Performance Nutrition for Young Athletes: Fuel Like a Champion!

By Corey Beasley

One of the most common questions that we get here at FCC is about nutrition. What should I eat? How often? What about cutting weight? Are there any good supplements we should be using? These are all good questions, but the truth is that we have to get the basics dialed, before making things more complicated. This is no different than skill or strength work: Learn the basics first and then try new things down the road. In this week's article, Dr Mohr walks us through a few nutrition basics. While this may seem elementary for some, I'd challenge you to review your week and see how well you're really eating.

Dr. Chris Mohr has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Nutrition from the Pennsylvania State University and University of Massachusetts, respectively. He earned his PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh and is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. He was a consulting Sports Nutritionist for the Cincinnati Bengals and is also an Expert Contributor to Reebok. Through his company Mohr Results, Inc., he works with all types of individuals from youth to professional athletes.

Performance Nutrition 101

By: Christopher R. Mohr, PhD, RD

Young athletes have very unique demands – school, sports, and training.

But even in the busy world of a young athlete, there is a way to improve each of those 3 things – by Fueling like a Champion.

Let’s instead delve a bit into some specific nutrition tips Young Athletes.

Carbohydrates (Good or Bad?)

Carbohydrates should absolutely be the cornerstone of a player diet. The key, is to focus heavily on quality — “think fiber, not carbs!” There is a huge difference between white bread and whole grain, high fiber bread; a sugar coated cereal and oatmeal; French fries vs. sweet potatoes. Focus on the quality of the carbohydrates.

For example, definitely eat breakfast, but try a whole grain based cereal with some fresh fruit for the nutrients and fiber. Something like oatmeal instead of Fruit Loops or Cheerios vs. Cocoa Pebbles.

Sandwiches should be made with whole grain bread, rather than their white counterpart. Snacks can be whole grain crackers with peanut butter, fruit or veggie sticks with peanut butter, etc. The list can go on.

The focus of carbohydrates should always be on foods that provide a few grams of fiber per serving (exception is milk and yogurt, which are very healthy and carbohydrate based, but provide little, if any fiber).

Fruit and vegetables are also a crucial element for a high performance athlete. Kids often shy away from them and parents don’t always push them. However, research has suggested it can take as many as one dozen times to determine if a child likes a particular food. The key for a parent is to introduce kids to as many of these nutrient dense, colorful foods as possible! Make it fun.

Here are a few ideas:

Ants on a log (celery with natural peanut butter and raisins)
Sailboats (apple slices with toothpicks holding a cheddar cheese “sail”— of course watch your child to ensure they don’t eat the toothpick).
Homemade trail mix (mixed nuts, dried fruit, and some whole grain cereal)

Keep in mind that dried fruit counts towards the total fruit intake for the day, as does 100% juice (of course this shouldn’t be the mainstay, though, as whole fruit provides more fiber), along with fruit puree.

Protein Needs of Athletes

In the world of athletics, no other macronutrient has received the same level of attention as protein.

Of course protein plays a role and a very important one at that! One important message is to make sure you always focus on food first – not protein supplements. High quality protein sources include:

fish and other seafood
low or non fat milk or yogurt
chicken and turkey breast
lean red meat
mixed nuts
eggs
beans
natural peanut butter

Should young athletes take a protein supplement?

The better question is:

Do they need a protein supplement? No.
Will it make them into the next college or pro athlete? Of course not!
Can it be beneficial and a healthier option than many of the alternative high sugar, high fat foods marketed directly towards children? Absolutely!

But food first as whole foods provide more nutrients than any supplement does or ever will be able to provide.

Chewing the Fat

Fat is another crucial nutrient for athletes. The key, like with the other macronutrients, is to focus on quality. In fact, there have been a handful of scientific studies to even show that one component of omega-3 fats, DHA, is crucial in terms of brain development. Fat also provides a lot of calories (over double that of protein or carbohydrates), which can be important for very active, young athletes who need more calories than most to develop healthy, strong bodies.

Here are a few fats to choose:

Fish
Whole eggs
Olive oil
Raw mixed nuts
Natural peanut butter
Avocados and more

Don’t overdo the fats, but definitely don’t skimp on them either—moderation and quality is king!

There you have it. Nutrition basics.

Feed your body. It’s a machine. To be the best, you need to train and eat like the best athlete in the world.

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