{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Pressure Lab ","title":"Fuel Under Pressure: What a Philadelphia Union Nutritionist Wants Every Young Athlete to Know About Food and Performance | The Pressure Lab Ep. #11","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1942,"description":"What does a professional soccer player actually eat to perform at the highest level, and how does that translate to a youth athlete eating lunch between classes and playing a game at 7 PM?In Episode #11 of The Pressure Lab, Keith Wilford sits down with Marissa Gaab, Head of Nutrition for the Philadelphia Union and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, to bridge the gap between elite sports nutrition and the practical realities of feeding a young athlete in the real world.Marissa works daily with professional MLS players to optimize how they fuel, recover, and sustain performance across a grueling season. In this episode she brings those same principles down to earth for the audience that needs them most: teen athletes, their parents, and the coaches who work with both.What should young athletes eat before a game and how much does it actually matter?\nPre-game nutrition is one of the most misunderstood areas of youth sports performance. Most young athletes either undereat before competition because of nerves or grab whatever is convenient. Marissa breaks down what the research and her professional experience with MLS players actually shows about fueling for performance, including timing, food choices, and the biggest mistakes athletes make in the hours before a game.Why do so many young athletes underperform in the second half?\nEnergy depletion mid-game is one of the most common and most preventable performance issues in youth sports. Marissa explains the physiology behind it in plain language: what is happening in the body when an athlete hits a wall in the 60th minute, and what simple nutritional habits in the days and hours before competition can prevent it entirely.What does recovery nutrition actually mean for a teenage athlete?\nMost young athletes think recovery means stretching and sleep. Marissa makes the case that what an athlete eats in the 30 to 60 minutes after training or competition is one of the highest-leverage performance decisions they can make, and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/aCOLZLSQsvs91ubHdJnOnF_QBl8zewxBsD1GbOGIOiE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zNWVi/Zjk4YjFhN2RjYTc0/ZGU5OWVlZWI2YWQw/Nzk4MS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}