Germantown Friends School Sports Medicine recently welcomed CHOP Sports Medicine physician Dr. Naomi Brown to campus for a presentation focused on nutrition, fueling, and recovery for student-athletes.
Held in the GFS Weight Room, the session gave Tigers practical information about how nutrition can support performance, endurance, growth, and recovery. Dr. Brown discussed the importance of micronutrients, macronutrients, hydration, and proper fueling before and after activity, while also addressing common supplements and the potential consequences of not consuming enough fuel to meet the demands of training and everyday life.
For GFS Head Athletic Trainer Morgan Wambold, now in her eighth year at the school, nutrition has become an increasingly important part of educating and caring for Tiger student-athletes.
“Throughout my time working with this specific population, I have recognized the added importance of fueling their bodies for growth and athletic performance,” Wambold said. “Pediatric sports nutrition has become a significant interest of mine, both professionally and personally.”
One of the central messages of the presentation was simple: athletes need to eat enough. Student-athletes are balancing the energy demands of school, growth, practices, games, strength training, and recovery. Research indicates that 75% of athletes begin their day under-fueled, while approximately half of teenagers experience low energy availability, meaning they are consuming less energy than their bodies require relative to what they expend.
Dr. Brown encouraged athletes to aim for three meals and two to three snacks each day while incorporating carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. She also emphasized fueling before activity, prioritizing recovery nutrition afterward, and hydrating throughout the day.
For Wambold, the amount of fuel athletes require, particularly during demanding periods such as preseason, was among the presentation’s most important lessons.
“The biggest takeaway from the presentation for me was the huge amount of calories that students need, specifically during preseason with two sessions per day,” Wambold said. “Students should always try to eat a little more, drink a little more, and sleep a little more.”
(Brown, N., CHOP: Sports Medicine - Nutrition for Athletes)
The presentation also emphasized looking beyond simply labeling foods as “healthy” or “unhealthy.” For an athlete, eating enough to meet the body’s energy demands is critical. A meal that appears healthy may still leave an athlete under-fueled if it does not contain enough carbohydrates, protein, fats, and overall energy to support activity and recovery.
That message is one GFS Sports Medicine works to reinforce throughout the year, including during injury evaluations and regular check-ins with student-athletes.
“The goal is not to encourage dieting, restriction, or weight-focused eating, but rather to help athletes develop healthy, sustainable habits that allow them to properly fuel their training and recovery,” Wambold said.
Dr. Brown also discussed Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and the ways inadequate energy intake can affect health, injury risk, recovery, concentration, and athletic performance. Athletes were encouraged to listen to their bodies, as persistent fatigue, weakness, declining performance, frequent injuries, or difficulty completing workouts may be signs that they are not adequately fueled. To see the slides from the full presentation please follow the link below.
GFS Athletics and Sports Medicine thanks Dr. Brown and CHOP for providing our student-athletes with valuable information they can use throughout their seasons, and beyond.
Dr. Naomi Brown - CHOP Sports Medicine: Student-Athlete Nutrition 2.0