Sports nutrition is a very important factor that highly determines the progress of a teenage athlete in his/her favorite sport. Although the science of sports nutrition is highly complicated and involves numerous variable schools, there are some basic tips and guidelines, which if followed, can improve the fitness and strength of your active teenager.
Eating a balanced diet is the most important sports nutrition tip. Nutrients are divided into 4 broad groups; the group of carbohydrates and fats, the proteins' group, the dairy products' group and the group of minerals and vitamins. Each meal must include at least one food type from each group.
Nutrition Sports
Carbohydrates and fats are the major source of energy for the body during exercise and should comprise at least 33% of the diet of the teen athlete. Proteins, especially of animal sources, are important for building stronger muscle fibers. The proportion of proteins in the diet of an athletic teenager is highly determined by the type of sport practiced; for example, body builders and boxers usually need more proteins in their diets than soccer players and bicyclers. Dairy products, vegetables and fruits are rich sources of minerals and vitamins. Numerous minerals and vitamins are important sports nutrition elements that act as co-factors in the synthesis of stronger muscle fibers (positive nitrogen balance).
Sports nutrition experts have emphasized the crucial role of the pre-exercise meal in predicting the outcome of an exercise session. The nature of the pre-exercise meal should depend on the style of exercise of your teenager; if he/she prefers to exercise in the evenings, lunch should consist of easily digestible food types with a high content of complex carbohydrates such as bread, vegetables, fruits, chocolate and cereals. A medium sized bowel of salad with 2 small pieces of meat is a good pre-exercise meal for evening exercise sessions. On the other hand, if your teenage child exercises first thing in the morning, breakfast should be light; an egg, a fruit and toast is convenient in most cases.
Sports nutrition researches have shown that eating a snack half an hour before the exercise session triggers elevation of blood glucose to prepare the body for the high energy consuming physical actions. A chocolate bar, a large banana or an energy drink is usually appropriate in most cases. Teenage athletes are also advised to consume more water during the 30 minutes that precede the exercise routine. This is essential to prevent dehydration as during exercise large amount of water is lost from the body through sweating and respiration.
Sports nutrition researchers have long been focusing on the role of the post-exercise meal in affecting the muscular growth and the built up stamina. Carbohydrates are important to refill the muscular fuel stores (glycogen), while proteins are essential for healing of the muscle fibers. The post-exercise meal should be eaten 2 hours after the exercise session. When preparing a post-exercise meal for your teenage child, try to stick to a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4 to 1.
These were the basic sports nutrition guidelines that would maximize the strength and stamina of your child.