Are Nutrition Needs the Same for All Young Athletes?

Nutrition is an important part of athletics for athletes of all ages. Young athletes are still growing, which means parents, athletes and coaches need to focus on a balanced diet and sufficient calorie intake that match training programs. Nutrition needs are not the same for all young athletes as all young athletes don't train on the same level.

The Basics of Athletic Nutrition

On a basic level, athletic nutrition needs to supply enough protein and carbohydrates to fuel muscles and maintain healthy glycogen stores during athletic training and competition. According to Baylor College of Medicine, a high-carbohydrate diet comprised of whole grains, yogurt, fruit and fruit juices is ideal for growing athletes. Parents and coaches of young athletes can also use ChooseMyPlate to create a simple, high-carbohydrate plan for optimal nutrition.

How Do Specific Sports Alter Nutrition Needs?

Depending on the sport young athletes are participating in, there could be changes in basic nutrition needs. If your child runs the mile, they will burn an average of 0.63 calories for every pound of body weight. So, if a young athlete weighs 120 pounds, they will burn about 75 calories running a mile. On the other hand, if the same 120-pound athlete played a full, four-quarter game of basketball, they would burn about 218 calories. The runner requires fewer calories to replace calories lost during activity than the basketball player.

Practice Makes Perfect, but It Also Changes Nutritional Needs

If a young athlete practices two to three days a week with a moderate activity level, they will have different nutritional needs than the young athlete practicing five hours a day, seven days a week. Nutrition is all about providing the body with enough fuel to support muscle and bone growth and prevent muscle wasting and weight loss.

Creating the Perfect Nutrition Plan for a Young Athlete

The perfect nutrition plan for a young athlete is tailored to the specific needs of the athlete. My daughter is a basketball player. She is 5 feet eight inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. She practices five days a week for two hours a day. Her nutrition needs are different than other players who weigh less and practice fewer hours. To calculate the basic caloric needs for your young athlete, add the basal metabolic rate to the calories burned during exercise.

For my young athlete, the basal metabolic rate is about 1,667 calories per day. Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories the body needs for basic functions like breathing, walking and organ function. Out of two hours of practice, her team plays basketball about one hour, so she burns about 476 calories per practice. She burns about 14,049 calories per week or 2,007 calories per day. This number, of course, does not take gym class or other outdoor activities into consideration, but it does give a baseline number for her to shoot for when planning meals and snacks.

Are the nutrition needs the same for all young athletes? The answer is a resounding no. Young athletes use different muscles and burn varying amounts of calories. Nutrition plans should be based on individual needs based on weight, sport and activity level.