by Cindy Carbone
Youth sports are very important these days. Parents and children are always looking for an edge. From my research and experience, what you eat, can literally make you or break you. So, here I am to tell you the best foods for sports success.
Pre-game Foods: Depending on when you have to compete, a good breakfast is a must. If your child has an early morning game, the best bet is to fuel them with water, fruit, or a fresh smoothie. You are looking for some fuel, and fast digestion, so small amounts are a must when eating less than 1.5 hours before a game. Liquids will digest the fastest.
If you have 2 or more hours before a game, you still want to stick with complex carbohydrates that digest rather quickly. Fresh fruit, low sugar cereals, homemade oatmeal, bagels, energy bars, yogurt and water are perfect.
If you find yourself in a tournament situation, with multiple games in one day, you want to make sure to fuel up, and hydrate with water for 2-3 days before your event. Pastas, breads, fruits, cereals, rice with lean protein, and vegetables will provide your child with necessary glycogen stores for their weekend events. In between games, you should stick with the small amounts of easily digestible carbohydrates like energy bars, fruits, and smoothies.
Water is a must for hydration and should be consumed before, during, and after athletic events.
After a particularly intense practice or game, post game fuel should be a 4:1 ratio of complex carbohydrates and protein consumed within 45 minutes of game completion. This allows for proper muscle, and energy recovery. Protein energy bars (Kashi has great ones), protein smoothies, yogurt, and peanut butter on whole grain bread, are good recovery foods.
Some words about those sports drinks. Sports drinks are loaded with simple sugars and sodium. They are designed for endurance athletes competing continuously for 90 minutes or more. The extra sugar can energize your child briefly, but will most likely cause them to crash. Understand, during long endurance events, like marathons, sports drinks are not offered along the course until mile 13, which is generally 2 hours into the race. I assure you, if an adult can run 13 miles without stopping, with no physical need for a sports drink, your child does not need one after a one hour game or practice no matter how much they sweat (where they stop and go, sit, and get breaks too).
Some words regarding energy drinks. When I say “energy drinks” I am talking about any product that combines b-vitamins, caffeine, sugar or sugar substitutes, and other “natural” herbs or stimulants, and claims to enhance athletic performance. Some popular brands are Red Bull, Venom, Monster, and 5 Hour Energy. What parents need to understand is that these so-called “natural” products are considered supplements, and the supplement industry is NOT regulated by the FDA. Therefore, supplements can make health claims that are not scientifically proven. These products are only required to list ingredients, not how much of each ingredient is within each serving. (In other words you have no idea how much caffeine you are giving your child. Some claim to have “about” as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. One must question, is this a 6 oz. cup or 12 oz. cup of coffee? They are purposely vague, and you should be purposely vigilant!) These energy drinks are marketed to children and adults, but pediatricians are speaking out against these products for kids of all ages. This short article found on the American Academy of Pediatrics website, and this blog on Marion Nestle’s website, should be all you need to better educate yourself on this subject.
Lastly, we all see it or hear about it every day. Kids seem to be getting hurt and breaking bones all of the time. Doctors believe this is due to a combination of factors, one being overuse, and sports specialization at a young age. The other factor includes diets high in sugar, and low in nutrients. In fact, evidence suggests that drinking soda leads to less bone density, and mass. The combination of sugar, caffeine and phosphoric acid can lead to brittle bones. And with a growing child, evidence suggests that soda consumption can certainly affect the strength and density of their bones. I don’t believe that it is mere coincidence that children drink more soda, and break more bones these days. The increase in tooth decay is yet another sign of this problem.
If you want your children to stay healthy and perform at their best, it should not be difficult to understand what that will take. They need a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and variety of exercise! Eating mostly real whole foods, and less processed and fast foods are your child’s best bet for success in every aspect of their lives. Don’t fall victim to marketing and products said to give your child a competitive edge. I assure you, most children are eating far too much processed and fast foods, far too much soda and sports drinks, and this will affect their performance at some point down the line. Give your child a long term edge by feeding them real whole foods, cooked at home, and limiting fast, and processed food products. This will keep them fit, healthy, strong, and injury free for a lifetime.
Be smart, and be patient with your young athlete. Your true competitive edge comes in the form of persistence with a healthy diet, and a healthy mental attitude towards sports. We all know, over time, life always comes down to survival of the fittest. And those that take care of their bodies with real whole foods, a variety of exercise, and proper rest, will most definitely be the last ones competing!
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As a Health Coach, my focus is on basic nutritional education, as it relates to your health, and your body. I believe that people should pursue health and wellness, over pure weight loss goals. This pursuit of optimal health is the only way to true, lasting, lifestyle change. Health knowledge, results in informed and educated choices and behaviors, which naturally results in weight loss, while at the same time, changing and improving the lives, and overall health, of your entire family. Lifestyle, behaviors, and food choices are strong environmental factors that greatly predict health, and disease. Every man, woman, adolescent, and child requires the same foods to be healthy, and fight disease. My perspective is that of a Mom trying to feed her kids nutrient rich whole foods, in a country that glorifies fast, and processed foods, and thinks nothing of it being the mainstay of our diets! My goal is to educate and inform, and I reach out to all mothers. Mothers have the power and influence to make the change necessary for the current and future health of our children, and our country. www.educateyourwaytohealth.com
