The dietary habits of youth athletes are important for healthy growth and development as they mature through puberty. I have witnessed a variety of dietary habits among the student athletes in the middle school where I work, particularly the athletes’ pre-game snacks. I understand it can be difficult for parents to find a healthy snack that will last the whole school day without spoiling. First lets go over some general recommendations provided by the American Dietary Association for macronutrient intake for the pediatric athletic population:
· Carbohydrates: 55% of total kcal
· Protein: 1.2- 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight
· Fat: 20%-30% of total kcal
Total caloric intake for this athletic age group should be 1600 kcal for females and 2200 for males.
Most youth athletes between the ages of 9-13 do not participate in high intensity activity lasting 60 minutes or longer because team sports at that age often include many breaks throughout playtime. However athletes should not exercise on an empty and start their practices or games starving. This can often be the case when school lunchtime is in the morning and sport activity starts after school, sometimes 4-5 hours after the child’s last food intake. Here I have provided information on pre-workout snacks for youth athletes and a convenient snack recipe for school aged athletes.
A pre-practice or game snack should consist of 100-300 calories of carbohydrates because carbohydrates are our main fuel source for quick energy. Since pediatric athletes have not been researched as thoroughly as the adult population, there isn’t consisting research finding that a pre-exercise snack will increase performance. My main focus here is that athletes do not exercise on an empty stomach because as stated before adequate calorie intake is very important for growth, especially in females as they often hit puberty at this age.
Some quick no bake snack options:
- whole wheat pretzels
- whole wheat crackers
- whole grain dry cereal
- fruit (just be careful some are high in fiber and that can cause an upset stomach in some athletes)
- celery sticks with raisins and peanut butter
Here is a recipe for whole grain banana muffins that parents can make over the weekend and pack one each day for their child to have before practice. They won't need an ice pack or any utensils for this snack!
Whole Grain Banana Muffins
2 cups mashed bananas
1 cup honey
⅔ cup olive oil
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
STEP 1.
Stir together dry ingredients- FLOUR, BAKING SODA, SALT
STEP 2.
Beat oil and honey together; add eggs and beat well.
STEP 3.
Add bananas to oil, honey and eggs mixture; and beat to combine.
STEP 4.
Add dry ingredients(STEP1) to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.
STEP 5.
Spoon batter into 24 greased muffin cups; bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool on rack.
Nutritional Information
What do you take for snack on practice or games days? Parents how can I help you provide healthy options for your children?
