Nutrition For Your Young Athlete

Nutrition is extremely important for any young person, especially an athletic one, and even more so during the developmental years of their life. Whether your child is involved in soccer or football, gymnastics or swimming or Little League, he or she needs a good nutritive balance in order to be successful in any endeavor. It cannot be stressed enough that anorexia and bulimia, chronic malnutrition, are absolutely devastating not only to an athlete's career, but also to overall health and well-being. You should always watch for decreased eating in your child, no matter how robust and healthy they may seem.

Interestingly enough, very few scientific studies on the nutrition of child athletes have been published. You don't really need to be a scientist (or an alchemist) to create a healthy menu for your active youth, though. All you need is a little bit of creativity, and, of course, the facts about different kinds of foods. As is dictated by common sense, it's necessary for kids who are active to consume more caloric energy than their couch potato counterparts. Sometimes, they must take in several hundred - or even a thousand - healthy calories more than the average child, depending upon their age and upon the intensity of the sport they're participating in.

So what types of food should you give your gymnast? I'll help you out.

In General

Everyday nutrition calls for a healthy balance of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. The most important type of caloric intake for a child athlete is carbohydrates. Without carbohydrates, the body cannot readily replenish its stores of energy in the muscles and in the liver.

Simple carbohydrates, like those found in most candies and chocolates, are not enough & harful if consumed excessively: they are used up too quickly and if eaten before competing can cause changes in blood pressure (of course, you can splurge every once in a while -- just not constantly). Longer term effects may be changes insulin secretion and resulting problems.

Pasta, bread, and rice -- in other words, foods from grain -- are best overall for carbohydrate intake. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of carbs and of vitamins and minerals. Dairy products are especially important for building strong bones and teeth. Meat -- or meat substitute -- is needed for protein intake.

Did you know that if you know... if you put beans and rice together, they create a perfect protein?

Most plants don't produce all of the proteins we as human beings need to survive -- but if they are eaten at the same time, they give you all the protein you need. That means you can have refried beans with rice, or meatless chili with rice, or a variety of other combinations, if indeed you don't want to eat beef, chicken, pork, or other animal proteins.

Before an Event

Approximately two to three hours before your child is to participate in an event, or indeed in training, you should have them eat a light meal filled with carbohydrates: a bowl of spaghetti, a sandwich with lettuce and a glass of fruit juice, carrot sticks and a piece of cheese, or something else to their taste. It's always advisable to have them exert themselves on a slightly empty stomach, because they may experience cramping or fatigue otherwise.

During an Event

During an event or practice, it is vitally important that your athlete remain hydrated. When he or she sweats profusely, water is lost to the atmosphere via evaporation. A lot of vapor is also lost through deep breathing.

This is the body's natural cooling system. It needs to be replenished, just like the cooling elements in your air conditioner. Every twenty to thirty minutes during strenuous exercise, your child should drink six to eight ounces of water. A sports drink is acceptable sometimes, so long as it has few carbohydrates (under 15-20 grams is best). Even diluted fruit juice (one part water to one part juice) will work well.

Keep in mind that dehydration is a very serious problem with athletes -- and when they begin to feel thirsty, it may already be too late. Whether or not they are thirsty, you should keep them hydrated with water, juice, or sports drinks.

After an Event

After an event, it's a good idea to let your child have something full of carbohydrates to eat - just like the pre-game meal. This will replenish their energy stores and ease their recovery time.

With all of this, good luck!

By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http:// www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics_nutrition.htm

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics parents. Go here now: Gymnastics Nutrition For AOL Users - Girls Gymnastics

---

Improve Your Health With Fiber!

Your fiber intake is a critical factor in weight loss and general well-being. Health professionals advise that adults should eat at least 25-35 grams of fiber each... Read More

The Isometric Diet and Balanced Health

The concept isometric has been a part of the health care vocabulary for decades. The most common application of the term, until now, has been with respect... Read More

Healthy Food Tastes Better!

How is it that we can't seem to think that something nutritious and healthy could in fact be tasty and enjoyable? Ever since I started to eat... Read More

Food thats Good for a Healthy Heart

Here's a conundrum: While experts agree that high cholesterol and blood pressure are crucial heart disease risk factors, many people who suffer chest pain or even heart... Read More

Go Nuts!

Nuts of all kinds (I am talking peanuts, cashews etc) have a mixed reputation. They are high in fat, but have no carbohydrates. Many people I know... Read More

You are Closer to Being Vitamin C Deficient Than You Think

Okay, so you think you are doing pretty well with your diet. You prepare most of your meals at home, don't eat much junk food and aren't... Read More

ACAI Berry Named Top 10 Superfoods For Anti-Aging by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, some foods can be eaten to help you look and age better! At the... Read More

Your bodys pH

So what's all the shake up about anyway?. To put it to you straight your body's ''pH'' is everything "Life Itself". If you ask most people about... Read More

Dietary Guideline USA

Are you sick and tired of the confusion about our dietary guideline? Don't do this, do that, no not this, lose weight this way and on and... Read More

How to Grow Sprouts

Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a great source of vitamins, fiber, protein, anti-oxidants, and enzymes. A sprout is produced when a seed starts... Read More

A Healthy Diet Means Avoiding Trans-Fat as well as Saturated Fat

We all need fat in our diet on a daily basis. However, not all fats are created equal ? there are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Many... Read More

Calculating Your Calorie Needs

In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you have to determine how many calories you actually need. Adults can calculate their approximate energy needs using... Read More

Fructose Short-Circuits Glycolysis

First some terminology.Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs naturally in fruit, does not cause as much insulin to be secreted as glucose and tastes sweeter... Read More

True Culprits of High Cholesterol

What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk may be two of the biggest culprits in skyrocketing rates of high cholesterol? Cholesterol is actually being... Read More

The Importance of Good Nutrition in Keeping Your Smile Beautiful and Your Mouth Healthy

A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from in addition to regular brushing and flossing a daily diet that does not lack the essential vitamins... Read More

The Skinny on Oats, Oatmeal, Vitamins, Nutrition for Skin Care and Bath Products

Oats (botanical name Avena sativa)An oat is a grass that produces a fibrous root and a hollow jointed stem with narrow, flat, pale-green leaves. Oats are native... Read More

5 Tips for Dining Out and Eating Healthily

Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant meal has over 1,000 calories? That's enough to blow any healthy eating plan. Fortunately, by following a... Read More

Food for Potential Energy

FOOD (Macro-nutrients)One of the most important aspects of hill walking or trekking and adventure holidays is to maintain your calorie intake to keep pace with the terrain... Read More

Grains That Cause Illness

Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long been consider a healthy choice. If you look at the RDA recommendations, grains, at the bottom of... Read More

Exposing the Best Source of Protein Myth

An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack of time and the need to achieve is often in pursuit of the "best" something or other.... Read More

MSG: If Its Safe, Why Do They Disguise It On Labels?

Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, was thought of as a "miracle food enhancer" when it was first introduced to the public over five decades ago.More than... Read More

Dont Allow Your Food To Control You

Food addiction isn't a problem. Pretending like you can't live without eating however, IS the problem. If you're stranded on a desert island without food, what would... Read More

What is Organic Food?

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed countries.In the U.S, all farms or products claiming to be "certified organic" must be guaranteed by a... Read More

Five Steps to a Healthier Heart

Step 1: Eat five to ten servings per day of fresh fruits and vegetables.Studies have shown that populations that eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables have... Read More

Eating Healthy in a Time-Starved World

Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life balance, which is still a luxury for tens of millions of working parents, has been overtaken by... Read More

Learn About Food Nutrition Facts

Food nutrition factsFinding food nutrition facts and dietary nutrition used to be almost impossible because of the mountains of facts scattered all about in libraries and books.... Read More