How to Feed Properly a Child Who is involved in Sport Activities
Healthy eating is important for everyone but for children it is crucial. They need all the ingredients from various foods that they can get, for their bodies to develop properly. Therefore, children should eat healthy and balanced meals but children who are involved in sport activities need a little bit of extra attention.
Healthy and balanced meals made from the right amount of different kinds of foods and drinks are necessary for keeping up the energy level that every child needs, especially physically active child. If children are athletes and are involved in strenuous endurance sports, they might need to eat some increased amount of food. If they feel that, what they place in their bodies is not enough and that they get tired more easily and more quickly, they need to eat more. The reason that athlete kids need to eat more food is that they burn more calories while training.
On the other hand, when we consider drinks, what athletes should consume sometimes is sports drinks. These sports drinks are specially made for sports persons who are loosing plenty of fluids while training or competing. Sports drinks help with restoring the lost energy and with replacing electrolytes lost through sweating. But even if sports drinks can help, the best and the healthiest drink is water. Children should rely on water and only sometimes on sport drinks when necessary.
Otherwise than that, there is no difference between the ways, that athlete and regular children should eat. Healthy eating is all about eating balanced meals, which are consisted of the right amount of calories and a variety of nutrients. Importance of eating food rich with various vitamins and minerals, proteins and carbohydrates is huge. Calcium and iron, for example are vital for athlete kids. These two minerals are actually crucial in endurance. If child wants to be good and strong athlete, he needs calcium for strong bones and for resistance to breaking. Eating enough cheese, milk, yogurt and broccoli can fulfill those needs. Iron rich food like meat, dried beans, and fortified cereals are important in kid's diet because with lack of iron, they get tired more easily.
Proteins are responsible for building and repairing muscles and should be included in every child’s diet, especially for physically active child as well as carbohydrates, which provide energy.
If child who plays sport is not eating well-balanced food, his endurance will not last long which will affect his performance and in one word, he will not be able to do his best.
By Ljiljana Anicic
Source: rafed.net
Other links:
3 Secrets to Getting Your Child to Transition from One Activity to Another
What You Should Know About EATING DISORDERS
Psychological Roots of Not Having a Baby
Lactose Intolerance during Pregnancy
Keeping Your Childs Teeth Healthy (Part 1)
Keeping Your Childs Teeth Healthy (Part 2)
Keeping Your Childs Teeth Healthy (Part 3)
