High-energy eating for athletes

Dehydration
Drinking several glasses of water each day should be part of every person's healthy diet. Additional water, however, is necessary during times of intense training or competition. The active child needs to drink extra fluids to regulate his body temperature. Active muscles generate heat, and fluids help remove that heat. Without adequate fluid, your child may become dehydrated, which causes fatigue and increases the risk of cramps and heat exhaustion.

To prevent dehydration, your child should drink water before, during, and after exercise. You or your child's coach may need to insist he drink. Thirst may not be an adequate indicator of the body's need for water, especially during exercise, which blunts one's thirst.

Water and exercise
Exercising in the heat poses unique problems for the child athlete. Because children sweat less than adolescents and adults, they have a greater heat gain in hot weather. When it's hot, children should drink every 10 to 15 minutes, approximately 30 mL (1 oz.) for every 15 kg (33 lb.), and pour water over themselves to cool down.

Fill your child's water bottle with plain water. Avoid iced tea and colas. The caffeine in these drinks acts as a diuretic and may increase urine output and fluid loss. Since children sweat so little, they don't lose as much sodium, potassium, and other minerals while exercising. Unless it's extremely hot and humid or the exercise is extremely strenuous, sport drinks are not likely to benefit children, but they won't harm your child.

Excerpted from Raising Great Kids: Ages 6 to 12 by Christine Langlois. Copyright 1999 by Telemedia Communications Inc. Excerpted, with permission by Ballantine Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.