From Nutrition to the Court: Fueling Young Athletes

At The Sylvia Center, we believe that good nutrition is the foundation of strong performance—both in the kitchen and in the everyday lives of our students and families. That’s why we launched the Sports Nutrition Teen Program, an extension of our Teen Culinary Apprenticeship (TCA) program, designed specifically for the Lower East Side Preparatory basketball team. Since the fall of 2024, we’ve been helping teen athletes understand how food fuels their performance, builds endurance and aids recovery, giving them practical tools to make informed food choices.  

Teen athletes, especially those aspiring to play in college, benefit from learning how nutrition affects their energy, endurance and overall health. Our classes emphasize the nutrition-performance connections, highlighting teaching points such as macronutrients, hydration and recovery foods. In the past few months, students have cooked and shared meals like whole wheat energy cookies, spicy chickpea sushi and vegetarian Pastelón—dishes designed to support an active lifestyle, peak their interests and, of course, tastebuds! Their basketball coaches even integrated nutrition talking points into practice and workouts, reinforcing what they learned from our Chef Educators.

Through hands-on cooking classes, teens are able to retain practical skills they can take with them after graduating high school, and apply what they’ve learned in TSC classes.

“This can teach me how to balance what I eat and it can make me stronger, if I put in the work and lift.”

Calvin Rodriguez, Sports Nutrition Teen Culinary Apprentice

And the program has already made a difference. Athletes have reported increased energy levels, and coaches have seen improved team morale. The students love bonding over meals they’ve prepared together, and Lower East Side Prep is eager to expand the program to more sports teams, showing real impact on and off the court.

We see exciting opportunities for growth and development of our Sports Nutrition curriculum, including introducing guest speakers like sports dietitians and professional athletes to our classes. We hope to bring this program to even more sports teams and schools throughout the city. Through nutrition education and hands-on cooking, we’re helping young athletes build lifelong healthy habits, one plant-powered meal at a time!