How to Fuel & Hydrate your Kids for Youth Sports
Are you a parent with a child active in youth sports?
Would you like to help them fuel properly so they can not only play their best, but play as safely as possible?
If so, you’re in the right spot. That is exactly the topic I seek to cover in this article.
NOTE: this article is not going to cover day-to-day nutrition.
This article is specifically going to discuss the fueling and hydration strategies that are best practice on the day of the game, meet, or race.
If you have questions that you would like more personalized answers to, feel free to email me at info@fitnesssimplified.org.
The night before
If your child has a game scheduled on Saturday, then the fueling begins on Friday night.
The biggest concern in this meal is carbohydrate intake.
Why?
Well, carbs are stored primarily in muscles but also the liver to a smaller extent.
On the night before, you should aim to get your child’s carbohydrate stores as full as possible.
This way, they won’t need to eat a super large meal the day of the game to fill up these stores; which can be advantageous because large meals pre-game can cause stomach distress in some. Especially if it’s a morning game.
Some good examples of high-carbohydrate foods you can choose from include:
Rice
Pasta
Potatoes
Fruit juice
Bread
etc.
Based the available research, I recommend somewhere between 2-4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body mass.
So, take your child’s bodyweight in pounds,
divide that by 2.2,
and multiply that number by 2 for the lower end and 4 for the higher end.
If you are wanting to measure out the food on the plate, that is the intake range to aim for.
Although, I wouldn’t say you NEED to measure out how many carbohydrates your child is eating.
As a general rule of thumb, just make the meal a high carb one.
It can also be a good idea to have a decent fat intake as well at this meal, primarily because fat will be limited in the pre-game meal (discussed next).
The source of fat in the meal could simply be the oil used to cook it. For instance, if pasta is the choice of carb, you could pour some olive oil onto the pasta.
Other sources include:
Nuts
Avocado
fatty fish
etc.
As far as protein goes, my recommendation here is the same as it would be for most other meals.
In a given day, an individual should eat 0.8 grams of protein per pound bodyweight.
This means that the nigh-before meal should have 0.2-0.3 grams of protein per pound bodyweight.
Some good sources of protein include:
Chicken
Steak or beef
Turkey
Porkloin
Fish (salmon, cod, swordfish, etc.)
Shellfish (shrimp, scallops, crab, etc.)
Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Eggs
etc.
The pre-game meal
The meal before the game should be comprised of mostly carbs and protein.
Fats and fiber should be limited, because these can take a long time to digest; which can lead to stomach distress mid-game.
The meal should be eaten 1-4 hours before warming up begins.
The more time in between this meal and the game, the larger it should be.
The less time in between this meal and the game, the smaller it should be.
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Some example ideas I would recommend include:
Toast w/ jelly or honey and eggs
Bananas and yogurt
Cereal and protein powder
Chicken breast and rice
etc.
Pre-game hydration
In an ideal world, your child will be drinking fluids consistently in the hours leading up to a game.
However, for a harder rule, you can use the following:
20 ounces of a salted fluid 1-2 hours before the game.
Sodium is an important electrolyte that is involved in many processes such as thermoregulation, fluid balance, facilitating energy production, and more.
The problem is that sodium is largely lost through sweat.
High degrees of sodium losses should be avoided, as this can lead to dehydration, performance decrements, and increase risk of heat stroke.
It is for this reason that pre-loading of sodium through a salted beverage is indicated.
When I say “salted beverage” this can be in the form of a store bought sports drink or you can simply add half of a tablespoon of salt to a bottle of water.
NOTE: not all sports drinks available in stores deserve to be called “sports drinks.” Many are no better than colorful water. I will provide recommendations and products to avoid at the end of this article.
During-game hydration
What sort of beverages your child has available during their game, match, or competition can make all of the difference.
I recommend having two types of beverages made available:
A sports drink containing a sufficient amount of sodium and and carbohydrate (sugar)
Plain water
Most of the benefits will come from the sports drink, but it can also be nice to have plain water handy as well to wash out the taste if preferred.
If the sport at hand is a field or court sport such as soccer, basketball, or football, then I wouldn’t worry too much about the dose of sodium or sugar.
As long as the drink has a decent dose of each, drinking it liberally or as preferred will work fine.
If the sport at hand is a continuous endurance event, such as triathlon, then you may want to be more intentional.
In such events, the following guidelines should be followed:
30-60 grams of carbohydrate (sugar) every hour
9 oz of fluid containing ~200-300 mg sodium every 20 minutes (even if they do not feel thirsty)
What makes a good sports drink?
There are two ingredients that make something a “sports drink.”
Sodium
Sugar
If a drink markets itself as a sports drink but does not contain these two, then it is nothing more than flavored, colorful water.
The problem is, many brands are marketing their sports drink as “low sodium” or “low sugar.”
To sedentary individuals, low sodium or low sugar is probably a good thing.
For an active child competing in sports, it’s a bad thing.
So, below are some brands or products I would recommend as well as others I would avoid.
Brands/products I would recommend:
Full sugar / full sodium gatorade
Full sugar / full sodium powerade
Brands/ products I would NOT recommend:
Body armor
Prime