High-energy eating for athletes

Your child eats breakfast in the back seat of the car on the way to her 7:00 a.m. practice. You suspect she skips lunch at school to get in some extra time shooting baskets. She rushes through dinner to make it to the basketball game on time. Parents of sports enthusiasts need a nutrition game plan for their children. Not only must a young athlete meet his or her body's high demands of nutrients for growth, she must also recognize the extra requirements of energy (calories) and fluids that a training program imposes. Three meals a day won't do it. She'll also need snacks.

Appetite is the best guide to amounts, but six- to twelve-year-old children still look to parents for guidance on what and when to eat. Every day, choose at least the minimum number of servings in each food group in the Food Guide. Select more servings from these two groups: grain products, and vegetables and fruit. Especially important are starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, and corn, fruit, and lots of bread, pasta, rice, and cereals.

Carbohydrate and fat intake
These foods provide carbohydrates, the main source of energy for all exercise. Carbohydrates in the form of blood glucose and muscle glycogen offer the body's primary sources of fuel during intense training. Once glycogen stores are depleted, athletes suffer fatigue. The National Institute of Nutrition recommends a diet providing about 60 per cent of total energy intake from carbohydrates for children participating in high-intensity training for long periods of time.

Some adults load up on carbohydrates for high-demand athletic events such as marathons. This strict regime, which involves consuming a very high-carbohydrate diet and the tapering off of activity for two or three days before competition, may be harmful to children.

There is room in the athletic child's diet for higher-fat foods such as peanut butter, cheese, and ice cream. High-fat foods provide a concentrated source of calories for the child on the run.

If your child is involved in activities such as diving, dancing, gymnastics, or figure skating, she may balk at eating even the minimum requirements of the Food Guide. Weight control may be part of training for the Olympics, but it's not required if your child participates in sports simply because he enjoys them. If your child's coach suggests that your daughter or son go on a diet, it's time to change clubs. Your child has the wrong coach, not the wrong body size or shape. Limiting a growing child's food can jeopardize her health by delaying maturation and stunting growth. Possibly more serious, it can lead to an eating disorder.