Nutrition for Active Children.
Active children require adequate energy intake for growth and maturation, as well as physical activity. Growth should be regularly monitored and energy intake adjusted to meet individual needs.
Young athletes who do not consume enough energy through food, are at risk of delayed maturation, attenuated growth and poor sports performance. Catch-up growth may occur of training intensity is reduced and energy intake increased.
Energy Requirements for Young Athletes.
Factors that influence nutritional needs include;
- Increase in growth
- Progression towards a mature biological state.
- Changes in physical activity levels.
About 80-90% of peak bone mass occurs during puberty. Therefore, children need to receive the proper nutrition during this time to ensure healthy bone growth and prevent injuries. There is evidence that children use more energy during exercise than adults therefore, tables of adult-estimated energy expenditures for specific sports are likely to underestimate the needs of children.
Practical Nutritional Guidelines for Young Athletes.
- Young athletes need to be consuming 3 nutritious meals a day with healthy snacks in between.
- Consume nutritional snacks for additional energy between meals e.g. bakes beans, nut butters on oat cakes, yoghurt and fruit, nuts and dried fruit, boiled egg, hummus on toast.
- Include calcium rich foods for optimal bone density e.g. smoothies, milk, cheese, yoghurt, green leafy veg, sesame seeds.
- Include Oily fish in the diet for Vitamin D and Omega 3 benefits.
- Encourage intake of Iron-rich foods such as red meat or fortified vegetarian foods and green leafy veg.
- Discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs or too much supplementation.
- Encourage the consumption of water and discourage the use of high caffeine, high sugar sports drinks.
- Encourage children and adolescents to be responsible for their own foods choices through education and modelling appropriate eating behaviours.
Post activity Snacks.
Ensure that you’re child consumes some protein source after exercise to help aid recovery and build muscle, as well as drinking plenty of water.
Some snack ideas for post workout are;
- Chocolate Milk.
- Greek yoghurt with berries.
- Chicken pieces or salmon in a small pitta bread or small wrap.
- Nuts and fruit
- Nut butter on rice cakes.
- Boiled egg.
- Hummus or cheese on oat cakes.
- Half a Trek or Quest Protein bar or a Raw Nakd bar.
- Garbanzo Dry Roasted Chickpeas (found in Holland and barrett)
- Some pumpkin seeds and dried fruit.
- Mini Bean and Cheese Quesadilla – this may take extra time but you can make a few and will keep for a few days in the fridge. Fold ½ cup black beans, 1 tablespoon salsa and 1 slice of chedder cheese into a small wrap. Cook on a non stick pan until the cheese melts. Cut it in two and wrap each in foil. Have one that day and one tomorrow if training two days in a row.
- Protein pancakes – again this can be made and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Mix 4 egg whites, ½ cup of oats, 1/8 tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp vanilla essence. Cook on preheated pan until mixture bubbles, flip and cook for another 60 seconds. Cut into quarters and once cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge.