Most nutrition advice online was written for adults trying to diet. You're a growing athlete trying to perform more efficiently. That creates myths that sound right, but actively hurt teen athletes' performance. I believed some of these myself before I learned better. Let's drop them.
"I should cut carbs to get lean"
Carbs are your muscles' main fuel. Cut them and you don't get lean, you get slow and weak. Your workouts feel harder, you get fatigued quicker, and recovery drags. Low-carb trends were built for inactive adults and diabetics, not for someone running miles or lifting after school.
The truth: carbs are fuel. Eat them, especially around training."You should skip meals if you're not hungry"
Hunger isn't a reliable signal when you're training hard. Intense exercise can actually suppress your appetite, so you can be low on fuel and still not feel hungry. Skipping a meal because you don't feel like eating leaves you underfueled, and you'll feel it as heavy legs at practice, brain fog in class, and constant cravings at night. A huge number of teen athletes are underfueling without realizing it, and skipped meals are usually the reason.
The truth: eat on a schedule, not on hunger. Three real meals plus snacks should be the goal, every day."I need supplements to get better"
In today's society there are thousands of supplements that are targeted toward athletes, but real food covers almost everything a teen needs. Protein powder is convenient, not magic, and most supplements aren't tested for what's actually in them. If your meals are solid, supplements add very little. If your meals aren't solid, supplements can't fix that.
The truth: food first. Convenience second. Magical pills rarely."I should bulk, then cut, like the influencers"
I used to wonder if I should do this too. Bulking and cutting cycles are bodybuilder strategies for adults who stopped growing. You're already in the biggest natural muscle-building window of your life. Extreme phases just mess with your energy, your training, and your relationship with food.
The truth: eat enough consistently and let growth plus training do the work."Eating less will make me faster"
This one is the most dangerous. Underfueling might feel better for a week, but then performance drops, injuries increase, and for girls it can disrupt your period, which is a serious warning sign, not a convenience. Your body can't grow, train, and repair on a deficit. Fuel is how you get faster.
The truth: performance comes from fueling more, not less.If advice is about eating less, cutting, or restricting it probably wasn't intended for a growing athlete. Eat enough, eat real food, and time it around training. If something feels off, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian.