Sports Nutrition for Young AthletesBefore Activity Eating StrategyThe pre-event meal serves two purposes:

1) It prevents athletes from feeling hungry before or during an activity.

2) It helps supply fuel to the muscles during training and competition. Most of the energy needed for any sports event is provided by foods the child has eaten in the previous 24 to 48 hours.

Consider the following guidelines when planning before-activity meals and snacks:

• Includeenoughfluidtokeepthebodywell hydrated (see the hydration tips on back page).

• Eatasmallmealtwotothreehoursbefore activity. A small snack can be eaten within one hour before activity if an athlete feels hungry.

• Mealsandsnacksshouldbelargeenoughto prevent hunger but not too large that they cause discomfort.

• Choosefoodsthatarefamiliarandwell tolerated before competitive events. New foods can be tried before practice sessions to see what works best.

• Choosefoodsthatarehigherincarbohydrates, suchaspasta,bread,cereal,rice,fruits, vegetables and low-fat yogurt or milk.

• Avoideatinghigherfatfoodssuchashotdogs, hamburgers,frenchfries,potatochips,donuts and cheese before activity. Higher fat foods take longer to digest and may cause discomfort if eaten too close to the start of a practice or competitive event.

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide Making healthy food choices every day is essential tosupportanathlete’sgrowth,strength,andstamina. Parents and coaches can use these nutrition tips to help young athletes feel energetic and perform their best.

When planning meals for children involved in sportssuchassoccer,hockey,football,trackandfield,etc.,useEatingWellwithCanada’sFoodGuide.TheFoodGuideoutlinestheamountoffoodin each of the four food groups needed each day. Young athletes have higher energy (calorie) needs than less active youth and teens. They should aim to eat more servings from each of the four food groups to meet their higher energy needs.

Enjoyingavarietyoffoodsfromeachofthefourfood groups will provide a sufficient amount of protein,vitaminsandmineralstosupportgrowth,development,andphysicalactivityinyoungathletes.

Eating Before & After Practice and Events Foodseatenbeforeandafterpractices and competitive events can make a big difference on an athlete’s ability to perform at their best. Both the types of foods that are chosen and the timing of the meals are important considerations.

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Time Before Activity Meal/Snack Composition Food Ideas

2 - 4 hours prior Balanced Meal or Snack Fruit or vegetable juices

Sports drinks

Fresh fruit

Breads,bagels,crackers,Englishmuffins

Peanut butter, lean meat, lower-fat cheese

Yogurt (regular or frozen)

Pasta with tomato sauce

Whole grain cereal with lower-fat milk

Soup and salad

French toast

1 - 2 hours prior High carbohydrate, Whole grain cereal with skim or 1% milk

moderate protein, low fat Yogurt with fruit

Fruit or vegetable juice

Sports drinks

Fresh fruit

Breads,bagels,crackers,Englishmuffins

Less than 1 hour prior High carbohydrate, Crackers, sports drink, fruit, toast,

low protein, low fat bagel with jam, sesame seed snaps, sport bar

(less than 10 grams of protein)

Before Activity Snack Ideas:Ideally,aimforasnacktwotothreehoursbeforeexercise;however,ifyoumusteatlessthantwohoursbeforeanactivity,trythesuggestionsbelow.

Before Activity Foods to Avoid:• Highsugarcontent:Sugarcereals,candyand candybars,icecreamandsoftdrinks

• Highindietaryfibre:Beans(anykind),prunes, gassyvegetables(e.g.,broccoli,onions, cauliflowerandbrusselsprouts).

• Highinfat:Fullfatdairyproducts(e.g., cheese,icecreamandfullfatmilks),chocolate andchocolatebars,highfatmeats(e.g.,chicken wingsandsausages),anythingdeepfriedsuchas potato chips.

• Fastfoods:Cheeseburgers,hotdogs,tacos, chickenwings,chickenfingers,greasypizzas, french fries and anything else deep fried.

Eating On the RoadIfplanningaroadtripforanevent,encourageathletestobringalongsomeoftheirfavourite,well-tolerated foods from the PackableSnackslistfromabove. Non-refrigerated foodssuchasbagels,trailmix,drycereal,fruit,andplain cookies are easy to pack for traveling. Cold foodssuchasyogurt,fruitjuice,andchocolatemilkcan be packed in an insulated bag with an ice pack.

Traveling athletes may need to choose foods from restaurant menus. Athletes should considerthesameguidelinesintermsoftiming,amount,andmealcomposition(lowerfat,highercarbohydrate). Most fast food and family-style restaurantsofferlowerfat,highercarbohydrateoptions.Encourageathletestochoosetheseoptions when dining out.

Choose... Instead of...

bagelorlow-fatmuffin donutorcroissant

grilled chicken sandwich burger, fried chicken or fishsandwich milk or juice pop

salad (with a little dressing) french fries or onion or baked potato rings pasta with tomato sauce pasta with cream sauce turkey, grilled chicken, processed luncheon or veggie sub meats such as balogna frozen yogurt with fruit deep fried pies or cake

After Activity Eating StrategyDuringactivity,thebodytapsintothecarbohydratestoresinmusclesandtheliver.Fuelinguponhighcarbohydrate foods and beverages soon after activity replenishes these stores and helps the body recover.

Post Activity Snack Ideas Depending on the Time of the Activity• Followinganearlymorningactivity-Eata balanced breakfast including foods from three of the four food groups.

• Followinganafterschoolactivity-Eata carbohydrate snack followed by dinner including foods from all four food groups.

• Followinganeveningactivity-Eatahigh carbohydrate snack such as fruit or half a bagel.

Packable SnacksEncourageathletestoeatasmallsnackwithlotsoffluidbeforeandafterapracticeoranevent.Hereare some healthy snacks that are easy to carry in a gym bag.

• Plaincookiessuchasanimalcrackers,figbars, grahamcrackers,arrowrootcookies

• Freshfruit,driedfruit,orafruitcup

• Individualboxesofcereal

• Granolabars

• Pretzels

• Halfacinnamon-raisinbagel

• Trailmix

Snacksinvendingmachinesandsnackboothsareoftenhighinfatandsugar.Encourageathletestochoosehealthiersnackoptions,suchaspurefruitjuice,crispyricesquares,oatmealcookies, or granola bars.

July, 2008

Adapted by the Halton Region Health Department from materials produced by the Toronto Public Health and Sudbury and District Health Unit

The Importance of HydrationFluidreplacementisanotherkeypartofawinning sports nutrition plan. Young athletes have a harder time cooling the body during activity and therefore have a greater chance of becoming dehydrated than do adults. This is whyfluidsaresoimportantforayoungathlete’shealth and performance.

Dehydrationcanaffectmusclestrength,endurance,andcoordination,andcanleadtomusclecramps,exhaustionand heat stroke.

Follow these hydration tips:• Athletes should drink at least

400to600ml.offluidbeforeactivity to ensure they are fully hydrated.Duringactivity,haveathletes drink around 150-350 ml.offluidevery15to20minutes.Afteractivity,athletesshoulddrinkplentyoffluidtoreplacewaterlossfromsweating.

• Thirst is not a good cue of how much water the body needs. By the time the thirstsensationisfelt,anathleteisalreadybecomingdehydrated.Encourageathletestodrink before they are thirsty.

•Haveathletescarrytheirownwaterbottle. This will be a healthy reminder to drink up!

•Wateristhebestsourceoffluidforyoungathletesasitisabsorbedquicklybythebody.

•Caffeine-containingbeverages,suchascoffee,tea,andcolashouldbelimitedascaffeineincreases the chances of dehydration.

•Avoidbeveragesthatarehigherinsugarlikesoft drinks because they may increase the chance of nausea or stomach cramps.

What about sports drinks?Sportsdrinksarebeveragesthatcontaincarbohydrate (sugar) in concentrations of 4 to 8%.Sportsdrinksarerecommendedforathletesinvolved in intense activity or in training that lastslongerthanonehour.Sportsdrinkscanhelpreplacefluidandcarbohydrateslostduringactivity.

Althoughcoolwaterisanexcellentfluidchoice,young athletes may be more likely to drink enoughfluidsiftheyareflavoured.Lookforsports drinks with a carbohydrate content of lessthan20gramsper1cup(250ml.)SomeexamplesareGatoradeandPowerade.Amoreeconomical alternative to sports drinks is diluted fruitjuice.Mixonepartofjuicewith1partofwater.

Websites with Sports Nutrition InformationDietitians of Canada (DC) – www.dietitians.ca • FuelingtheYoungAthlete: http://www.dietitians.ca/resources/ resourcesearch.asp?fn=view&contentid=6467

Health Canada – www.hc-sc.gc.ca • SafeUseofEnergyDrinks: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/alt_formats/ pacrb-dgapcr/pdf/iyh-vsv/prod/ energy-energie-eng.pdf

Coaching Association of Canada – www.coach.ca • SportNutrition:http://www.coach.ca/eng/ nutrition/index.cfm

• NutritionandAthleticPerformancePosition Paper: http://www.coach.ca/eng/nutrition/ documents/sports_nutrition_position_2000.pdf

Other Resources (from www.halton.ca)

• EatingWellwithCanada’sFoodGuide

• PhysicalActivityGuideforChildren

• PhysicalActivityGuideforYouth

For more information, contact:

Halton Region905-825-6000

Toll free: 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866) TTY: 905-827-9833

www.halton.ca