Feed Your Athlete

Sections written by Nancy Clark, MS, RD
Senior Sports Nutritionist, Healthworks Fitness Center
http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/

If you are the parent of an athletic child, you may wonder if young athletes have special nutritional needs. Or, are they just small grown-ups who can follow the same sports nutrition program as adults? The following questions address some of the nutrition concerns parents ask about fueling their active, growing children.

Q. What should my child eat before a game? (from US Soccer Players Association)

Although kids should not eat too much right before playing, it is important that young players eat a standard-sized healthy meal before a game. Avoid highly fatty foods and encourage young players to drink lots of liquids with their pre-game meals.

Many players and coaches favor foods that have lots of carbohydrates, including pasta, cereals, bread, and vegetables. Players should have adequate time to digest their food, at least one hour before they need to arrive at the field.

Q. What should we bring for snacks? (from US Soccer Players Association)

For halftime, some excellent low-fat energy sources are graham crackers, hard pretzels, bread sticks, oranges and bananas. Cut (and peel if necessary) the fruit into chunks to make it easier for the players to consume during halftime.

As for beverages, water is obviously always a necessity, however, most children bring their own water bottles to games. Gatorade, Powerade and juice boxes are excellent liquid sources of energy and provide players with alternatives to water. Do not bring caffeinated beverages, such as sodas and coffee, to games for the players because caffeine is very dehydrating.

At halftime, however, avoid high-fat foods because fats exit the stomach slowly and may cause cramping during games.

After the game, you may want to congratulate the players with special treats such as cookies, brownies, granola bars, etc. There is a wide range of foods appropriate for end-of-the-game snacks. It's also nice to provide a fruit drink.

Q. Does my third grade daughter really need a sports drink after her soccer game?

As long as your daughter drinks adequate fluids, she does not need a sports drink after her soccer game. Cold water and juicy oranges are fine refreshers. (Sports drinks are actually designed to be consumed during exercise lasting longer than an hour.) Your job as a parent is to be sure your daughter has access to palatable fluids. For her, this might mean a sports drink. But other beverages and snacks can provide needed fluids and carbohydrates.

Young athletes who exercise intensely for more than 30 to 40 minutes might benefit from a sports drink during exercise. They are at higher risk for becoming dehydrated than adults who do the same workout. Children have a greater body surface area in respect to their body weight, so they gain heat faster from the environment than do adults. They also produce more body heat at a given running speed, and they sweat less than adults do. (Each sweat glands produces about 40% less sweat than an adult's.) This means: Drink frequently during exercise to prevent dehydration!

Q. Should I let my 14 year old son drink a protein shake for breakfast and again before bed? He wants to bulk up.

Growing children need to consume adequate protein: 0.5 to 1.0 gram of protein/pound of body weight or about 60 to 90 grams protein for a 14 year old who weighs 120 pounds. He can easily get this much in three glasses of milk (30 gm) plus the protein in a sandwich at lunch (20 gm) and an average plate of spaghetti with meat sauce (30 gm) at night. Most growing boys eat double portions and get double protein--especially if they drink milk.

While adequate protein is important to build muscles, eating extra protein via supplements will not build bigger muscles. Don't waste your money! As your son matures, the hormones that kick-in at puberty (plus strength training) will create muscular bulk.

Q. Between my son and daughter's soccer schedule, we rarely eat dinner at home. Any suggestions...?

If you know you'll be getting fast food for dinner, you can at least swing by Papa Gino's (pasta, thick crust veggie pizza) or Taco Bell (bean burritos). Children often eat poorly because their parents have failed to plan for better choices. For example, let's look at the rush to get to the event. With fluids, try to keep the refrigerator stocked with 16-ounce bottles of water, lemonade and juice. Grab them and go; you'll reduce your kid's intake of soda and sports drinks. With snacks, stash granola bars, pretzels, animal crackers and fig cookies in the car; you'll reduce trips to the snack shack for candy and chips.

Most fast food restaurants offer a healthful option--if you aren't too hungry to choose it. Packing along a post-game recovery food that doubles as a pre-dinner appetite tamer (bagel, yogurt) can help reduce the temptation to fill up on fries, double bacon cheeseburgers, fried chicken, etc..

Q. My kids are junk food junkies. I try to get them to eat more broccoli and bananas, but I'm rarely successful...

Despite popular belief, kids (and their parents) do not have to eat a perfect diet to have a good diet. Most active children can meet their nutrient needs within 1,200 to 1,500 calories of a variety of wholesome foods. Hence, they do have space for some "junk" -- in moderation. Your children may actually have trouble getting adequate calories if you strictly limit treats. To find the right balance, I recommend Ellyn Satter's book Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family. Ellyn is the expert on how to encourage kids to eat well.

One trick to reducing your children's intake of not-so-good foods is to have available a healthful second lunch after school/before sports. Enjoying a bean burrito, English muffin pizza, cereal with milk, fruit smoothie or a sandwich is preferable to the standard routine of munching on candy bars, cookies and chips. A healthful "second lunch" is particularly important for kids who eat poorly at school lunch.

Q. As my son is training harder, he's getting very skinny. How can I tell if he's eating enough to grow normally?

Your pediatrician can tell you if your son is growing normally by routine height and weight measurements plotted on a growth chart. (You can print your own growth charts at http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/). Hard training will not stunt his growth as long as he is eating adequately. If he seems overly fatigued and lethargic, he may be eating too little. Encourage more milk and juice (in place of water) as easy ways to boost calories.

Active children may need as many calories as their parents--if not more. For example, the average 6 year old needs 1,800 calories/day (40 cals/lb) plus more for sports. The average 9 year old boy or girl (75 lbs) requires about 2,500 calories/day (32 calories/lb). Add on sports and the number jumps by 300 to 600+ calories. ( To estimate your child's calorie needs, use the Daily Nutrition Calculator at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000035.html).

Q. My 10 year old daughter wants to lose weight but she really doesn't have excess body fat...

Dieting is standard among young figure skaters, dancers, gymnasts, runners and athletes in sports that emphasize leanness. But the pressure to acquire the "perfect" body can bode trouble ahead if the dieter has issues about being "not good enough," a poor self-image and low self-esteem. All too often, diets are not just about weight. Dieting increases the risk for developing a full blown eating disorder.

As a parent, you need to downplay body size as an important currency of worth, and teach your daughter to love herself from the inside out. Never comment about the size of large children; your child will conclude she must be thin to be valued and loved, and she will start dieting. This is particularly important with young girls who are coping with body changes during their struggle to be the best at their sport. Their efforts to control weight may lead to a frustration, guilt, despair and failure--and an eating disorder.

Other Nutrition Tips and Ideas (pdf format)

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