Food Choices Affecting Young Athletes

James is a 14 year old boy who is very athletic and eats lots of food. Not everything is as nutritional as it should be and the following will share the positive benefits of making good food choices, including some recommendations.

Young people are in the ‘ready,go’ mode when it comes to participating in an athletic event. Most of these young people, as our case participant, James, thinks eating anything will give them what them to achieve their goal. Downing a doughnut and drinking a bottle of Gatorade will not do the trick, nor will it provide nutrition to enable them to be a good athlete. Many young athletes don’t figure into the equation that good nutrition is a vital part of their performance and how important it is to learn this.

Both are necessary and effect their growth and development as many young athletes have very low intake of the right carbohydrates and micronutrients, running on low energy, essentially causing hurt to their

When a person does not have the proper balance of carbohydrates, it causes the body to work harder than it should and ushering in fatigue, faster. Glucose is a sugar in the body that is designed to kick in during any type of physical activity; it is the fuel your body needs to workout. Carbohydrates provide that glucose. If the body does not have enough glucose it will use the energy from muscles which is protein. When there is a deficiency in calcium that causes weak bones and does not allow the nerves impulses or muscle contraction to respond properly (Thomas and Manore 2006). Not having enough calcium puts the young athlete at risk for fractures and other injuries. Vitamin B deficiencies along with folate are very important to metabolism and the health of blood. A lack of these nutrients, including iron, especially for the female athletes can also lead to fatigue, muscle soreness and the ability to concentrate, which is necessary for those who are in athletic competitions.

Recommendations:

Stay hydrated. All athletes must replenish the fluids lost when exercising. It is a good rule of thumb to weigh before and after to see how much you have lost. This loss of weight will more than likely be fluid. The general rule of thumb is drinking 16–24 ounces of