Drink

Getting your greens is also super important, and I do my best to get my boys to drink this once a day.

I personally drink this, and this has been really good, so I make sure they drink it as well.

You can get this Previnex Superfood at a 15% discount using code: baseball15

Accessories that Make Eating Well Easier

Here are three accessories that make meal prepping a little bit easier

Food Warmer

Keeps the food warm, especially on late games when it gets cold.

Portable Fridge

I have a portable fridge in my car that you can charge using the cigarette adapter and that keeps food and fruits cold on hot summer days.

Portable Battery

I use these to power the food warmer and fridge when the car is not on.

I just keep all three of these in my car.

If you don’t want to bother with all that, you can simply keep the food in thermos containers like these.

Why These Home Cooked Nutritional Plans are Better

I realize cooking takes some time, but if you do it a few times, it actually will save you time.

Here are two reasons why I like them.

1 ) Healthier to Eat Home Cooked Food

You will use less salt and sugar when you cook at home.

Plus you’re not eating fast food junk

2 ) Saves You Time

Cooking may take you time but actually saves you time from getting into the car, driving to a restaurant to wait in line and then rushing back.

3 ) Saves You Money

Cooking will also save you a lot of money especially with all the hidden travel baseball costs.

A $20 piece of steak at a grocery store will last your child 3 meals.

Obstacles to Proper Nutrition

Every travel baseball parent knows and agrees that proper nutrition is important.

Your child is spending long hours and exerting energy on the baseball field, and without proper nutrition, he is just not going to grow well for long-term development.

Unfortunately, there are many obstacles to proper nutrition for young travel ball players.

1 ) No Time

Whether you’re rushing off to a practice or getting up early for an 8 am game, time always seems to be a challenge, but this can be solved by doing meal preps.

2 ) Long Hours at Tournaments

Baseball tournaments can take an entire day, and sometimes even 12 hours, and there really isn’t much time for eating.

3 ) Not Convenient to Eat Healthy

Unfortunately, it is extremely inconvenient to eat healthy, but convenient to eat junk fast food.

If you just look at all the snack shops or the places that serve food at tournaments, most of them are all fast food junk. They are either burgers, fries, pizza or fried foods.

These types of foods make your child play worse and hurt their long-term development and that’s why cooking and meal prepping is what I do.

4 ) Mindset

Another obstacle is just the mindset and attitude.

When kids think of working hard, many are willing to grind and practice and do extra hitting sessions but fail to realize that eating is also a key component of working hard.

I’ve seen many kids that spend hours practicing but don’t eat enough for the calorie intake in order for them to develop into long-term good players. 

Because nutrition for young baseball players is so important, I decided to cook and these are my meal plans.

Sacrifice and Commitment

I know cooking and meal prep may seem like a lot of work, but the truth is,

if you want your child to play, become a good high school player, and play long term,

you have to make the same sacrifices and commitment to baseball nutrition just like you do to practices and workouts.

I know you may think I am crazy, but if you have huge dreams for your child for long-term baseball,

then I’m sure you are willing to make these sacrifices and commitments as well.

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About Simon Chan