Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes

by Bean, Anita

• ISBN13: 9781770850309
• ISBN10: 1770850309
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-15
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

How to harness the power of good nutrition to excel in athletic performance. Books on sports nutrition for adults abound, but little information is available on sports nutrition for young adults. School-aged athletes are undergoing their final years of physical growth and their minds are continuing to develop. They have nutritional needs specific to their age, activity and even their gender. Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes is written for young adults engaged in athletics whether at the recreational level, like a soccer league, or in serious competition, which often includes a lot of travel. Parents, coaches and physical education teachers will find the book a valuable tool in designing programs to ensure their students maintain peak physical conditioning and good health. The book is organized in six sections of comprehensive coverage: The nutritional needs of young athletes -- e.g., Food as fuel; the protein/carbohydrate split; how to plan a healthy diet Eating for sport -- e.g., Meals and snacks before, during and after training; menu plans Weight and sports performance -- e.g., BMI and performance; healthy weight loss; eating disorders Nutritional supplements -- e.g., Caffeine; energy bars, drinks and gels; creatine; vitamins and minerals Eating for competition -- e.g., The week before, the day before, competition day, tournaments Recipes -- A varied selection of over 50 recipes for easy, delicious and nutritious foods that will appeal to the young palate, including main dishes, vegetarian options, soups, baking and desserts. Carefully researched and designed to appeal to young athletes and the adults in their life, this book fills a need for a nutrition book specifically for school-aged children.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vi
The nutritional needs of young athletes	p. 2
How much energy do young athletes need?	p. 6
What are the best fuels for exercise?	p. 9
How much carbohydrate should young athletes eat each day?	p. 11
How much protein do young athletes need?	p. 17
How important is fat for young athletes?	p. 21
What do vitamins and minerals do?	p. 24
Salt and athletic performance	p. 32
How to plan a healthy diet for young athletes	p. 34
References	p. 39
Eating for sport	p. 40
Before training	p. 41
During training	p. 49
After training	p. 54
Menu plans	p. 58
References	p. 62
Weight and sports performance	p. 64
Is there a link between a young athlete's weight, body fat percentage and performance?	p. 65
Should overweight young athletes be encouraged to lose weight?	p. 66
How can I evaluate a young athlete's weight?	p. 66
How can I measure body fat percentage in young athletes?	p. 68
What are the next steps?	p. 70
What's a healthy weight loss strategy for young athletes?	p. 71
Top tips for maintaining a healthy weight	p. 73
Can young athletes be too thin?	p. 74
What are eating disorders?	p. 75
What causes eating disorders in young athletes?	p. 77
How should I help a young athlete with an eating disorder?	p. 79
Weight gain	p. 81
References	p. 85
Nutritional supplements	p. 86
Caffeine	p. 87
Creatine	p. 88
Energy bars	p. 89
Energy gels	p. 90
Meal replacements	p. 91
Vitamin and mineral supplements	p. 91
Protein supplements	p. 92
Sports drinks3
Energy drinks94
Omega-3 supplements95
References	p. 96
Eating for competition	p. 98
The week before	p. 99
The day before	p. 104
Competition day	p. 105
Tournaments and multiple events	p. 108
Recipes	p. 114
Main meals114
Vegetarian main meals	p. 122
Soup	p. 132
Desserts	p. 136
Baking	p. 141
Useful websites	p. 148
Index	p. 149
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