There are so many healthful protein food choices that kids can eat and enjoy, such as peanut butter, low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese sticks, chicken, turkey, and fish. A Greek yogurt after practice is the perfect amount of protein to repair worn out muscles! Did you know that certain fats , like omega-3 found in salmon, nuts, avocados and oil, are actually essential for brain health and development?

As your young athlete grows, their appetite might grow with them. THANK YOU so much for this information. I love it. I would have never thought about fresh fruit during practices — brillant. Your email address will not be published. Submit Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Related Posts Why Are Electrolytes Important For Athletes? The Ultimate Guide To Feeding Vegan Athletes. Donna Fletcher on September 15, at am. Eating a healthy diet ensures that an athlete is getting all the nutrients their body needs to produce energy and create new muscle tissue, enzymes and other cellular structures involved in energy metabolism.

Proper nutrition can also help repair damage from training as well as everyday wear and tear, and keeps the body's muscles, bones, joints, tendons and organs functioning optimally.

Young athletes should be eating five or six balanced meals and snacks each day, and should be eating every three hours. Each meal should include a balance of complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fat, fruits and vegetables. Each snack should include a combination of all three macronutrients: complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats.

If your athlete has any food allergies or intolerances, work with a registered dietitian to make sure they are appropriately filling any "gaps" in their diet created by eliminating foods or food groups. See more ideas for healthy snacks and lunches to fuel a young athlete's performance.

Parents can encourage healthy eating behaviors in children by first modeling those desired behaviors. Children mimic the behaviors of the adults in their lives. Therefore, if you want your child to eat healthy, work to set a good example. Eat family meals together as often as possible.

Parents are responsible for the what, when and where of eating, so do your part by planning healthy meals and snacks at set, regular meal and snack times.

Encourage eating at the table as a family and not in front of the TV, while distracted or in the car. As long as parents do their part — the what, when and where of feeding — children are responsible for deciding how much to eat and whether or not to eat at all.

Make eating a pleasant and positive experience. Introduce new or healthy foods to your child in a fun and positive way and never nag children or make negative comments about a child's eating habits.

Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks. You can boost your performance even more by paying attention to the food you eat on game day.

Focus on a diet rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat. Everyone is different, so get to know what works best for you. You may want to experiment with meal timing and how much to eat on practice days so that you're better prepared for game day. KidsHealth For Teens A Guide to Eating for Sports.

en español: Guía de alimentación para deportistas. Medically reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD. Listen Play Stop Volume mp3 Settings Close Player. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. Eat Extra for Excellence The good news about eating for sports is that reaching your peak performance level doesn't take a special diet or supplements.

Athletes and Dieting Teen athletes need extra fuel, so it's usually a bad idea to diet. Eat a Variety of Foods When it comes to powering your game for the long haul, it's important to eat healthy, balanced meals and snacks to get the nutrients your body needs.

Vital Vitamins and Minerals Besides getting the right amount of calories, teen athletes need a variety of nutrients from the foods they eat to keep performing at their best.

Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes: Calcium helps build the strong bones that athletes depend on. Calcium — a must for protecting against stress fractures — is found in dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Iron carries oxygen to muscles. To get the iron you need, eat lean meat, fish, and poultry; leafy green vegetables; and iron-fortified cereals. Protein Power Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most get plenty through a healthy diet.

Carb Charge Carbohydrates are an excellent source of fuel. Fat Fuel Everyone needs some fat each day, and this is extra true for athletes. Skip the Supplements Sports supplements promise to improve sports performance. Ditch Dehydration Speaking of dehydration , water is as important to unlocking your game power as food.

Game-Day Eats Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks. Here are some tips: Eat a meal 3 to 4 hours before activity. Include plenty of carbs and some protein but keep the fat low. Fat takes longer to digest, which can cause an upset stomach.

Carbs may include pasta, bread, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid sugary foods and drinks. When there are 3 hours or less before game or practice, eat a lighter meal or snack that includes easy-to-digest carbohydrate-containing foods, such as fruit, crackers, or bread.

After the game or event, experts recommend eating within 30 minutes after intense activity and again 2 hours later.

Your body will be rebuilding muscle and replenishing energy stores and fluids, so continue to hydrate and eat a balance of lean protein and carbs.

This will make sure you take enough food and drinks with you on days you move more, to cover your higher energy needs. Eating enough energy will help your body move faster and for longer.

Getting to know how much you need to eat can take time but will set you up well for great sporting performance. Food gives us energy. This energy in food comes from structures called carbohydrate, protein and fat.

These structures also have other important health related jobs in our body. To make sure you put enough energy in every day, it is important to eat regularly, around every hours or 6 times across the day. Think of this as putting the fuel in that drives exercise and builds a bank of fuel ready for the next day — like a race car!

Carbohydrates give you energy quickly and easily, eat them before and after every training. Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks.

You can boost your performance even more by paying attention to the food you eat on game day. Focus on a diet rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat. Everyone is different, so get to know what works best for you.

You may want to experiment with meal timing and how much to eat on practice days so that you're better prepared for game day. KidsHealth For Teens A Guide to Eating for Sports. en español: Guía de alimentación para deportistas.

Medically reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD. Listen Play Stop Volume mp3 Settings Close Player. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. Eat Extra for Excellence The good news about eating for sports is that reaching your peak performance level doesn't take a special diet or supplements.

Athletes and Dieting Teen athletes need extra fuel, so it's usually a bad idea to diet. Eat a Variety of Foods When it comes to powering your game for the long haul, it's important to eat healthy, balanced meals and snacks to get the nutrients your body needs.

Vital Vitamins and Minerals Besides getting the right amount of calories, teen athletes need a variety of nutrients from the foods they eat to keep performing at their best. Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes: Calcium helps build the strong bones that athletes depend on.

Calcium — a must for protecting against stress fractures — is found in dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. Iron carries oxygen to muscles. To get the iron you need, eat lean meat, fish, and poultry; leafy green vegetables; and iron-fortified cereals.

Protein Power Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most get plenty through a healthy diet. Carb Charge Carbohydrates are an excellent source of fuel.

Fat Fuel Everyone needs some fat each day, and this is extra true for athletes. Skip the Supplements Sports supplements promise to improve sports performance. Ditch Dehydration Speaking of dehydration , water is as important to unlocking your game power as food.

Game-Day Eats Your performance on game day will depend on the foods you've eaten over the past several days and weeks. Here are some tips: Eat a meal 3 to 4 hours before activity. Include plenty of carbs and some protein but keep the fat low.

Fat takes longer to digest, which can cause an upset stomach. Carbs may include pasta, bread, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid sugary foods and drinks. When there are 3 hours or less before game or practice, eat a lighter meal or snack that includes easy-to-digest carbohydrate-containing foods, such as fruit, crackers, or bread.

After the game or event, experts recommend eating within 30 minutes after intense activity and again 2 hours later. Your body will be rebuilding muscle and replenishing energy stores and fluids, so continue to hydrate and eat a balance of lean protein and carbs.

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These structures also have other important health related jobs in our body. To make sure you put enough energy in every day, it is important to eat regularly, around every hours or 6 times across the day. Think of this as putting the fuel in that drives exercise and builds a bank of fuel ready for the next day — like a race car!

Carbohydrates give you energy quickly and easily, eat them before and after every training. Choosing nutrient dense foods will help you meet your nutrition requirements for fueling, health and growth at the same time.

This includes growing strong bones and muscle, plus supporting your immune system. If your food variety is small now slowly work to build this up, work at your own pace. Nourishing foods are great to fuel with up to 1. Examples include:. Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes: Calcium helps build strong bones to resist breaking and stress fractures.

Calcium-rich foods include low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese, as well as leafy green vegetables such as broccoli. Iron helps carry oxygen to all the different body parts that need it. Iron-rich foods include lean meat, chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, dried fruits, leafy green vegetables, and fortified whole grains.

Protein: Protein helps build and repair muscles, and most kids get plenty of it through a balanced diet. Protein-rich foods include fish, lean meat and poultry, dairy products, beans, nuts, and soy products. Carbohydrates: Carbs provide energy for the body and are an important source of fuel for a young athlete.

Without carbs in their diet, kids will be running on empty. When choosing carbs, look for whole-grain foods like whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, whole-grain bread and cereal, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Drink Up! The bottom line is that for most young athletes, water is the best choice for hydration.

Pressures Facing Athletes Some school-age athletes face pressures involving nutrition and body weight. Game Day Kids need to eat well on game days. Here are some general guidelines: A meal 3 to 4 hours before activity should have plenty of carbs and some protein but be low in fat.

Fat takes longer to digest, which can cause an upset stomach. Carbs could include pasta, bread, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid sugary foods and drinks.

If kids eat less than 3 hours before a game or practice, serve a lighter meal or snack that includes easy-to-digest carb-containing foods, such as fruit, crackers, or bread. After the game or event, experts recommend eating within 30 minutes after intense activity and again 2 hours later.

The body will be rebuilding muscle and replenishing energy stores and fluids. Besides getting the right amount of calories, teen athletes need a variety of nutrients from the foods they eat to keep performing at their best.

These include vitamins and minerals. Calcium and iron are two important minerals for athletes:. Athletes may need more protein than less-active teens, but most get plenty through a healthy diet.

It's a myth that athletes need a huge daily intake of protein to build large, strong muscles. Muscle growth comes from regular training and hard work. Good sources of protein are fish, lean meats and poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy, and peanut butter.

Carbohydrates are an excellent source of fuel. Cutting back on carbs or following low-carb diets isn't a good idea for athletes. That's because restricting carbs can make you feel tired and worn out, which can hurt your performance.

Good sources of carbs include fruits, vegetables, and grains. Choose whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread more often than processed options like white rice and white bread. Whole grains provide the energy athletes need and the fiber and other nutrients to keep them healthy.

Sugary carbs such as candy bars or sodas don't contain any of the other nutrients you need. And eating candy bars or other sugary snacks just before practice or competition can give athletes a quick burst of energy, but then leave them to "crash" or run out of energy before they've finished working out.

Everyone needs some fat each day, and this is extra true for athletes. That's because active muscles quickly burn through carbs and need fats for long-lasting energy. Like carbs, not all fats are created equal. Choose healthier fats, such as the unsaturated fat found in most vegetable oils, fish, and nuts and seeds.

Limit trans fat like partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fat, found in fatty meat and dairy products like whole milk, cheese, and butter. Choosing when to eat fats is also important for athletes.

Fatty foods can slow digestion, so it's a good idea to avoid eating them for a few hours before exercising. Sports supplements promise to improve sports performance. But few have proved to help, and some may do harm. Anabolic steroids can seriously mess with a person's hormones , causing unwanted side effects like testicular shrinkage and baldness in guys and facial hair growth in girls.

Steroids can cause mental health problems, including depression and serious mood swings. Some supplements contain hormones related to testosterone, such as DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone. These can have similar side effects to anabolic steroids.

Other sports supplements like creatine have not been tested in people younger than So the risks of taking them are not yet known. Salt tablets are another supplement to watch out for.

People take them to avoid dehydration, but salt tablets can actually lead to dehydration and must be taken with plenty of water. Too much salt can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea and may damage the stomach lining.