Series on Fitness & Nutrition for Families                                                                                                                     #0404
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                             Nutrition for the Young Athlete
        by Jennifer Kerr, MS, RD, CDN
                                                               a balanced diet – heavy on plant foods like            usually best to keep children hydrated. 
             hild athletes need to eat well to support         vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans,                Sports drinks are designed to provide energy 
             a higher level of activity, but that              nuts/seeds; and moderate in animal foods               in the form of sugar and replace electrolytes 
        balance is not much different from a normal            like lean meat, fish, poultry and dairy; and           that are lost in sweat.  Sports drinks are a 
        healthy diet. Eating for sports/fitness is eating      very light on extras like desserts and added           good choice when children are sweating 
        well for life.                                         fats and sugars.                                       and active for more than an hour.
                                                               Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates provide                   Feeding young athletes during and 
        Dietary needs of the young athlete                     energy for the body. When you are choosing 
        Foods and beverages marketed for “sports”              carbohydrates, look for whole-grain foods              after events
        are not the key to improve sports perfor-              like brown rice, whole-grain bread, pasta              It is important for children to eat well on 
        mance. They can be handy when children                 and cereal, and lots of fruits and vegetables.         event days. The meal itself should not be very 
        are short on time.  Many sports foods and              Protein: Protein helps build and repair                different from what they were eating during 
        drinks, like energy bars and gels, are                 muscles.  Most children get plenty of protein          training or even the off-season.  A meal 
        marketed to athletes, but most children do             from a balanced diet. Protein-rich foods               three hours or more before activity should 
        not require these things to meet their energy          include fish, lean meat and poultry, dairy             have plenty of carbohydrates, a moderate 
        and nutrient needs.                                    products, beans and lentils, nuts, soy                 amount of protein and be low in fat.
        Children who eat a healthy well-balanced               products, and nut butters.                             If a child must sooner than three hours 
        diet are most likely getting the energy and            Fat:  Fat plays an important role in the body,         before an event, serve a light snack like fruit, 
        nutrients needed to perform well in sports.            as long as you eat the right amount.  Good             fruit or vegetable juice or toast.  Following 
        However, when children and teens are                   food sources of fats include avocado, nuts             the game or event, children should have a 
        involved in all-day competitions or strenuous          and seeds, nut butters, and plant oils like            quick snack to replace carbohydrates, like 
        endurance sports that can involve one and              olive oil.                                             chocolate milk.  Once home, the athlete will 
        one half to two hours or more of constant                                                                     be ready for a healthy balanced meal 
        activity, they may need to consume more                Keeping hydrated                                       containing carbohydrates, protein, fat 
        food and fluid to keep up with the increased           It's important for young athletes to drink             (chicken, salad, steamed broccoli and wild 
        demands on their bodies. It also takes a               plenty of fluids.  Dehydration can wipe out            rice).  Remember, athletic performance may 
        variety of nutrients to keep young athletes            an athletes strength and coordination, and             require a slightly enhanced diet, but it is 
        performing at their best – a balanced diet is          may even lead to heat-related illness.                 always important to feed your child healthy 
        the key:                                                                                                      meals and snacks no matter what the 
                                                               Children must drink water or other fluids              season.
        Vitamins and minerals: Children need a                 every 15 to 20 minutes during physical 
        variety of vitamins and minerals. The best             activity. It is also important to drink following       Resources:
                                                                                                                       “Care of the Young Athlete.”  American Academy of Pediatrics
        way to assure that your child is getting what          activity to restore fluid lost through sweat.           Council on Sports Medicine and American Academy of Orthopaedic
        he/she needs is to make sure they are eating                                                                   Surgeons Editors: Sally S. Harris, MD, MPH, FAAP and
                                                               Sports drinks are an option, but plain water is         Steven J. Anderson, MD, FAAP
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