There comes a time when kids enter the world of organized sports. And if they enjoy and stick with it, things begin to change. Appetites increase, schedules get out of whack and performance matters. One very overlooked aspect of how well a child performs in any sport is nutrition.
Jill Castle, my coauthor of Fearless Feeding, has a solution to this missing component of kids sports. Her new book, Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition For Your Young Athlete, helps parents and kids understand and use nutrition to their advantage. This is not just about performance either, it’s also about avoiding the food traps that can result in kids growing into less-than-healthy adults.
Did you know…?
- Children (6-18) who play sports have diets higher sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, and calories than those who don’t.
- It’s common for young athletes to fall short – or even become deficient — in important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, iron and folate.
- Research shows 75% of young athletes (8-18) come to practice dehydrated, which negatively affects performance.
- At the start of the sports season, protein needs are a bit higher due to the increased muscle building that takes place. Protein along with carbohydrates is also important for recovery after exercise.
- Children cannot store carbohydrates in muscle the way adults can which is why “carb loading” is ineffective for kids.
Eat like a Champion helps parents see that young athletes are not little adults when it comes to nutrition. They are still growing and that growth changes the game. Castle covers every aspect of kids’ sports nutrition including balancing carbs, protein and fat, hydration, vitamins and minerals, supplement benefits and dangers, how to snack smart and more. I love the stories of Castle helping young athletes solve their nutrition dilemmas. Most of the kids and parents were completely unaware that poor nutrition was hindering performance and growth!
As someone who grew up playing sports, I would have loved advice on eating and performance. I used to make sure before a big game that I had a complete breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast (knowing what I know now that meal would be very different). This really is the perfect time to teach children how the food they eat affects their bodies. And now parents, coaches and anyone involved in kids sports have a well written, research-based book to help them. If you own just one book on nutrition for young athletes, make it Eat Like a Champion.
There are also some enticing snack recipes in the book. I tried Castle’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites. They were so easy to make (no baking) and really tasty.
If you have a child in sports, Eat Like a Champion is the book you need to help them perform at their best and grow healthfully.
I have an overweight softball player and an underweight baseball player and really need to figure out a way to get healthy dinners and snacks into weeknights crammed with practices and/or games.
My daughter is 12 and a gymnast, runner, and softball player. My son is 8 and a swimmer and baseball player. Trying to get them to make good choices and knowing what is best to fuel their bodies is a challenge.
I have an 8 year old swimmer. I shared this on FB.
You listed stats I’m not surprised about! All three of my children have always played sports but I’ve noticed since they started playing water polo, the need for better nutrition and water has increased dramatically! I’m always looking for new ideas to feed my picky eaters! It’s a challenge for sure!!!
All three of my kids play multiple sports, and I know nutrition is key…it’s just a matter of getting healthy meals and snacks into them with crazy schedules. Practices/games are always at dinner time! Hydration is super important for my 14 yr old, who actually gets light headed when not adequately hydrated. This book sounds great!
My kids have been in karate for the last year and my daughter now wants to join Girls on the Run as well. I’d LOVE a copy of this book because I know that their nutrition definitely has room for improvement!
With 4 active daughters, high school to kindergarten, I am always looking for healthy ways to keep everyone’s nutritional needs met without processed foods. Also, between practices and competitions/games we are often on the go and that makes it even tougher.
Oh my gosh! We were just talking about this! There is so little info out there on nutrition for kid athletes. We had a hard time finding anything – particularly for girls (as if girls aren’t athletes! what is this 1820?) and even more particularly for pre-teen girls. We would LOVE to have this book. LOVE to have this book. Love love love.
Many family and friends have children active in at least one sport each year. As a dietitian I’m often their go-to for nutrition advice, and this resource would be most helpful. Thanks!
I will be starting a health coach practice and will be hoping to see families as my main group of interest. I would love to have a copy of this book to have that much more information to guide my kids to becoming healthy and supported during their athletic endeavors.
I would love to have this book because I am an RD who educates school sports teams on proper nutrition for sports. I am also a mom of twins who participate in various sports so I would love this information for personal reasons, I am a Certified Personal Trainer too. I also teach moms of infants proper feeding for their babies, I know Fearless Feeding is an excellent book and I recommend it to all of the moms, so I am sure this book will be just as excellent! Thanks for the opportunity!
I have an 11 year old son who struggles with weight issues and self esteem. He would love to be an athlete but doesn’t have the confidence. I would love a copy of this book to help him!
i think this book would be helpful for growing kids no matter their activity level.
Recommended by you- must be good!
I would love to give my neighbor a copy. She has a teen boy involved in several sports. Since I am a RD, she was asking me for some nutrition advice for him the other day so this would be very helpful for her. I already bought myself a copy of the book 🙂
My son loves playing sports and I would love to help him, nutritionally at least, put forth his best efforts!
My son loves sweets so this might help us better fulfill his nutritional needs. Thanks!