ABSTRACT
The number of child and adolescent athletes participating in sports has climbed substantially in the past several decades. In many situations, athletes participate in more than one sport and as a result undergo signicant amounts of exercise stress throughout the year. As the training load and physical stress increases due to higher amounts of participation, the need and concern for adequate nutrition also increases. Across the board, young athletes require more energy (calories) in their diet as a direct consequence of the extra energy expended while participating in sports and other activities. Carbohydrates should be considered a primary fuel source for exercising athletes with many reports recommending carbohydrate intake to be around 4-6 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass each day. To facilitate recovery, repair, and growth of a new tissue, adequate protein is needed and again studies report that exercising athletes have greater dietary protein needs than age-matched nonexercising children or adolescents; protein intakes of 1.2-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass each day are recommended. Finally, dietary intake of fat is an important consideration due to the many important functions for dietary fat. A primary consequence of exercise and competition is metabolic heat production whereby the human body responds by increasing its rate of sweat production in an attempt to cool the body. For these reasons, uid intake and hydration are important considerations for young athletes. Adequate intake of key micronutrients is of utmost importance as many vitamins or minerals can become decient if extreme dietary restrictions or patterns are followed. Finally, the number of child and adolescent athletes exposed to and intrigued by dietary supplements is impressive and in the overwhelming majority of situations, athletes should rst focus on learning how to use food in their diet to fuel their activities and to promote growth and recovery. In the end, sports and other types of organized activities are intended to be fun and recreational for children and adolescents offering opportunities for them to grow physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Adequate dietary habits can be and should be an important adjunct to facilitate these outcomes for all kids who participate in sports.
