How to feed the child who performs sports activities

When a child plays sports after school or on weekends, you must ensure that you provide a good amount of energy to enable that physical activity. Even more so when it comes to extreme or very frequent activities, such as physical training at competitive levels, be it football, basketball, rhythmic g

Food for the child who performs sports activities

Sports children have higher than average nutritional requirements, because they use more energy in their daily physical activity. These needs are directly related to the number of hours and the intensity of the physical exercise that the child performs, starting from the base of the individual baseline requirements of each child. Take note of these tips to feed the child who performs sports activities.

The most important thing in the moments before and after the exercise, as well as during it, is the maintenance of proper hydration. Although children do not have a visible tendency to sweat too much, physical exercise increases perspiration, increasing the chances of dehydration. It is vital to ensure that the child has access to hydrating drinks.

The first option is water, which must be accessible at all times. However, after physical exercise, a supply of vitamins and minerals to compensate for the loss that occurs with sweating, may be advantageous. In this way, a drink based on water and fruit (a natural juice could do this service) could be an option to consider. In fact, the juice has the added advantage of providing simple sugar that can be beneficial to recover energy after exercise. In addition to water, with sweating minerals are also lost, mainly calcium, iron, sodium, potassium and magnesium. Calcium is vital for bones and iron is vital for the respiration of cells and the functioning of muscles.

Although it is necessary to replace everything lost in perspiration, it is always preferable to avoid energy drinks or sports drinks and refreshments, since they are not appropriate in childhood. In case of extreme sweating it is better to resort to an oral rehydration solution, although better under medical recommendation.

Another very important recommendation is not to eat right before the physical exercise, but try to leave a space of around 3h before an intense activity. The main reason for this recommendation is that the body uses energy to perform digestion as well as to maintain body temperature, so if digestion is being done during exercise, much of the energy will be focused on the digestive activities and not in the physical exercise itself, being able to exhaust the energy and decrease the performance.

As a summary, something that should always be kept in mind is:

- The child who performs sports activities must be well hydrated

- The child must be offered a balanced diet.

- Avoid high protein or low fat diets

- Avoid diets that are excessively rich in simple carbohydrates.