Kids need activity in their lives, and children’s sports are the perfect option. These events promote social health as well as physical wellbeing. Whether you are a coach, a parent, or a teacher, you need to understand the important role that nutrition also plays in the child’s health.

This section is designed to give you the information you need so that you can ensure the kids on your team are properly fed before game or practice as well as during and after it. You will also find out helpful information on the amount of calories kids need throughout the day.

It’s important to keep in mind that kids will have changing dietary, nutrition, and caloric needs as they grow. What kids need when they are adolescents is different from what they will need as they get closer to their adult life in their teenage years. The more you understand about this, the more you can ensure the kids have the nutrients they require to grow healthily and to have the energy they need to play well on the field.

At the end of this article is a Printable Nutrition Handout for Parents.

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The Importance of Proper Nutrition

Any athlete will tell you that a big part of their success comes from the foods they eat. That’s because proper nutrition is a must for strength, muscle health, and overall well-being of the athletic body. The proper nutrition is even more important for youth athletes because they are still growing.

“Jenna A. Bell-Wilson, PhD, RD, is a certified specialist in sports dietetics who is based in Arlington, Massachusetts. She says that an inadequate diet can result in a young athlete getting insufficient fuel for workouts; having deficiencies that can lead to illness or fatigue; suffering a decrement in bone growth and maintenance; and not achieving proper muscle growth. According to Bell-Wilson, nutrient deficiencies will negatively affect the younger’s growth and his or her ability to compete at a chosen sport.”

What you must understand is that ensuring your young athlete is eating properly is extremely important to their wellbeing and to their sports performance. When a young athlete has the right fuel in their body, they can avoid certain injuries as well.

Common Deficiencies

When young athletes don’t have the foods they need, they will often become de-ficient in certain nutrients that their bodies need, including:

• Carbohydrates – Lack of enough carbohydrates can lead to early fatigue. Additionally, when the body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn as fuel, it will start burning muscle.
• Calcium – Lack of calcium can hinder bone growth (which is vital to young athletes), lead to a decrease in bone mass, and increase the risk of fractures and breaks.
• Vitamin B6 and Folate – These are both used for proper metabolism and energy. They also work to boost amino acids in the body and will have a big impact on bone health. Deficiencies in the two nutrients can lead to muscle soreness, lowered cognitive function (lower grades in school), quicker fatigue, and apathy.
• Iron – This metal helps to move oxygen through the blood and it helps build energy and ensures the body can metabolize carbohydrates. Lack of iron can lead to anemia, fatigue, lowered immune system, lowered cognitive reasoning, and more. Young female athletes are especially prone to iron deficiencies.

A deficiency in these nutrients is very common among youth athletes. Not only do these deficiencies lead to lowered athletic ability, but also they could pose a threat to a child’s physical health. You certainly don’t want your young athlete to become injured on the field or court.

Fluid Intake

Young athletes need to stay properly hydrated or they could suffer from a variety of different problems like heat stroke, dehydration, and excess fatigue. Children who are dehydrated are prone to headaches, nausea, muscle cramping, and confusion.

“Child and adolescent athletes should replenish lost hydration stores during and after a competition or a heavy workout. Weighing an athlete before an exercise bout allows you to gauge how much fluid needs replacing. The general rule of thumb is 16-24 ounces of liquid to very pound lost. Be aware that children do not instinctively drink enough fluids to replace lost stores, and thirst does not always indicate when a body needs more fluids.”

A young athlete needs the proper nutrients as well as the right fluids. If they aren’t getting these things, they may not perform as well at activities or in school. Additionally, they could be more prone to injury or illness.

Ensuring proper nutrition for a growing child is different from nutrition for an adult, so it’s important that you understand what you need to be doing for your young athlete. Now that you know just how important it is to make sure your child eats properly, you can continue through this guide where you will learn more about the specific nutritional needs of children overall, needs based on age, and what you should be feeding them before, during, and after athletic events.

Before we get into the athletic events and menus specifically though, let’s talk about what kids need for their nutrition overall. There are a few important things you will learn in the next couple of chapters: kids have changing nutritional needs with age and they need more calories than you may realize because they are growing.

Understanding Nutritional Needs in Children

“Nutrition for kids is based on the same principles as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs nutrients – such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. What’s different about nutrition for kids, however, is the amount of specific nutrients needed at different ages.”
(Nutrition for Kids Guidelines for a Healthy Diet)

Just as a general rule, children have different nutritional needs than adults whether the kids play sports or not. It’s vital that you understand how these nu-tritional needs differ so that you can make sure the kids in your care are getting the things their bodies need to grow.

Children are growing, and that means they need the right number of calories to accommodate this growth. You need to make sure the little ones, especially when under the age of 10, are getting a high amount of calories through several small meals each day.

Fats

As we grow up, we learn to detest any fatty foods because they…well, they make us fat! However, children do not fall into this category. They actually need foods with high amounts of good fat for their growing bodies. Teens and young adults can begin cutting down on the amount of fat they consume, but smaller kids do need this for their health. However, there are some rules to follow about fats:

• Children under the age of ten should be given whole milk, not 2%, 1% or skimmed. They need the fat and calories from the milk.
• Good fat comes from sources like fish and whole milk.
• Bad fat for children comes from cakes, cookies, chocolate, and candies.

So, this is the first rule of thumb when it comes to the nutritional needs of chil-dren specifically. They need fats and you should not try to feed them a lean diet.

Fiber

The actual fiber needs of children changes with age, and we will discuss specific dietary needs for children in certain age groups later. However, what you do need to know is that young children do not need a high fiber diet. That’s because they will get filled up with the fiber and they won’t have room in their stomachs for the high calories they desperately need.

So, until the child reaches the mid to late teens, you will need to make sure they are eating low fiber, higher fat diets that include heaping amounts of fruits and veggies. However, when feeding a child a meal after a sporting event, it is okay to add a little more fiber to their diet. Just avoid it for young children before and during the events. We will talk about this more later.

Small Meals through the Day

Keep in mind that until a child reaches the mid to late teens, they won’t have the same sized stomachs as an adult. For that reason, they will not be able to eat as much at one meal. They still need plenty of calories, though, so it is best to allow them to eat several small meals throughout the day.
Actually, this is a good rule for anyone, including adults, to follow. Scientific studies show that we remain healthier and maintain a higher metabolism when we eat around five smaller meals throughout the day, so this is most certainly the best option for kids.

Caloric Needs by Age
The following chart is an estimated calorie requirement for children by age provided by WebMD.

Gender	Age	Sedentary Lifestyle	Active Lifestyle
Girl	4-8 Years Old	1,200 calories	1,400-1,800 calories
	9-13 Years Old	1,600 calories	1,800-2,200 calories
	14-18 Years Old	1,800 calories	2,400 calories
Boy	4-8 Years Old	1,400 calories	1,600-2,000 calories
	9-13 Years Old	1,800 calories	2,000-2,600 calories
	14-18 Years Old	2,200 calories	2,800-3,200 calories

(Zelman)

As you can see, children need a significant amount of calories when compared to the average adult simply because they are growing and need the extra nutrients as well as fuel for their bodies.

Of course, whether a child is active or not will have an impact on how many calories they need to eat. Children do need to be active, so getting them involved in sports activities is a good idea. Remember that whatever a child does now is setting the stage for the habits they will carry into adulthood. It’s a good idea to build up healthy habits now. That includes being involved in physical activities and eating the right foods to stay healthy.

In the next chapter, we will talk about the specific nutrition and dietary requirements for kids based on their age as well because this does change, especially when kids hit the puberty level. That’s because, the more a child grows, the more calories they need to keep growing. If you have a teenage son, you probably understand this all too well!

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Nutritional Needs Based on Age

As children grow, their nutritional needs do change. As far as the fruit and vege-table requirements, a teen will have almost identical needs as an adult, so once a child hits he age of 13, they should certainly begin following the five servings of each a day that all adults are told to follow as well.
To truly understand what your child will need based on their age, let’s break things up into two different age categories:

Ages 7-12

From ages 7-12, children will need a lower amount of fiber, a higher amount of good fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Here is a general guideline to follow:

• 4-6 ounces of protein per day
• 2 cups of fruit a day
• Between 2 and 3 cups of vegetables a day
• Between 5 and 7 ounces of grains a day
• At least 2.5 cups of dairy every day.

As you can see, it is extremely important for kids of this age to get plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as dairy. Dairy should come in healthy forms as well, like milk and yogurt. For kids this age, choose whole milk instead of skim or low fat.

Ages 13-18

As children reach the teenage years, they will need more fiber, less fat, and a low sugar content in their diet. Here is a guideline for kids between the ages of 13 and 18:

• Between 5 and 7 ounces of protein (from lean meats) a day
• Around 2 cups of fruits each day
• Around 3 cups of vegetables a day
• Between 6 and 8 ounces of grains each day
• 3 cups of dairy a day.

Now, the diet of a teen is getting closer and closer to the dietary needs of an adult. The most important thing to note is that teens will need what seems like an extremely high amount of calories because they will be going through hormonal changes and growth spurts. For the dairy portion, older kids could choose low-fat options like 1% or 2% milk.

Of course, no matter what a child eats, it is a good idea to also consider a multi-vitamin designed especially for adolescents. Kids are growing so fast and they have such a need for certain nutrients, it can be very hard to keep up. So, a multi-vitamin supplement can essentially fill in the blanks for anything that their regular diet doesn’t cover.

The golden rule for children, though, is to fill their diet with fruits and vegetables. They need these nutritious foods, and they need to learn the good habit of eating them early.

Now, with all that information in mind, let’s start talking about what kids need to eat and drink before, during, and after sports activities. That’s what we will discuss in the next three chapters.

Food and Drink Before Sports Play

There are a few things you should keep in mind for your kids before their sport-ing event. To begin with, do not give them a full meal right before the activity. This will actually have negative effects, including:

• They will be playing on a full stomach, which could make them lethargic or even sick.
• A full stomach will make your child slower and uncomfortable when they try to play.
• If kids play on a full stomach, then they won’t even gain the energy from the food because the meal will not have digested yet.

To make sure your child has the energy needed from their food, they should eat about two hours before their sports activity.
The meal before the sporting event should include plenty pf proteins and vege-tables. Avoid empty carbohydrates and sugars because they will only result in very short-term energy (sugar highs) before a lethargic crash.

Snacks Before the Play

If, for some reason, the child is not able to eat a full meal within three hours of the sports activity, then a small snack beforehand is a must. It’s just important to choose something healthy like a banana or apple along with crackers.

The best thing to drink before sports activities is water. Sports drinks only help during the play and sugary sodas will just slow the child down. If your child doesn’t like drinking water, then you could choose fruit juice as long as it is 100% fruit and not flavored or filled with sugar. Kids will be more likely to drink water if you get them started with it at an early age. Additionally, you can add calorie-free water flavorings that come in travel packets for easy use. Kids will be much more likely to drink water when they have the flavor enhancements, and these options don’t include extra sugar.
Kids are often drawn to anything sweet or sugary, but they are bad for the young ones’ health anyway and they will not help them through sports activities. That means you should make sure they avoid candy, chocolate, large portions of bread, sodas, cake, or other sugary sweets.
Basically, the thing you need to remember before sporting events is that kids will need energy, and that means protein. If they eat very shortly before the activity, then choose proteins and carbohydrates that can be digested quickly and easily, like vegetables, fruits, or nuts. Fiber is too filling and too slow to digest, so avoid a high-fiber diet option right before the event. Additionally, avoid any carbs that will turn directly to sugar, like white bread and pastas right before a sporting event.

Food and Drink During Sports Play

“Bodies can easily store enough energy for about 60 minutes of sustained, high-intensity action. I’m not talking about an afternoon spent in the out-field, on the bench, or waiting for your event at the meet. I’m talking about 60 minutes actually running around the soccer field, basketball court, or long distance trail.”
(Reinagel)

For that reason, if your child will only be working out for an hour, they won’t really need anything to eat. They will need to stay hydrated. The best thing to drink is water, but sports drinks, which are chock full of electrolytes, can be good options as well. Just avoid anything high in sugar like sodas or so-called “fruit drinks” which are made up of sugar and flavoring.

Activities Lasting Longer than an Hour

If the child will be playing a sporting activity that lasts longer than an hour, then a snack may be important to help ensure they have enough energy to keep going. The best options will be some type of fruit or vegetable or 100% fruit juice.

Protein bars may seem like a good idea, but they have a lot of fat and fiber in them, and they take too long to digest to do any good.

So, the main goal for kids who are in the middle of a play activity should be to only snack on things that offer quick, easily digestible proteins. Anything else will accomplish very little and may even slow your child down. Don’t give them full-sized snacks because a full stomach can lead to nausea right in the middle of an event.

Hydration

Always make sure your child is hydrated, but snacks during the activity aren’t specifically necessary unless the events are to last throughout the day. It’s a good idea to know what the signs of dehydration are so that you can keep an eye on kids during the sports events. Generally, if it is hot outside and the kids are sweating a lot, then dehydration can become a bigger problem. The symptoms include:

• Fever
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• Child becoming lethargic or tired
• Dry mouth and tongue
• Lack of tears if the child starts crying
• Sunken eyes

The best way to avoid dehydration is to make sure the kids stay hydrated throughout the game or practice. They need plenty of access to water or sports drinks.

Food and Drink After Sports Play

After kids play, the first thing they are going to do is raid the cabinets and the fridge looking for something to eat. They will likely reach for almost anything, but you still want to keep their hands off of unhealthy junk foods.

The Post-Game Meal

If possible, the best thing to do is feed the child a full post-game meal within an hour or so of the child’s sports activity. This meal should include plenty of complex carbohydrates to fill them up and replace the energy they lost. Good options for these complex carbohydrates include pasta and whole grains. Just make sure you avoid white bread because it doesn’t offer a healthy carbohydrate source. Additionally, their meal should include proteins in small portions from lean meats like fish or chicken.

The Snack Option

If, for some reason, there is going to be a time gap between getting the full meal in front of the child and the end of the sports activity, a small snack may be a must. However, this snack still needs to be healthy. Good options include dried fruit or trail mix. These foods will have plenty of carbs that the kids will need to regain their energy. Don’t let the kids overeat on snacks though because they will still need to eat the full healthy meal later.

Again, the best thing to drink would be water or 100% fruit juice. It’s best to avoid sugary sodas or fruit drinks. Additionally, sports drinks won’t accomplish much after the game, so avoid them as well.

No matter how hungry your child is, be sure to keep their hands off of chips, candy bars, and other snacks that will just negate the healthy activities they just completed. If you are a parent, the best thing you could do is remove those types of snacks from your home altogether. That’s because kids really don’t need them in their diets at all. Sugars can contribute to childhood obesity as well as diabetes.

Sample Meal Plans

Active kids need good nutrition throughout the day, especially before, during, and after sports activities. Here are sample meal plans for kids before their teenaged years and then sample plans for kids after the age of 13.

Children Ages 7-12

Children from ages 7-12 will need a diet lower in fiber and higher in proteins and healthy fruits and vegetables. For their meal before the sporting event, remem-ber they should have it between two and three hours before the event so that they can get the most energy out of it. Here is a sample meal for kids:

• One turkey sandwich on wheat bread with three thin slices of turkey, a tea-spoon of mayonnaise, and one piece of lettuce.
• One cup of chopped broccoli
• ½ cup of fruit
• Water or 100% fruit juice.

Now, as mentioned, kids usually will not need anything to eat during a game or practice, but if the play does last significantly more than an hour, then consider a snack like a banana or apple.

After the playtime, the child should eat a full meal that includes plenty of pro-teins and carbs like the following:

•  ounces of grilled chicken
• One cup of rice, cooked with a small amount of butter
• One slice of bread
• One cup of green salad
• Water or 100% fruit juice.

These types of meals will ensure that the child has the energy and nutrients needed for their active lifestyle.

Ages 13-18

As kids reach into the teens, they will need more calories, so you do need to alter their meal plans. Before the game, they will need a full meal that includes plenty of protein and carbs for energy, like:

• Three ounces of grilled chicken
• 1 cup of vegetables like carrots, broccoli, or celery
• 1 cup of fruits like apples, bananas, or berries
• One slice of bread or a cup of rice
• Water

During the sports activities, the child could choose between water or sports drinks to keep hydrated. After the sporting event, the child will need higher amounts of protein and fiber as well. A sample after play snack could include:

• Three ounces of fish
• 2 cups of vegetables like green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower
• One slice of bread or one cup of rice
• ½ cup of yogurt
• Water or 100% fruit juice

Remember that, as a child gets older and on into their teenage years, they will need more calories. In fact, since an active 17 year old needs around 3,000 calories a day, make sure they are getting the nutrients they need for their growing and active bodies.
 

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What Do I Need to Know About Energy Drinks?

A) What are Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks are often found in small (250 mL) cans and claim to “energize” you and make you more alert for short periods of time. They should NOT be confused with sports drinks which rehydrate the body. Some examples of energy drinks include:

• Red Bull Energy Drink®
• Dark Dog
• Shark Energy Dog
• AMO Energy Drink
• Diablo Energy Drink
• Red Rain
• SoBe Adrenaline Rush®
• SoBe No Fear®
• Hype Energy Drink®
• Red Dragon Energy Drink®
• YJ Stinger®
• Impulse Energy Drink

B) Are They Safe To Drink?
Unlike most food and beverages, energy drinks are regulated as supplements. Health Canada cautions that children and pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid energy drinks. Health Canada also cautions that energy drinks should NOT be mixed with alcohol and no more than 500 mL be consumed in one day.
Not all energy drinks that are sold have been evaluated by Health Canada yet. If the energy drink has a NPN (Natural Health Product Number) on the can, it has been evaluated. Check the label.

For more information see: What's The Buzz With Energy Drinks?

To report an adverse reaction, please contact the Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Program (CADRMP) of Health Canada: CADRMP
Marketed Health Products Directorate
Health Protection Building, Tunney's Pasture, AL 0701C
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Email: cadrmp@hc-sc.gc.ca
Telephone: 866 234-2345
Fax: 866 678-6789
Your call will be directed to the appropriate Regional Centre.

C) What is in Energy Drinks and Why?

Caffeine

• Caffeine is a stimulant and can be found on energy drink labels listed as Guarana, yerba mate, or caffeine. Most drinks have 80 mg per 250 mL can, which is double that of soft drinks but half that of brewed coffee.
• This amount of caffeine is probably not harmful for adults, but exceeds recommendations for children. Health Canada suggests no more than 45 mg/day for children 4-6 years, 62.5 mg/d for 7-9 years and 85 mg/day for children 10-12 years.

Herbs

• Many energy drinks contain the herbs Gingko biloba and ginseng. These herbs do not improve performance and are added to most energy drinks in very low amounts. They can interact with drugs like warfarin and affect blood clotting, however, so be sure to talk to your doctor.

Taurine

• Taurine is an amino acid and found in the diet in meat and dairy products. Some energy drinks claim that taurine makes you more alert but there is no research to support this. Most energy drinks have 1 gram of taurine per 250 mL can. The safety of such large doses is not known.

D) Should I Use Energy Drinks During Exercise?

As proper hydration is the main concern during exercise, the best choices are water or sports drinks. The high sugar content and carbonation of energy drinks can interfere with hydration which makes them a poor choice for use during exercise.