Cherry, Avocado, Sleep Tips

Wendi Irlbeck, a Texas sports dietitian, is pushing a simple recovery plan for athletes: cherries, avocados, water, and enough sleep. (nutritionwithwendi.com) Irlbeck identifies herself as a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified sports nutritionist who works with teen, college, adult, and professional athletes. Her coaching materials and recent interviews center on fueling, hydration, and recovery basics for young athletes and their families. (nutritionwithwendi.com; athletesuntapped.com) The food advice lines up with established sports-nutrition research. A 2022 review of 15 tart cherry studies found cherry products were used to track muscle function, soreness, and inflammation after hard exercise, with evidence that tart cherry can support recovery in some settings. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Cherries draw attention in recovery plans because they contain anthocyanins, the plant compounds that give tart cherries their red color and antioxidant activity. A 2026 systematic review said tart cherry juice has been proposed to reduce exercise-related muscle damage, even though results across studies remain mixed. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; link.springer.com) Avocados fit the same back-to-basics approach for a different reason. Harvard’s Nutrition Source says avocados provide monounsaturated fats, potassium, fiber, and carotenoids, nutrients commonly included in balanced eating plans for athletes and active adults. (hsph.harvard.edu) Hydration is the other half of the recovery message after long tournament days and multiple games. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association says more than half of athletes in professional, college, high school, and youth sports arrive at workouts already underhydrated, and performance can suffer at roughly 2% body-mass loss. (nata.org) Sleep is the recovery tool athletes skip most often when travel, school, and early practices stack up. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours for teenagers ages 13 to 18, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says later school start times can help adolescents get that sleep. (aasm.org; cdc.gov) Irlbeck has been making the same case across her coaching business, podcast appearances, and education work: start with real food, fluids, and routine before chasing supplements. Her website says team talks cover meal timing, hydration, sleep, and recovery, and a 2025 football podcast episode stressed meal prep, hydration, and caution with energy drinks. (nutritionwithwendi.com; podbean.com) That leaves athletes with a recovery checklist that is less about a single “superfood” than daily habits. Cherries may help with soreness, avocados add fats and potassium, and neither replaces the two basics the research keeps circling back to: fluids and sleep. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; hsph.harvard.edu; aasm.org; nata.org)