Read the Label before you put it in your mouth.
Do not skip meals.
Eat 4-5 meals a day. This is tough during school so bring snacks to eat throughout the day.
Eat breakfast everyday.
Eat most of your vegetables and fruit in raw form.
Try and eat all the colors in the crayon box (fruits & vegetables).

Sufficient protein should be present in all meals (especially breakfast) to prevent extreme insulin fluctuations due to rapid digestion of carbohydrates.

Highly processed foods (such as sugars, oils, and flour) should be avoided in excess. They are not recognized by the body and make them difficult to process.

Design your diet so that you receive a complete mix of all the nutrients everyday to promote recovery and restoration and to enhance your immune system function.

Post workout nutrition can drastically reduce the time needed to recover. The body is much more efficient in restoring carbohydrates 15 minutes after a strenuous workout. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel during exercise – needs to be restored by the body.

Post workout drink is important as it helps your body recover faster: a protein drink is most important, Chocolate Milk (dairy or soy), Gatorade’s new recovery drink are great to use.
 Drink approximately 64 oz. (8 glasses) of water daily. Bring a water bottle with you everywhere (especially practice).

Meet Day

Meet day is not the time to experiment with foods that are unfamiliar to your stomach. Eat foods that are familiar to you. Eat meals that are reasonably high in carbohydrate and low in fat (avoid high fat sauces on pasta and fast food). Carbohydrates will help keep the energy level high, while fatty foods delay digestion.

Drink adequate amounts of fluid (avoid dairy before competition). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 17 ounces of fluid two hours before competition, as well as enough fluid during exercise to replace the water lost through perspiration. A rule of thumb is to drink enough water to urinate clear prior to performance.

Use caution with food that have a high sugar content (such as soft drinks and candy). Since athletes metabolism is higher than the average person they may experience a drop in blood sugar following consumption which can result in light headedness or fatigue and loss in performance.
Eat well the day before an event, especially if you tend to be jittery or unable to tolerate food on the day of competition.

Important facts of Calcium and Iron

CALCIUM: Calcium is important for healthy bones and can aide in the healing or preventing shin splints.The best sources of calcium are dairy foods, with low fat varieties providing a great way to meet calcium needs within a smaller energy budget. There are some fruit juices now with calcium.
Each athlete should aim to include at least 3 servings of dairy foods in their daily eating plans – e.g.
low fat milk, cheese, or low fat yoghurt.

Calcium-fortified soy versions of dairy foods are also suitable – e.g. soy milk, soy yoghurt.
Leafy green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach)provide a useful source of additional dietary calcium.

IRON: Iron deficiency is a cause of fatigue and reduced performance. Females are particularly at risk becauseof increased iron requirements. Iron-rich eating will help to reduce this risk.

IRON-RICH EATING
Consume moderate servings of red meats in 3-5 meals per week.
Choose iron-fortified cereal products such as breakfast cereals.
Combine plant and non-meat sources of iron (e.g. legumes, cereals, eggs, green leafy vegetables) with food factors that enhance iron absorption. Examples of clever matching include fruit juice or fruit with breakfast cereal, or chili (meat and beans or veggie style).

Race Day Nutrition.

Morning Races

For morning races always eat something 2-3 hours before race time. Some toast or a bagel with some peanut butter is an excellent race day breakfast. A ClifBar / PowerBar is another good choice.
Be sure to drink 8-10oz of water with breakfast. Avoid fruit with skin (apples, plums etc.) and dairy before races unless you've tried them before other races as they may cause stomach discomfort if not digested in time.

Afternoon Races

Afternoon races pose a different strategy. Beginning in the morning eat a typical day's breakfast (whatever that may be).  Perhaps a chicken/turkey sandwich with a Banana. Drink 8-10oz of water with lunch. Assuming a 4:30pm Race Start consume 1/2 of a ClifBar / PowerBar with another 8-10oz of water about 1- 1 ½ hrs before the race if you're still feeling hungry.
An accepted principle is that you can consume 100 calories for each hour before your event.

After the Race

After you finish your race and have properly warmed down, you should eat something within 1 hour to help spark the rebuilding and recovery process. Yogurt, fruit, chocolate milk, protein drink, or a sandwich with some more water are the best choices. The worst choices you can make after a race are cookies, crackers, chips and soda.
Your body wants to rebuild and recover; bad food choices will simply delay the process. An athlete who eats properly "post race" has an advantage over their teammates and competitors almost immediately. If you've ever felt really bad the day after a race, take a good look at what you ate right after!

Remember

There is no "magic formula" for eating that will lead to excellent performances. However, there are plenty of things you can do to SABATOGE all of your hard work and miles run. Follow the suggestions listed and you'll be on your way to a safe and successful season.