The Best Foods For Young Athletes
03/08/2010
The Best Foods For Young Athletes
By Chef Shael Berni
The connection between nutrition and athletics has been well
documented, but good nutrition is virtually unpracticed. It is
not uncommon for a young athlete to have a burger and French
fries before a big game and think nothing of it. But the
correlation between optimal performance and an optimal diet for
young athletes has been established long ago. It is no surprise
that optimal athletic performance requires the proper food and
nutrient intake, tailored to that individual, and the
individual’s sport as well. Many young athletes today typically
gravitate toward eating patterns that are not only unhealthy,
but which decrease their chances of optimal performance. If this
is your son’s or daughter’s case, it may be time you try a
different approach.
The daily calorie intake for every young athlete should be
congruent with the sport they play, their gender and age, and
also their size and shape. Even children in Aspen, where there
may not be many warm weather sports year round, need sufficient
energy for skiing and snowboarding. Young athletes, even more
than regular young people, need more energy and calories for
their growing bodies. If a young athlete has far too few
calories than is needed for the body to develop, it could even
be damaging to their bodies. It is said that the average girl
and boy athletes under the age of 13 need about 2000-2300
calories per day, while girls from 14-18 may need about
2400-2500. But it is no surprise that as the young male’s body
grows at a rapid pace, the young athlete needs even more
calories to keep up. The average caloric intake for a young male
athlete 14-18 years old is about 3,200 calories a day.
Now just because the young athlete needs more calories than a
normal person this doesn’t mean that all calories are good.
Carbohydrates are the young athletes’ best food source.
Carbohydrates work to rapidly break down blood sugar (glucose),
which is the body’s primary energy source. The brain, nervous
system, and largely all the muscles are fed primarily by
glucose. Inadequate carbohydrate intake can lead to fatigue, low
energy levels, not to mention a less than optimal performance.
It is important for a parent to know, however, the proper intake
of carbohydrates in relation to other foods. Carbohydrates
should make up around 60% of your young athlete’s diet, with
starches and grains being the bulk of that 60%. These are foods
like pasta, breads, potatoes and rice.
The young athlete’s body also needs a steady supply of protein
as well. Proteins are the building blocks of young muscles and
other body tissue that is most vulnerable during this young age.
Protein is a less efficient energy source than carbohydrates,
but it is no less important. Protein should take up roughly
15-25% of the daily total calories with foods like fish, eggs,
lean meats, and poultry being eaten regularly. Fats are
important to the young athlete’s diet as well. Good sources of
healthy fat are meats, olive oil, nuts, and some dairy products.
Whether you have children in Aspen or New York, whether they
play winter or summer sports, make sure your young athletes are
getting the proper nutrients so they may enjoy their favorite
sport even more.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it.
They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can
link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to
mention www.kiddiecookers.com as the original source.
About the Author: Chef Shael Berni offers cooking classes for
kids in Aspen, Colorado. Her goal is to teach children to eat
healthy and stimulate their creativity, while they have fun with
food! Her motto is, “Smart Foods for Smart Kids!” Find out more
about these healthy habit programs at
http://www.kiddiecookers.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=436648&ca=Food+and+Drinks
By Chef Shael Berni
The connection between nutrition and athletics has been well
documented, but good nutrition is virtually unpracticed. It is
not uncommon for a young athlete to have a burger and French
fries before a big game and think nothing of it. But the
correlation between optimal performance and an optimal diet for
young athletes has been established long ago. It is no surprise
that optimal athletic performance requires the proper food and
nutrient intake, tailored to that individual, and the
individual’s sport as well. Many young athletes today typically
gravitate toward eating patterns that are not only unhealthy,
but which decrease their chances of optimal performance. If this
is your son’s or daughter’s case, it may be time you try a
different approach.
The daily calorie intake for every young athlete should be
congruent with the sport they play, their gender and age, and
also their size and shape. Even children in Aspen, where there
may not be many warm weather sports year round, need sufficient
energy for skiing and snowboarding. Young athletes, even more
than regular young people, need more energy and calories for
their growing bodies. If a young athlete has far too few
calories than is needed for the body to develop, it could even
be damaging to their bodies. It is said that the average girl
and boy athletes under the age of 13 need about 2000-2300
calories per day, while girls from 14-18 may need about
2400-2500. But it is no surprise that as the young male’s body
grows at a rapid pace, the young athlete needs even more
calories to keep up. The average caloric intake for a young male
athlete 14-18 years old is about 3,200 calories a day.
Now just because the young athlete needs more calories than a
normal person this doesn’t mean that all calories are good.
Carbohydrates are the young athletes’ best food source.
Carbohydrates work to rapidly break down blood sugar (glucose),
which is the body’s primary energy source. The brain, nervous
system, and largely all the muscles are fed primarily by
glucose. Inadequate carbohydrate intake can lead to fatigue, low
energy levels, not to mention a less than optimal performance.
It is important for a parent to know, however, the proper intake
of carbohydrates in relation to other foods. Carbohydrates
should make up around 60% of your young athlete’s diet, with
starches and grains being the bulk of that 60%. These are foods
like pasta, breads, potatoes and rice.
The young athlete’s body also needs a steady supply of protein
as well. Proteins are the building blocks of young muscles and
other body tissue that is most vulnerable during this young age.
Protein is a less efficient energy source than carbohydrates,
but it is no less important. Protein should take up roughly
15-25% of the daily total calories with foods like fish, eggs,
lean meats, and poultry being eaten regularly. Fats are
important to the young athlete’s diet as well. Good sources of
healthy fat are meats, olive oil, nuts, and some dairy products.
Whether you have children in Aspen or New York, whether they
play winter or summer sports, make sure your young athletes are
getting the proper nutrients so they may enjoy their favorite
sport even more.
If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it.
They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can
link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to
mention www.kiddiecookers.com as the original source.
About the Author: Chef Shael Berni offers cooking classes for
kids in Aspen, Colorado. Her goal is to teach children to eat
healthy and stimulate their creativity, while they have fun with
food! Her motto is, “Smart Foods for Smart Kids!” Find out more
about these healthy habit programs at
http://www.kiddiecookers.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=436648&ca=Food+and+Drinks
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