Ryan Evans is a 17-year-old star shooting guard on his high school basketball team. Ryan’s dream is to play basketball at a top-rated, Division I school and although he has been struggling on and off the court, he knows that if he works hard he can earn a scholarship. So, he spends his free time going to extra practices, playing pickup games, training at the gym — stronger players get more college looks — and studying to raise his grades so he will be eligible to play.


Ryan eats, sleeps and breathes basketball and school, but finds time to help his mom by babysitting his little sister. After his father left, his mom started working two jobs to support them all. Ryan’s mom doesn’t have time to go grocery shopping, so Ryan stops by the convenience store each morning to grab breakfast and sometimes dinner on the way home from school. See Ryan’s food diary below.

Each year before the start of the season, Ryan is required to get a physical in order to play for the school team and in the past his results have been normal. This year is no different.


  1. Internet Research: According to the Interactive Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for Healthcare Professionals calculator, Ryan should consume between 4,219 to 4,874 calories a day. Currently, Ryan is only consuming 2,639 calories a day. Besides weight loss, how can his low-calorie diet affect him on the court and in the classroom?

    2. Making it Personal: Using the DRI calculator mentioned above, what is your daily caloric need? Are you consuming the correct amount of calories? If not, what is one small change you can make to correct your caloric intake if it is too low or too high?


  2. Review Ryan’s Personal Health Record: You see that Ryan is “At Risk” in several areas. What are these areas and why would they be considered “At Risk”?


  3. Review Ryan’s story: Ryan has a lot on his plate right now. What current stressors does Ryan have in his life? Are these typical for someone his age?

    4. Team Response: Think about your own life and any stressors you may be dealing with. Discuss with your team how each of you manages your stress and create a list from all of the responses that could help Ryan.

  4. Review Ryan’s story: Nutrition is an important aspect of health. Looking at Ryan’s Food Diary, what are some changes or modifications you would make in his food choices so Ryan’s diet is healthier?

    5. Practice: Each team member needs to ‘make a copy’ of this Nutrition spreadsheet. Look over Ryan’s Food Diary and select healthier food item choices and serving sizes that fall within the Recommended Daily Allowance ranges. People ‘eat with their eyes first’, meaning food should look appetizing. When creating meals for Ryan, visually picture those meals, making sure they are meals a person would actually eat.


  5. Reflection: When looking at creating a healthy meal in the Nutrition spreadsheet, what two categories were hardest to get in the “green” range and why?

  6. Make it Personal: In general, what are two challenges teens face when trying to make healthy food choices?


View Ryan’s Personal Health Record