Scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you’ll see influencers posting their meals – often plates loaded with kale, green smoothies, and zero-sugar snacks. While nutrition is undeniably a cornerstone of athletic success, problems arise when the focus narrows to just a handful of “clean” foods.
One major concern is inadequate energy intake. Teen athletes require additional calories not only to fuel their training but also to support natural growth and development. Excessive caloric restriction, whether intentional or unintentional, can lead to an energy deficit that compromises physiological function. This manifests as fatigue, impaired recovery, and in female athletes, disruptions to hormonal balance that can negatively affect menstrual function and bone mineral density (see our blog on RED-S).
Moreover, eliminating entire food groups or adhering exclusively to a diet of “safe” or “clean” foods may result in deficiencies of iron, calcium, vitamin D, and B vitamins. These micronutrients are critical for oxygen transport, skeletal integrity, neurological function, and metabolic energy production. Clinically, such deficiencies can present as fatigue, impaired cognition, decreased bone density or fractures, muscle weakness, anemia, and compromised immune response.
Beyond the physical implications, rigid dietary behaviors can adversely affect mental health. The pressure to maintain an idealized diet, often exacerbated by social media, can contribute to heightened anxiety related to food choices, guilt after consuming restricted foods, and obsessive preoccupation with nutrition. Such psychological stressors can undermine both dietary adherence and enjoyment of sport, as well as increase the risk for disordered eating and eating disorders.
From a physiological standpoint, insufficient energy and nutrient intake disrupt multiple systems essential for athletic performance. Inadequate carbohydrate consumption depletes glycogen stores, diminishing endurance capacity and prolonging recovery periods. Inadequate protein intake impairs muscle protein synthesis, limiting adaptation to training stimuli. Similarly, inadequate fat intake compromises hormone production (especially steroid hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which are synthesized from cholesterol) and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Collectively, these deficits undermine training quality, delay recovery, and increase vulnerability to burnout and injury, even when training volume remains consistent.
Rather than striving for a perfect or “clean” diet, teen athletes benefit most from a nutrition approach that emphasizes adequacy, variety, and consistency. This means incorporating all macronutrients and allowing flexibility for foods that provide both nourishment and enjoyment. Regular meals and snacks, including nutrient-dense options like dairy, whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, help meet energy needs and support recovery. Importantly, no single food defines an athlete’s diet; it’s the overall pattern that fuels long-term performance, health, and resilience.
At Sports Plan Pro, our goal is to support teen athletes, whose nutritional needs are very different from adults. Most fitness apps and websites use general calculations based on resting metabolic rate, which only measures the calories you burn by doing absolutely nothing for 24 hours. That’s not enough. An app can’t truly understand what your body needs as an active, growing athlete. You need real fuel for real performance.
