Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

What foods athletes need

7 Feb 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:35

In this YouTube segment, a sports nutrition coach (Speaker A) outlines the "Performance Plate" method for athletes who train 2–3 hours per day. The plate is divided into roughly half carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, rice, quinoa, fruit), a quarter protein, and the remaining portion healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive or avocado oil). The coach stresses adding two colors—one fruit and one vegetable—to ensure micronutrient coverage. He argues that consistently using this plate will make athletes feel better and enhance their performance.

Chapters

Kelsey, as a sports nutrition coach, what are the foods that you have your athletes eat? Lots and lots and lots of carbs. A lot of potatoes, a lot of pasta, a lot of rice, a lot of quinoa, a lot of fruit. So basically you would want to follow my Performance Plate method, which is the fourth of the plate is going to be protein. If you're training at least 2 to 3 hours a day, half of your plate you want it to be high in carbohydrates. You want some healthy fats on the plate, so avocado, nuts, cook your meat in olive oil or avocado oil. And then you want two colors on that plate, a fruit and a veggie. These get overlooked all the time. Please don't overlook them. If athletes start with Performance Plates, they're going to feel so much better and perform so much better.