Fueling Your Little Athlete

Fueling Your Little Athlete

Young athletes are still growing and developing. It is very important for parents to ensure that they are providing the right foods for their child to grow and stay active and healthy. Here are some nutrition tips for parents of young athletes:

• Focus on fueling and refueling before and after an event or practice. Much like a car needs gas to go, people need food to move. This is especially true for athletes. Allow your child to choose their foods but offer suggestions and guidance.

• Make healthful eating a priority. It is easy to grab fast food after practice or an event but this is not the best choice to optimize your child’s recovery and health. It is important to plan ahead. For example, if there is an event that lasts several hours, bring a cooler packed with healthy food so they can be adequately fueled for their activity.

• Encourage fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are full of essential vitamins and minerals that your child needs to grow and stay healthy. One suggestion is to try to encourage at least one vegetable or fruit per meal and snack.

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Children should be eating three meals and a couple of snacks during the day to fuel activity and growth. Skipping meals may lead to less than optimal energy and can lead to less healthful food choices. In addition, family meals are important so make eating meals with the family a priority.

• Don’t rely on engineered or pre-packaged foods. These foods are convenient but are not necessary for a young athlete. Real food will work the best for kids and is often more nutritious. It is important for young kids not to learn to rely on these pre-packaged foods such as gels, bars, and chews.

• Keep healthful foods in the fridge and decrease the amount of junk food available. It is amazing how kids will reach for the healthy snacks when the unhealthy snacks are not available.

• Hydration is key for any young athlete. Always keep a water bottle handy for your child and encourage fluids throughout the day. Water is the best fluid. Soft drinks and juices should be limited as these both are high in sugar.

Fueling and recovery: what should the young athlete eat before and after practice or an event?

Fueling:

Encourage eating a meal at least 2-3 hours beforehand. This meal should include a healthy protein, fruit and/or vegetable, whole grain, and moderate amounts of healthy fats. It is also important to provide water at this meal. Encourage fluid during the meals and during the few hours before the practice or event.

            Examples include

• Oatmeal with bananas and a handful of nuts

• Toast with peanut butter and a banana

• Turkey and avocado sandwich on whole grain bread with an apple

• Whole grain vegetable and hummus wrap with a side of berries

• Grilled chicken breast, brown rice, and sautéed vegetables

Thirty minutes to one hour before: Encourage something simple to digest and not too much. Your child should have consumed an adequate amount during the meal. Use this time to top of the tank and stay hydrated.  This could be a handful of pretzels, a banana, a granola bar, one slice of toast, handful of dried fruit, or a handful of dry cereal.

During practice/events: If the event is lasting several hours or all day then provide snacks such as fruit, pretzels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baby carrots, or yogurt in a cooler for snacks during breaks or in between events. If the practice or event is 1-2 hours long only water is necessary.

Recovery: Encourage your child to eat a snack or meal within 30 minutes to an hour after a practice or workout. The meal should include a healthy protein (such as fish, chicken, beans, lean beef, or tofu), vegetables (try to fill 1/3-1/2 the plate with vegetables), and a grain or carbohydrate choice (such as potato, rice, quinoa, whole grain bread, pasta, tortilla, corn, or barley).