Tag Archives: Hockey Nutrition

Quick Energy and Focus: Fast Energy Fuels Fast Reactions

My youngest is a goalie, and a tied regional game with her Squirt boys’ team, the reigning state champions, taught me that hockey is decided in half-seconds, and a half-second needs fuel that’s available right now. The between-periods top-up from the Hockey IQ book, why energy drinks aren’t it, and no-bake energy bites kids can make on a Sunday.

Never Skip Breakfast: No Breakfast = Lower Energy Later

My oldest was never a morning person, so a 6:00 am ice time and “I’m not hungry” was our breakfast for years. This summer she made me eggs, toast, berries and avocado and quoted me back to myself. Why the Hockey IQ book is blunt about breakfast, and the microwave egg cup kids can make half asleep.

Recovery Matters: The 30–60 Minute Window After the Game

My varsity daughter’s WHOOP shows terrible recovery all hockey season: ice before school, practice after, homework until 11. Every high school athlete’s schedule. What nutrition can do about it in the first 60 minutes after the game, and the locker-room wrap kids can make before they leave for the rink.

Carbs Are the Engine: Fuel Up to Skate Fast and Think Faster

Carbs Hero Image

Carbs get a bad rap, and for an adult at a desk all day that’s partly fair. For a growing athlete it isn’t. Why carbs are a young hockey player’s main fuel, the difference between high- and low-glycemic carbs, when each one belongs, and a game-day rice bowl kids can make in ten minutes.

Protein Timing: Big Protein Earlier, Quick Carbs Closer to Game Time

Protein timing for young hockey players trips up a lot of families, and it tripped up ours too: more protein always felt like the safe answer, until timing turned out to matter just as much as amount. Part 2 of 9 in the Athlete Nutrition series, built from the weekly nutrition tips in the Hockey […]

Hydration = Performance: Drink Early, Drink Often

Hydration tips for young hockey players: three infused water jars

If you’re looking for hydration tips for young hockey players, here’s what changed for us. Part 3 of 9 in the Athlete Nutrition series, built from the weekly nutrition tips in the Hockey IQ book. New here? Start with the Nutrition Basics intro. Pretty much all through her elementary school years, the water bottle I […]

Pre-Game Fuel Basics: What to Eat 2–3 Hours Before Puck Drop

Athlete Plate

A Squirt tournament in Providence and a team lunch of chicken fingers taught me more about pre-game fuel than any article. What to eat 2–3 hours before puck drop, from the Hockey IQ book, and the sandwich my kids learned to make themselves.