Nutrition for Young Athletes - Ask a Nutritionist

Transcript:

Teresa: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition’s “Ask a Nutritionist”. I'm Teresa Wagner, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with Nutritional Weight & Wellness. On today's show, I will be answering a nutrition question we've received from one of our Dishing Up Nutrition listeners.

Today's question is from a mom of athletes. She wants more information on what to feed young athletes, how to help them with muscle recovery after athletic events, and what vitamins and supplements would be helpful. She has teenagers, a girl going through puberty and boys developing muscles.

And this question resonates with me so much, I have a 16-year-old boy and a 13 and 10-year-old girls, all of which are involved in athletics and have been for most of their lives. As a dietitian, I can't help but notice what foods are brought to the field, to the gym and other areas of youth sports.

Gone are the days that I remember as a kid of orange slices and plain water to rehydrate. It's been replaced with donuts at morning events and other sugary treats in the afternoons and evenings. Packaged bars and crackers are the standard and artificially colored sports drinks are often present.

As the kids get older, the snacks they change too, and unfortunately, not always for the better. Even some of the options I'm now seeing that are advertised as a healthy refuel option; these bowls full of fruit and oats and superfoods, and plenty of real food ingredients, which actually makes it seem like a healthy option because all of the individual ingredients are healthy.

But altogether, these bowls have 33 to over 100 grams of sugar, depending on the serving size. That's eight to over 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving. This would send anyone, including your child, no matter what their age is on a blood sugar rollercoaster. The girls are drinking pink drinks from coffee shops and the boys’ energy drinks.

And vice versa, right? With travel sports, meals between games are often fast food or at restaurants. Kids ordering pizza, burgers, fried chicken strips, and French fries. And once they go back onto the field or the court, their play is flat and they’re low energy. I've seen this time and time again, and I'm sure other parents of athletes can relate.

What surprises me about this is that the connection to the food and the drinks is rarely made. I absolutely love it when I hear about teams who have food guidelines. I know certain clubs have standards, and of course there are squads with parent run organized food standards. Of course, the primary concern is to feed these kids so they aren't hungry and they are truly refueling them and to feed them foods that they enjoy.

But there's also a level of thought into refueling. What do these young athletes need in order for their bodies to perform well? It's not a win at all cost approach, but a let's optimize so that all the work that's done in practice, in the weight room and anywhere else training occurs can be shown on the court or on the field.

And the great news about this too is that it isn't a punishment for the kids. The kids feel great. They can play at their best, and when they can play at their best, they're having fun. So thank you to the listener for your question on nutrition for young athletes.

The body needs the right fuel to keep things running strong (Animal proteins are the MVPs)

As an athlete, young or not so young, your body is like a high performing engine. It needs the right fuel to keep things running strong. And when it comes to building strong muscles, maintaining energy levels, and recovering efficiently, animal proteins are the MVPs. Think chicken, beef, turkey, eggs, fish, dairy products like yogurt or cheese. This is because these foods are packed with complete proteins, which means they provide all the essential amino acids the athlete's body needs, but can't make on its own.

These animal proteins, they are crucial for muscle growth and repair. So for the mother's question for recovery, protein is really important, and for many of us, we know protein and muscles are kind of a, they kind of go hand in hand.

Carbohydrates’ role & which to incorporate

So let's move on to their partners in crime, the carbohydrates and the fat. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for high intensity activities. They are like gas in the tank, while proteins are more the mechanics that keep that engine running. Focus on complex carbohydrates that release energy slowly helping to power your athlete through practice and competition. So these are slow burning energy, these complex carbohydrates. They're not straight sugar like candy and cakes and treats and those types of things.

Some of the star players for these slow burning carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, rice, brown rice, quinoa, fruits like bananas, apples and berries and whole brain breads. Yes, folks, longtime listeners of Dishing Up Nutrition, we don't often talk about bread as good fuel, but for this podcast, for our young athletes, having a balanced sandwich can be a great way to refuel or fuel the body or practice, especially on those long days away from home when we’re not able to go home and make meals in between competitions.

For the parents sitting on the sidelines or in the stands, I might suggest a different option. Simple carbohydrates actually have a place too. So something like a banana or a little bit of honey. This can really give your athlete a quick energy boost right before an activity. But we really want to focus on the majority of our carbohydrates to come from whole nutrient dense sources.

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Healthy fats’ role in young athletes

So let's move on to the healthy fat. Fats often get a bad rap, but they're critical for young athletes. Healthy fats provide the raw materials needed to support hormone production that's important for growth. For our older adolescent athletes, healthy fats support increased production of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. These hormones drive the physical changes of puberty, such as growth spurts, muscle development, and reproductive maturation.

As far as joint health goes, healthy fats provide lubrication and cushioning for those joints. Synovial fluid, which cushions the joints and allows smooth movement, relies on proper hydration and nutrition, including those healthy fats. Healthy fats maintain joint cartilage by contributing to the structure of cell membranes, including those of the cartilage, the tissue that protects bones and reduces friction at the joint.

Healthy fats are necessary for vitamin absorption. Fat-soluble vitamins like D and K are crucial for bone and joint health. For example, vitamin D supports strong bones and prevents joint discomfort while vitamin K contributes to cartilage and bone strength.

Healthy dietary fats help the body absorb these vitamins efficiently. And of course, fats provide long lasting energy during endurance activities because they're more slowly digested. Athletes can choose fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, fatty fish. These fats an proteins 'cause of course they're an animal protein, fish protein; these fats also contain essential omega-3 fatty acids that help to reduce inflammation and promote recovery. Full fat dairy products are also a great two for one, like fatty fish: healthy fat and protein.

When to eat to make the most of powerful nutrients

Now that we know why all three macronutrients are important for the young athlete, let's talk about when to eat to make the most of these powerful nutrients. When it comes to athletic events and practicing timing, it matters. Two to three hours prior to events and competitions and practices, a balanced meal with proteins, carbs, and fats is your go-to.

For example, grilled chicken or grilled steak with potatoes and a side of veggies with olive oil. The carbs provide energy, the protein support muscles, and the fats, they keep those hormones in check. A balanced meal like this needs time to be digested. So it's crucial for performance to allow enough time for digestion. Digesting a complex meal while exercising is a recipe for disaster as far as blood flow.

That blood flow is diverted to the digestive system during digestion. But when you're exercising the blood flow, it goes out to the muscles. So there's a fight there in, where our body is trying to focus its attention, which can make for a very uncomfortable athletic event. Right before, so 30 to 60 minutes before an event, quick fuel is key here. Something that's easy to digest.

Try a banana paired with almond butter, or a handful full of trail mix with nuts and dried fruit. We want to keep the portion sizes moderate here. You want energy for the event. But minimal bodily energy spent on digestion.

After exercise, recovery is the goal, so combine proteins and carbs. Chocolate milk is the classic option, but most chocolate milk, even the kind that you make at home is high in sugar from high fructose corn syrup. Rather try mixing eight ounces of whole milk with our chocolate Key Greens. It's a much healthier spin on chocolate milk and it's got lots of antioxidants in order to help with recovery, or this is the perfect opportunity to have another balanced meal. Any type of meal that includes protein, those carbohydrates, and some healthy fat, they'll all work at this time.

Hydration is key for athletic performance

So let's not forget about hydration. This is the foundation or a part of the foundation for athletic performance. So here's the game plan for that. Before exercise, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water, two to three hours before the activity. We want to get hydrated before the activity is happening. During exercise, if you can sip water every 15 to 20 minutes, and then after exercise, of course, rehydrate with water.

The amounts here may depend on how much sweating had occurred. If you are concerned about electrolytes, there are some non-sport drink options available that are much healthier for the young athlete. We have several options on our Nutrikey website: Synerplex and Hydrate from Nutridyn.

At the store, you can find Nuun tablets and online LMNT is another option. However, that one is pretty high in sodium, so it may not be appropriate for your child. Otherwise, electrolytes from food sources, that's a great option. There are some great to go pickle packets, single serve pickle packets in the refrigerated section at the grocery store.

You can get single serve olives that also are pretty salty, salted almonds or other types of nuts, and you can pair those salty options with a beef stick and a banana. So you're getting your sodium, potassium, and magnesium. And of course, have that with some water. And remember, foods like watermelon, cucumber, and oranges, not only do they pack nutrients, but they also are great for hydration.

Example day of optimal nutrition for the athlete

So let's visualize what a day of optimal nutrition for that athlete could look like. Breakfast could be scrambled eggs with avocado toast, maybe on sourdough bread with a side of mixed fruit; a morning snack of Greek yogurt with blueberries and walnuts and chia seeds.

Lunch, grilled salmon with rice and roasted vegetables with olive oil or avocado oil. And afternoon snack, apple slices with peanut butter and maybe a hard boiled egg or two. Dinner, grass fed beef burger, baked sweet potato wedges, and some steamed broccoli. Of course adding some fat with some of that. And an evening snack of cottage cheese with a few berries. This plan balances protein, carbohydrates, and fats while ensuring that you have some hydration as you're drinking water all day long. It's all about consistency and quality for that athlete. It's not about perfection.

Examples of food items to pack when traveling for events

When traveling for events, packing a cooler with a variety of real food options can be a lifesaver. Think about what proteins are portable: high quality deli meats, hard-boiled eggs, maybe a can of tuna. What carbohydrates would your athlete enjoy? Fruits, vegetables? What fats? There are those guacamole packets. You can get nuts and seeds, olives. Pack plenty of water.

Supplementation to consider for young athletes

And as far as supplementation for young athletes, there are a couple I would consider. However, I don't do a lot of supplementation with young people. Vitamin D is a great one to consider for many athletes if they're not getting adequate sunshine, 'cause that's our primary source of vitamin D if we're not supplementing.

So if your athlete plays baseball or soccer or softball or something else outside, perhaps if they're getting tan during that time when they're out, even if you're putting on sunscreen, they may be getting enough vitamin D from the sun, but checking to see what their level's at. Supplementing with vitamin D though can be a good option for kids. What we generally recommend is 1000 IUs per 25 pounds of body weight. So if you have a 50 pound athlete, that's 2000 IUs. If you have 150 pound athlete, well then they go up to the adult dose of 5,000 IUs.

Omega-3 can be a great option for young athletes too. It's great for reducing inflammation in the body. When we are exercising strenuously, that can create some inflammation in the body. Omega-threes are great for combating that. If your kids are not fish eaters, if they're not particularly fatty fish eaters, salmon, mackerel, those types of fish, then perhaps omega-3 supplementation would be beneficial.

Of course, if you have a picky eater or if you find that your child has holes in their diet where they're not eating certain types of foods, a quality multivitamin with methylated B vitamins might be a good option to fill in those holes.

Alright, well that's a wrap on today's podcast. Remember, real food is your athlete's best ally, focusing on high quality animal proteins, healthy carbohydrates for fuel, fats for hormone and joint health and staying hydrated will keep them at the top of their game.

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