According Jill Castle, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), mother of four athletic children, and author of Eat Like a Champion, �a growing, athletic child�s nutrient needs are different than a mature adult�s. Coaches and parents often overlook the importance of good nutrition for youth sports so these athletes do not eat to compete. Rather, they are slowed down by poor diets, inadequate calories, and wrong foods, which can affect their performance and long-term health�.
While there are tons of research-based nutrition resources for adult athletes, the adolescent athletic market is very sparse as the research is just beginning to occur. This is mind boggling when you consider that there over 35 million seven to 17-year-old kids who play recreational and/or organized sports, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.
Castle wrote her book to not only help parents and coaches adequately feed their growing athletes but also because the emerging research conducted with young athletes is alarming. A study of competitive adolescent swimmers uncovered that, on average, the youth fell short on bone-strengthening calcium and vitamin D during this critical, bone-building time. Another study of female youth soccer athletes did no better in meeting their daily needs of these two nutrients and many also fell short of their dietary carbohydrate needs. Carbohydrates are the key fuel needed during athletic competition and are found in abundance in grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy foods.
One of the biggest myths in youth sports, according to Castle, is that parents think that they don�t have to worry about the child�s weight if he or she is active. This isn�t true. Research looking at the diets of youth sports participants revealed that these kids were chowing down more fast foods and sugary beverages than those who didn�t participate in sports. Just take a peek inside a concession stand and you will see that you don�t even have to leave the sporting event to find these less nutritious foods. The kids are eating them as post-recovery foods on the way home in the mini-van.
Unfortunately, the latest research suggests that kids who frequently eat fast foods and drink sweetened beverages are at a higher risk of becoming obese. Since eating habits are developed early in life, when the organized sporting activities end, the weight may begin to pile on, if the calories aren�t also reduced in the diet to offset the inactivity. An overweight young adult is at a higher risk of becoming an obese adult as he or she ages.
If you have an athletic child, paying attend to good nutrition may be one of the best kept competitive secrets during this active growing period and beyond. For personalized advice, consider meeting with a RDN who specializes in pediatrics and sports nutrition. You can find one here at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Personally, I wish Castle�s book was available decades ago. I would have read it during my son�s pitching and hitting lessons.
Be well, Joan
Twitter @JoanSalgeBlake
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