Nutritional Counseling for Health and Performance

 

 

Your Blueprint to Physique Success

by Christopher R. Mohr, PhD, RD, Mohr Results, Inc

Summer is over, school is in session, and it is starting to smell (and feel) like fall in some parts of the country. What does this mean? Well, aside from parents freeing up a good portion of their day, it also means they have likely heard the sounds of whistles on soccer fields and have been driving their kid(s) to various activities and athletic practices. It seems as if parents are getting a lot more involved with their children’s activities; they are not just a taxi service, but parents are often part of the practices and on game day – sometimes too much so!

Parents often contact me looking for nutrition advice for their athletic child and they all swear their kid is going to at the very least, get a college scholarship, while even more are going pro! Sound familiar? Aside from the training their child receives, nutrition is the one component of an overall program that’s necessary to ensure their chances of success.

A friend of mine is a soccer coach for 8 and 9 year olds. I recently attended one of their games and am sad to say that at the end of the game, one of the parents brought snacks for the team (that’s not the sad part). Rather than some orange slices, a sports drink, or something similar, they brought two things: large containers of Capri Sun and bags of chocolate chip cookies and potato chips! I cringed when I saw this, thinking that if this is their diet after a game; I can only imagine what it looks like for the rest of the day! And when I heard one mother say that her son doesn’t usually eat this, but he "deserves" it for playing hard, I had to laugh (to myself, of course).

Now, I don’t have children, so I’m not proclaiming to be a gold medal parent. What I do know, however, is that "rewarding" anyone with chips, cookies, and a sugary drink isn’t the best for teaching them positive nutrition habits, and helping develop those "professional level" skills necessary to succeed.
I encourage is parents to reward their children with healthier snacks; why not offer orange slices, bananas, apples, or something similar? Fruit not only provides a bevy of nutrients, but it also provides a great deal of fluids, which are particularly important during and after play. Low-fat chocolate milks are also fantastic drinks in terms of providing a whole slew of quality nutrients and fluid, in addition to providing some important recovery nutrients (namely carbohydrates and protein). They even make some milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated until opened, making them very functional if traveling and competing in athletics.

Let’s delve a bit into some specific nutrition tips for young athletes.

Let’s First Talk about Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates should absolutely be the cornerstone of anyone’s diet. The key, as I’ve discussed in the past, is to always "think fiber, not carbs!" There is a huge difference between white bread and whole grain, high fiber bread; a sugar coated cereal and oatmeal; French fries vs. whole potatoes or sweet potatoes. Focus on the quality of the carbohydrates.

For example, eat breakfast, but try a whole grain based cereal with some fresh fruit for the nutrients and fiber. Sandwiches should be made with whole grain bread, rather than their white counterpart. Snacks can be whole grain crackers with natural peanut butter, fruit or veggie sticks with peanut butter, etc. The list can go on. Your focus when selecting carbohydrates should always be on those which provide a few grams of fiber per serving. The exception is milk and yogurt, which are very healthy and carbohydrate based, but provide little, if any fiber.

Fruit and vegetables are also a crucial element to a healthy diet. Kids often shy away from them and parents don’t always push them. However, research has suggested it can take as many as one dozen times to determine if a child likes a particular food. The key for a parent is to introduce kids to as many of these nutrient dense, colorful foods as possible! Make it fun. Here are a few ideas:

  • Ants on a log (celery with natural peanut butter and raisins)
  • Sailboats (apple slices with toothpicks holding a cheddar cheese "sail"— of course watch your child so they don’t eat the toothpick).
  • Homemade trail mix (mixed nuts, dried fruit, and some whole grain cereal)

Keep in mind that dried fruit counts towards the total fruit intake for the day, as does 100% juice (of course this shouldn’t be the mainstay, though, as whole fruit provides more fiber), along with fruit puree.

Protein Needs of Young Athletes

In the world of bodybuilding, no other macronutrient has received as much attention as protein. Everywhere you look, everything you see, tells us we need more and more protein, whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain muscle. But what about adolescent athletes? Do they too have higher protein requirements like the rest of us fitness enthusiasts? As you know, they too are trying to improve performance, put some muscles on those bodies, and of course just improve overall health (at least we hope they are!).

Of course protein plays a role and a very important one at that! Now, first things first. I am in the same boat as the folks on the Labrada Team in recommending food first! This is particularly true with children and adolescents; we need to teach them proper nutrition habits, which should include eating whole, nutrient dense foods rather than teaching them to immediately replace food with supplements.

At the same time, there are quality supplements out there that can be useful. I would much rather have a teen athlete have a high quality protein shake, blended with some fruit versus a snack like those served at the soccer game I alluded to earlier, or fast food, which is way too common these days.

  • Do they need a protein supplement? No.
  • Will it make them into the next college or pro athlete? Of course not!
  • Can it be beneficial and a healthier option than many of the alternative high sugar, high fat foods marketed directly towards children? Absolutely!

Other high quality protein sources include fish and other seafood, low or non-fat milk or yogurt, chicken and turkey breast, lean red meat, tofu, mixed nuts, eggs, beans, natural peanut butter, and more. The greater the variety in the diet, the better as they will be getting wide exposure to various amino acids and other nutrients.

Chewing the Fat

Fat is another crucial nutrient for children; there have been a handful of scientific studies that show that one component of omega-3 fats, DHA, is crucial in terms of brain development. Healthy fats are an important source of DHA and the other essential fatty acids.

Fats do provide a lot of calories (over double that of protein or carbohydrates), which can be important for very active, young athletes who generally need more calories than adults in order to develop strong, healthy bodies. Again, it’s important to focus on quality and not just quantity. Fish once again pops up as a great, healthy source of fat, along with egg yolks, olive oil, mixed nuts, flax oil, and others.

The fats we want to avoid (or at least limit) are those which are solid at room temperature (with few exceptions): butter, shortening, animal fat, etc. Those few exceptions are avocadoes and mixed nuts, which both provide a healthy dose of high quality fats. Don’t overdo the healthy fats, but definitely don’t skimp on them either—moderation is king!

Fluids

Fluids are actually the most important nutrient anyone can consume. The quality of the fluid is a struggle for kids in particular; they are surely drinking more fluids, but not the type we’d encourage. Over the past few decades, milk consumption has decreased dramatically and is being replaced with soft drinks.

This is unfortunate because of the nutrients that are lost when milk is cut out and replaced with empty calories. Remember I mentioned earlier that 100% juice does count as fruit; however, we also don’t want kids to live off juice, as it doesn’t provide all of the fiber and nutrients which whole fruit does, which makes it way too easy to over-consume. Keep in mind that 4 oz of juice counts as one fruit; this is _ of a cup of juice. It would be very easy to drink 2 whole cups of juice, but you are less likely to eat the equivalent 4 whole oranges, meaning it is easy to pack in a lot of excess calories.

Water is really the best option. The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines make a recommendation to consume at least 3 servings of low-fat milk or other dairy products daily, with the majority of other fluids being water. If you need to make water more exciting for kids, add a squeeze of orange, lemon, lime, or cucumber. And always keep a pitcher in the refrigerator, so there is cold water at their fingertips.

That’s a Wrap!

In summary, here are a few tips to keep in mind when fueling young athletes.

  • Variety is crucial—the more the variety, the better
  • The more fruits and vegetables each day, the better
  • Think "fiber", not carbs
  • Protein is absolutely important, just as to adults.
  • Fat quality is crucial
  • Be creative to get kids to eat a variety of foods
  • Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
  • Very basic supplements, such as a high quality protein shake, are OK, but the "food-first" approach is always the best for folks of all ages.

Most importantly, make sure your child has a chance to try a variety of activities, has fun, and enjoys him/herself. At 9 or 10 years old, they are not trying out for the majors; they are trying to play and have fun. Let them be kids, learn some basic skills, and enjoy camaraderie; it’s not the Super Bowl, World Series, or World Cup! In the meantime, feed them well and teach them positive nutrition habits that will stay with them for life!

Chris Mohr is a registered dietitian and Exercise Physiology expert. He is currently working on several projects related to the prevention, awareness and treatment of obesity.