24 SportsUnion | AUGUST 5, 2018
Nutrition Tips for
Youth Athletes
Kaitlyn Summers
MS, RDN
Summer is in full swing
and youth athletes are
participating in camps,
2-a-days, travel ball, you
name it, they are signed
up.
With a rigorous sched-
ule, filled with various ac-
tivities, is your teen ath-
lete meeting their energy
needs? Does their nutri-
tion plan support their
busy lifestyle?
Nutrition plays a cru-
cial role in performance,
proper growth and de-
velopment and recovery.
Here are a few tips to en-
sure your teen athlete is
meeting their needs on
and off the field.
Provide a variety of
food: especially fruits and
vegetables: Fruits and
vegetables contain essen-
tial vitamins and miner-
als which aid in energy,
hydration, faster recovery
and promote adolescent
growth. Aim for 5 serv-
ings of fruits and vegeta-
bles every day. Take your
son or daughter to the
store or farmers market
and have them pick out
the produce. When kids
pick out their own food
they are more likely to try
it and eat it.
Provide simple snacks
for optimal energy: Snack-
ing approximately 30-60
min prior to exercise pro-
vides quick energy for an
intense practice. Banan-
as, apples, cereal, grano-
la bars or crackers and
peanut butter are simple
pre-exercise options.
Opt for a simple carbo-
hydrate which will give a
boost of energy as practice
starts. Athletes should
never start practice on
an empty stomach. This
can lead to feeling weak
and tired, and will fatigue
much quicker. Test out
which snacks work best
for your child; everyone
will have different nutri-
tion plan and preferences.
Encourage
hydration
throughout the day: A ma-
jority of young athletes do
not drink enough water
or only drink during ex-
ercise. As temperatures
and humidity rise, stay-
ing hydrated increasingly
becomes more important.
Dehydration leads to
muscle cramps, nausea,
or dizziness. Staying hy-
drated throughout the day
is crucial for athletic per-
formance. According to
the Dietary Reference In-
take, teens need 9-14 cups
of water per day. With
high temperatures and
increased humidity, more
water may be needed or
possibly a sport drink.
Tips to keep your athlete
hydrated
• Keep a glass of water
at the bedside or in the
bathroom to encourage
drinking at night and in
the morning.
• Have athlete pick out
their own water bottle.
• Flavor water with cu-
cumbers, strawberries or
oranges.
• Create a hydration
schedule for athlete to get
in the habit of drinking
fluids throughout the day.
• Ensure coaches are
providing adequate drink
breaks during practice.
Recovery snacks should
be made up of both carbo-
hydrates and protein:
Carbohydrates help re-
plenish energy stores and
the protein helps build
muscle. Cookies, cup-
cakes, and other sweet
treats are common post-
game snacks, however,
not ideal for recovery.
Instead, choose cheese
and crackers, a turkey roll
up, PB&J sandwich, or ap-
ples and almonds. Due to
warm temperatures, chil-
dren may not feel hungry
post exercise. In this case,
try liquids such as choco-
late milk or smoothies as
a recovery beverage. Make
recovery snacks a team
activity! Organize a make
your own yogurt parfait
line or trail mix station.
When athletes use food
as fuel, they are likely to
see an increase in per-
formance, overall energy
and faster recovery. Work
with your youth ath-
lete to create a nutrition
plan that supports their
practice schedule.
Kaitlyn Summers, MS, RDN is a private practice dietitian and sports nutritionist
behind WNY Performance Nutrition. Kaitlyn has a passion for educating youth
athletes and parents about proper sports nutrition. She provides individual
counseling and group seminars in WNY
www.wnyperformancenutrition.com
@KaitlynSportsRD