Advice for young athletes: Make good nutrition a matter of habit
CRANBERRY TWP — Many youth now get serious about sports as young as 8 or 9 years old.
To ensure that they have enough energy to play and are performing at a high level, many of them seek nutrition counseling.
“The parents are taking a more prominent approach in getting them involved in nutrition, trying to say ‘where is the competitive edge there?’
“Sports are getting more and more competitive and I think more athletes and more parents are looking for that competitive edge,” said Jeff Lucchino, sports dietitian who works at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
Lucchino said he recommends most serious athletes to seek advice starting around age 13.
Good nutrition is practiced every day, so one of the keys for younger athletes is developing good habits.
“When they develop bad habits when they are younger and they go into those high school athletics sometimes they are way behind the eight ball,” he said.
Nutrition advice varies depending on the age of the child, what sport they play, how active they are and other factors. In many cases, athletes discover the best regimen through trial and error: trying different foods and meals and seeing what leads to the best result on the field.
A key piece of advice for prepubescent children is that they must drink fluids to stay hydrated, he said.
“Younger athletes lack that sensation of thirst that adults have, so sometimes they don’t think they need water but they actually do and dehydration is one of the common concerns and problematic areas for youth athletes,” he said.
This means that they must be trained and reminded to drink during activities.
Lucchino said he recommends drinking 16 ounces of water an hour before an activity and taking gulps of water or energy drink, not sips, every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. Gulps are better because the water moves quickly and is digested more quickly, he said.
An example of a good beverage for after an activity is chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is hydrating and provides valuable nutrients including protein, sodium, potassium and carbohydrates.
Another piece of common advice is eating breakfast.
“Trying to get something in, in the morning, is definitely very important for an athlete whether they are 8 years old or 80 years old, it’s very important,” he said.
Some people skip breakfast because they aren’t hungry or don’t have time. To address that, he recommends yogurt and oats or fruit, which can be prepared the night before and isn’t too heavy.
Among high school-age athletes, supplements and energy drinks have become popular in recent years, but nutritionists don’t usually recommend them.
They may improve performance and make the athlete feel good for a short period of time, but they can be addicting and athletes can develop tolerance issues over time.
Another common issue for high schoolers is getting quality calories that aren’t high in fats. For this he recommends chicken breast or pasta instead of greasy fast food.
