3 Nutritious Tips for Young Athletes

It's essential that all youth athletes respect their bodies by eating healthy, getting plenty of rest and exercising daily. Below are a few tips on keeping healthy eating habits for your young athlete.

Complex Carbs w/Fiber: When you eat candy (which is full a sugar, a simple carbohydrate), fructose is quickly converted into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream. When those simple carbohydrates are burned, by play or practice, your athlete is more likely to suffer from a sugar crash and experience a sluggishness. Complex carbohydrate molecules, on the other hand, require more work to be converted into glucose. Since it takes more work for our bodies to break down complex carbohydrates they provide fuel for longer periods of time and athletes are less likely to "crash". Whole grain foods are made of complex carbohydrates, which is why many cross-country teams have big pasta dinners the night before a big race. The pre-game meal that really matters is the night before, because it can take 24-48 hours to really stock your muscles with glycogen so athletes walk onto the field totally fueled.

Eat Lean Proteins: Protein is important, especially post-game because protein is what helps rebuild muscles. Have a steak the night before so the body has time to pull all the necessary nutrients out and digest the rest. Save lean proteins like turkey for the morning of the game. You really want to eat 2-3 hours BEFORE the game so your athlete's body has time to turn that food into valuable nutrients. This also helps prevent cramping, which is certainly not going to help them on the court!

Stay Hydrated!!: Performance can be affected by even mild dehydration, so make sure your to drink at least 1-2 cups of water before getting to the game/practice and drink constantly throughout the game. Most players need at least ½ - 1 cups of water for every 15-20 minutes during exercise. Sports drinks are designed to provide energy and replace electrolytes lost as when you sweat, so if your child is going to be active for more than one hour sports drinks like Gatorade may be a good option.