Whatever the sport – from football to gymnastics – your teenaged athlete has unique nutritional needs. Below we tackle some of the major nutrition concerns for active adolescents.
Hydration
We tend to overlook hydration in many kids, especially athletes. Dehydration affects athletic performance and can lead to headaches, constipation, and fatigue. Learn to recognize the signs of dehydration. These include dark urine, urinating less, reduced sweating, lightheadedness, and chills. Teach your teen to recognize these signs in herself, and to hydrate accordingly.
- Water should be everyone’s main drink, even athletes. Always have water available when your child is active. For variety, throw in a few lemon or orange slices.
- Dilute Gatorade or juice if she’s already drinking a lot of water and wants something different.
- Provide sports drinks like Gatorade if your teen is consistently active for over an hour. (This doesn’t mean games when she spends 45 minutes on the bench and only 15 minutes actively playing). Drinking Gatorade when it’s not needed just provides empty calories.
- Although they are popular with teens, energy drinks are not a good way to rehydrate. They are usually high in sugar and caffeine, and some contain minimally regulated dietary supplements which may pose health concerns.
Carbohydrates
There’s a reason we picture endurance athletes eating big plates of spaghetti: muscles need carbohydrates to function their best. Our muscles and liver store carbs as glycogen, and our bodies use up glycogen when we exercise. An athlete who consumes high carbohydrate foods replenishes stored glycogen, which may improve endurance.
You should offer your teen athlete these sources of carbohydrates:
- Bagels or English muffins
- Fruit (bananas, grapes, apples, etc.)
- Pasta or rice
- Pretzels or pita chips
Protein
Because our diet in the US is high in protein, most of us are getting enough, including athletes. You can encourage adequate protein through diet, and your child doesn’t necessarily need a protein powder. Too much protein doesn’t make someone stronger or build more muscle; instead, the body just pees it out and this can make dehydration worse.
Vegans should pay extra attention to make sure they’re getting enough protein (check out our vegetarian teen articles here and here for more info!)
Good protein sources are:
- Meat
- Nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.) or sunflower butter
- Greek yogurt
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Dried bean/lentil snacks like edamame, Biena chickpeas, or soynuts
Meal Plans
If you’re struggling coming up with meals and snacks for your teen athlete, let us know! We’ve got meal plans you can customize to make sure your active teen gets balanced diet.