Why Eating Enough Is Essential for Your Game But Most Importantly, Your Body

As hockey players and athletes, we know food is used as fuel for performance. Food gives us the energy to push through tough practices, play hard in games, recover properly after intense workouts and grow stronger with every session.

However, eating enough isn’t just about improving athletic performance—it’s also about taking care of your body, both now and in the long run.

When athletes under eat whether unintentionally or by following restrictive diets, it can lead to a range of issues. You might experience low energy levels, slow recovery, frequent injuries, and even disrupted sleep. Over time, it can also start to affect your mood, concentration, and immune system. These are your body’s signals that it isn’t getting enough nutrients to function at its best.

As a female athlete, I find this topic particularly important. Females especially need to ensure they’re consuming enough calories and getting the proper nutrients. When women don’t eat enough to support their level of activity, they can develop Female Athlete Triad and other serious conditions. These conditions can lead to significant weight loss, irregular or absent menstrual cycles, decreased bone density, and a higher risk of injuries like stress fractures. This happens when women train hard but don’t match their energy output with their energy input. It can seriously impact hormonal health and longterm well-being.

It’s essential to remind female athletes how crucial proper nutrition is. Carbohydrates fuel your muscles, protein supports recovery and muscle growth, healthy fats help regulate hormones and vitamins and minerals keep your immune system healthy and strong.

Bottom line: Eat for your game but more importantly, eat to respect and take care of your body. The fastest, strongest and healthiest athletes are the ones who fuel with intention, not restriction.