Athletic Nutrition
Teen athletes have special nutritional needs that differ from the average teen. Teen athletes must eat enough to grow and develop in a healthy way like any growing person. They must also eat to sustain and support their rigorous training and play in their chosen sport.The major difference between teen athletes and average teens is their extra need for energy and calories. Non-athletes need up to three thousand calories a day while athletes may need up to six thousand calories a day to support their sport. Activity in an average teenagers day may be quite limited. An average teen may only have to walk to class several times a day. In California, students need only take two years of physical education in a four year high school. In contrast, an athlete may run two miles daily in physical education, which is usually a class especially for a specific sport. Before or after training is even more rigorous. The athlete may run up to ten miles in sports like tra
Protein needs range form 80 to 122 grams per day for a teen of average weight. Foods with protein also have high fat content, which may lead to a diet too high in fat. Starchy vegetables and whole grain or enriched bread, cereal, rice, and pasta are good choices for carbohydrates. An athlete that eats a fatty steak may feel too full to eat enough potatoes, bread or rice at the same meals. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are still the source for energy, but eaten with athletic performance in mind. Food without fat does not make the body feel full. To provide the best source of nutrients for the six thousand calories an athlete may need, food is recommended over the use of nutritional supplements, which can be dangerous to the body. Most athletes tend to make mistakes about fat and try to avoid it as part of their diet. Because an average meal takes three to four hours to digest, snacks or small meals are recommended because they can be used by the body for energy in as little as an hour. For an athlete in training, the recommended source of fuel for muscles is carbohydrates. In endurance sports like long distance running or soccer, some amino acids are essential for fuel. A diet too high in protein has two problems. Some athletes believe that extra dietary protein builds muscle and use high protein diets. It is used to absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. To help athletes store more glycogen in their muscles, a balanced diet rich in complex carbohydrates is required.
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