Nutrition for Young Athletes

When it comes to young athletes the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach is always best, especially with all of the confusing information out there about nutrition.  A young athlete is training and practicing like older athletes but their body has the added demand of growing on top of that.  Because of this, the caloric demand on their body is much greater.  Three simple rules to follow for young athletes are 1.  Always eat breakfast; this needs to be a healthy whole grain and protein rich breakfast.  2.  Lot's of healthy fats;  every cell in your body is composed of fat, without fat young athletes don't posses the necessary building blocks to grow to their full potential.  Simple strategies for this are eating whole eggs at breakfast, drinking whole milk, adding olive oil to food or shakes, and eating all natural peanut or almond butter.  3.  Get 5 meals/day; young athletes are constantly on the move and although sitting down 5 times/day isn't realistic, having meals packed and snacks ready to go for your young athlete is crucial to their health and performance.  Only eating once or twice per day will negatively impact not only athletic performance but academic performance as well.

So follow these 3 simple rules and your young athletes will be on their way to performing at their highest potential.