ShareThisIn addition to new classes, textbooks and homework, the new academic year also signals the return of after-school sports.The long hours away from home for practices and games can create a nutritional challenge for young athletes who need to be fueled and hydrated to perform their best.All too often, though, kids are relying on a slice of pizza from the school cafeteria to get them through an intense afternoon workout or competition.If your child is not fueling properly, his or her training and performance will suffer, explains Kristi Spence, a distance runner and a Utah sports dietician.When it comes to athletic ability, "we can't choose the genes our parents gave us," said Spence, who works at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Murray, "but we can control what we eat."Which is why Spence's two-hour "Food & Fluids for Young Athletes" class has become popular among athletes, coaches and parents.During a recent session, 16 young competitors -- from junior-high swimmers to high-school cross-country runners -- learned how food provides both energy and muscle repair for their bodies. They discovered when it's OK to eat commercial sports bars and drinks and what to put in a snack pack for the road."I really need help knowing what to eat before and after I run," explained Kelsie Lawrence, a cross-country runner from Ogden High School.Teammate Meagan Madsen said eating too much -- or the wrong thing -- before a run can make her sick. But when she skips meals she runs out of energy too soon."I want a balance," she said.Spence answered those and other basic questions, such as:-- What should I eat? -- For those who train and compete several hours a day, complex carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your diet, said Spence. Stay away from the chips and cookies and focus on foods that have nutritional value such as whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals, fruit, vegetables and dairy products.Include a small amount of protein with every meal and snack. Lean cuts of meat, fish, poultry and eggs are good sources of animal protein, but try to work vegetable proteins into meals such as beans, nuts, nut butters, seeds and soy, too.-- How often should I eat? -- Each day, serious athletes should be eating breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as two or three snacks between meals, said Spence.Two to three hours before a practice or competition, athletes should have a carbohydrate-rich meal. And immediately after training or competing, a carbohydrate-rich snack will help with muscle repair. -- Where do sports bars fit in? -- Sports bars provide a compact source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. That makes them an ideal snack to eat before, during and immediately after exercise when other solid foods are not available or can't be tolerated, Spence said.-- What are some easy snacks to pack? -- Apples, bananas, grapes, oranges and other whole fresh fruit are good because they require no refrigeration. Dried fruit, trail mix with nuts and seeds; peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches; granola bars, applesauce, graham crackers or foil packs of tuna also won't spoil in a backpack or locker.If you have access to a cooler or refrigerator, try: yogurt, string cheese, carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, cucumbers, fruit juice, cottage cheese or lean deli meats.(Kathy Stephenson writes about food and dining. Contact her at kathys(at)sltrib.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
More than muscles: Students need proper nutrition
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