A more recent strategy adopted by ahletes athletes is to Balanced diet for youth athletes with low body yoouth levels Balanfed intakes train low. Each plan includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snac k. Can J Diet Pract Res ;61 14 Especially as your kids enter puberty, you may find a four-meal-a-day plan to be more appropriate.

Balanced diet for youth athletes -

Before using supplements, you should consider what else you can do to improve your sporting performance — diet, training and lifestyle changes are all more proven and cost effective ways to improve your performance. Relatively few supplements that claim performance benefits are supported by sound scientific evidence.

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements is also potentially dangerous. Supplements should not be taken without the advice of a qualified health professional. The ethical use of sports supplements is a personal choice by athletes, and it remains controversial. If taking supplements, you are also at risk of committing an anti-doping rule violation no matter what level of sport you play.

Dehydration can impair athletic performance and, in extreme cases, may lead to collapse and even death. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise is very important. Fluid intake is particularly important for events lasting more than 60 minutes, of high intensity or in warm conditions.

Water is a suitable drink, but sports drinks may be required, especially in endurance events or warm climates. Sports drinks contain some sodium, which helps absorption. While insufficient hydration is a problem for many athletes, excess hydration may also be potentially dangerous.

In rare cases, athletes might consume excessive amounts of fluids that dilute the blood too much, causing a low blood concentration of sodium. This condition is called hyponatraemia, which can potentially lead to seizures, collapse, coma or even death if not treated appropriately.

Consuming fluids at a level of to ml per hour of exercise might be a suitable starting point to avoid dehydration and hyponatraemia, although intake should ideally be customised to individual athletes, considering variable factors such as climate, sweat rates and tolerance.

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Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Nutrition and exercise The link between good health and good nutrition is well established. Daily training diet requirements The basic training diet should be sufficient to: provide enough energy and nutrients to meet the demands of training and exercise enhance adaptation and recovery between training sessions include a wide variety of foods like wholegrain breads and cereals , vegetables particularly leafy green varieties , fruit , lean meat and low-fat dairy products to enhance long term nutrition habits and behaviours enable the athlete to achieve optimal body weight and body fat levels for performance provide adequate fluids to ensure maximum hydration before, during and after exercise promote the short and long-term health of athletes.

Carbohydrates are essential for fuel and recovery Current recommendations for carbohydrate requirements vary depending on the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise. Eating during exercise During exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, an intake of carbohydrate is required to top up blood glucose levels and delay fatigue.

Eating after exercise Rapid replacement of glycogen is important following exercise. Protein and sporting performance Protein is an important part of a training diet and plays a key role in post-exercise recovery and repair.

For example: General public and active people — the daily recommended amount of protein is 0. Sports people involved in non-endurance events — people who exercise daily for 45 to 60 minutes should consume between 1.

Sports people involved in endurance events and strength events — people who exercise for longer periods more than one hour or who are involved in strength exercise, such as weight lifting, should consume between 1.

Athletes trying to lose weight on a reduced energy diet — increased protein intakes up to 2. While more research is required, other concerns associated with very high-protein diets include: increased cost potential negative impacts on bones and kidney function increased body weight if protein choices are also high in fat increased cancer risk particularly with high red or processed meat intakes displacement of other nutritious foods in the diet, such as bread, cereal, fruit and vegetables.

Using nutritional supplements to improve sporting performance A well-planned diet will meet your vitamin and mineral needs. Nutritional supplements can be found in pill, tablet, capsule, powder or liquid form, and cover a broad range of products including: vitamins minerals herbs meal supplements sports nutrition products natural food supplements.

Water and sporting performance Dehydration can impair athletic performance and, in extreme cases, may lead to collapse and even death. Where to get help Your GP doctor Dietitians Australia External Link Tel. Burke L, Deakin V, Mineham M , Clinical sports nutrition External Link , McGraw-Hill, Sydney.

Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. Nutrition External Link , Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Government. Nutrition and healthy eating resources External Link , Nutrition Australia.

Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all healthy eating. Related information. From other websites External Link Australian Institute of Sport. Content disclaimer Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Reviewed on: Extra calories are needed during growth spurts and to replenish energy expended during athletic endeavours.

Macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, protein and fats, provide the fuel for physical activity and sports participation. Carbohydrates are the most important fuel source for athletes because they provide the glucose used for energy.

One gram of carbohydrate contains approximately four kilocalories of energy. Glucose is stored as glycogen in muscles and liver. Muscle glycogen is the most readily available energy source for working muscle and can be released more quickly than other energy sources.

Proteins build and repair muscle, hair, nails and skin. For mild exercise and exercise of short duration, proteins do not act as a primary source of energy.

However, as exercise duration increases, proteins help to maintain blood glucose through liver gluconeogenesis. Fat is necessary to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K , to provide essential fatty acids, protect vital organs and provide insulation. Fat also provides the feeling of satiety. It is a calorie-dense source of energy one gram provides nine kilocalories but is more difficult to use.

Fat from chips, candy, fried foods and baked goods should be minimized. Although there are many vitamins and minerals required for good health, particular attention should be devoted to ensuring that athletes consume proper amounts of calcium, vitamin D and iron.

Calcium is important for bone health, normal enzyme activity and muscle contraction. Vitamin D is necessary for bone health and is involved in the absorption and regulation of calcium.

Athletes living in northern latitudes or who train indoors eg, figure skaters, gymnasts, dancers are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. Dairy products other than milk, such as yogurt, do not contain vitamin D. Iron is important for oxygen delivery to body tissues.

During adolescence, more iron is required to support growth as well as increases in blood volume and lean muscle mass. Fluids, particularly water, are important nutrients for athletes.

Athletic performance can be affected by what, how much and when an athlete drinks. Fluids help to regulate body temperature and replace sweat losses during exercise.

Dehydration can decrease performance and put athletes at risk for heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Proper hydration requires fluid intake before, during and after exercise or activity.

The amount of fluid required depends on many factors, including age and body size Table 2. This usually requires consuming approximately 1.

Recovery foods should be consumed within 30 min of exercise, and again within 1 h to 2 h of exercise, to help reload muscles with glycogen and allow for proper recovery. These foods should include protein and carbohydrates. One of the trickiest things to manage is meal planning around athletic events.

The timing of meals is very important and needs to be individualized. It is important for athletes to discover which foods they like that also help to maximize performance. They should not experiment with new foods or new routines on the day of competition.

General guidelines include eating meals a minimum of 3 h before an event to allow for proper digestion and to minimize incidence of gastrointestinal upset during exercise.

Meals should include carbohydrates, protein and fat. Fibre should be limited. High-fat meals should be avoided before exercise because they can delay gastric-emptying, make athletes feel sluggish and thereby adversely affect performance. Pre-game snacks or liquid meals should be ingested 1 h to 2 h before an event to allow for digestion before start of exercise.

During an event, sports drinks, fruit or granola bars can be ingested to help refuel and keep energy levels high. A well-balanced diet is essential for growing athletes to maintain proper growth and optimize performance in athletic endeavours.

Fluids are very important for maintaining hydration and should be consumed before, during and after athletic events to prevent dehydration. Timing of food consumption is important to optimize performance. Meals should be eaten a minimum of 3 h before exercise and snacks should be eaten 1 h to 2 h before activity.

Recovery foods should be consumed within 30 min of exercise and again within 1 h to 2 h of activity to allow muscles to rebuild and ensure proper recovery. Laura Purcell is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

She completed her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees at the University of Toronto. She obtained her medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton ON. Her residency training was in pediatrics at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

She completed a sport medicine fellowship at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario and obtained her Diploma of Sport Medicine in She has practised pediatric sport medicine for 12 years.

Purcell is the founding president of the Paediatric Sport and Exercise Medicine Section of the Canadian Paediatric Society CPS and served as president for 10 years. She is also the founding chair of the Pediatric Sport and Exercise Medicine Committee of the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine CASEM.

She has authored numerous journal articles, CPS position statements, textbook chapters and co-edited two pediatric sport medicine textbooks, The Adolescent Athlete and Injury in Youth Sports: Epidemiology, Treatment and Prevention Laura Purcell is now accepting patients under the age of 18 years with sport-related injuries at the Grand River Sport Medicine Centre at Strasburg Road.

She will see pediatric patients with any musculoskeletal injury except acute fractures. Neil Cooper MD Member at large ; David Fecteau MD Secretary-treasurer ; Erika Persson MD Member at large ; John F Philpott MD President-elect ; Laura K Purcell MD President ; Eric Koelink MD Liaison, CPS Residents Section ; David W Warren MD former Liaison, CPS Emergency Medicine Section.

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Healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks give kids gouth nutrients they Balanced diet for youth athletes dite do well in Best post-workout snacks. Besides getting Balanced diet for youth athletes right athlettes of calories, eating a variety of nutritious foods will help them play at their best. Most young athletes eat the right amount of food their bodies need. Some young athletes, though, have higher energy and fluid needs. All-day competitions or intense endurance sports like rowing, cross-country running, or competitive swimming can involve 1½ to 2 hours or more of activity at a time.