How to Feed Your Child Athlete

The child athlete is different from the adult athlete because he gets hungry faster but in the other hand he will have to eat less than an adult to calm that hunger. Most kids love soft drinks that contain a lot of sugar and often forget to drink water. They are often neglecting their water consumption even if they train hard. One other problem with kids is the food. Children are attracted by fast food which is a diet mistake. Fast food will lead to severe shortages, a pronounced fatigue or weight gain.

The food at school

Many children eat lunch outside their home in school canteens. This must be taken into account for preparing other meal for training to comply with the digestive comfort and prevent digestive disorders.

• 2 or 3 days before an event, the child athlete should have 3 complete meals and snacks consisting of cereals, fruit and a dairy. This is the basis of a balanced diet.
• Starches should be a priority in your food choice (rice, pasta, semolina, ...). However each food group should appear at different meals.

The food at home

Meals eaten at home should include the food groups that have not been on the menu in the canteen. Add fresh vegetable, proteins are more or less important depending on the lunch menu (at least one egg or ham), a serving of vegetables or dry cereal, and one of 4 daily dairy eventually.

Most school restaurants use sunflower oil or peanut oil, which are unbalanced. At home you should focus on olive oil or rapeseed oil. The athlete child should also eat more oily fish like tuna, mackerel or salmon.

Soft drinks have no nutritional value and should be avoided.

Breakfast

What should an athlete child eat at breakfast?

Breakfast should consist of 5 distinct elements:

• Fresh fruit.

• Cereals in various forms every day, such as corn flakes, bread, pancakes, or pudding.

• Dairy: You can replace the milk with a yoghurt

• Sweet: sugar cereals, jam, honey or dried fruit, often overlooked despite its mineral wealth.

• Water

Lunch and afternoon

At lunchtime, if the meals are taken out, harmonize with those of the evening (at home). A supplement (like snacks) can be offered to youth who would not like the food offered at lunch.

Lunch must both meet the energy requirements and digestive comfort to avoid stomachaches in the effort. Make sure you make the following choices:

• Rice, pasta, potatoes or semolina and / or bread in large.
• ham or chicken or fish
• yogurt or cottage cheese
• fruits

A snack should be taken 2 hours before the beginning of the training. It conveniently includes a fruit and a cereal bar or yogurt cereals.

At the end of the training, a fruit juice and some dried fruits will improve the recovery (even if the dinner begins one hour later).

Dinner

Broadly speaking, diner must provide all food groups neglected during the other meals.

You can give to the athlete child:
• Cooked vegetables or a soup with a knob of fat or a tablespoon of oil.
• A non-dairy animal protein: 100 to 150g of lean meat, fish or poultry, ham, 1 or 2 eggs or a slice of roast depending on the portions at lunch and the child's weight.

During periods of growth, protein requirements are high, and 2 servings of meat daily are recommended.

Possibly a pastry or an ice cream, baked fruits, those "extras" are rather preferred during the week-end.