The vital role of nutrition and hydration for young athletes

Fuelling your body correctly is not just a recommendation but a necessity, especially for adolescents involved in sports. With growth, development, and performance at stake, it is crucial for parents and educators, as well as the young athletes themselves, to understand how proper nutrition and hydration can significantly impact athletic potential.

Why is proper nutrition essential?

Adolescence is a period marked by rapid growth and physical development, requiring higher energy and nutrient intakes than any other life stage. For young athletes, these needs are even more pronounced, as their bodies are not only growing but also exerting themselves physically during training and competition. A typical youth athlete needs to consume more nutritional intake than their non-athletic peers to meet both their energy and performance needs.

When presented with recommended daily intake goals, young athletes can often express surprise, finding it hard to conceptualise the high fuelling requirements that are needed to meet their needs. This is a common challenge that can lead to underfuelling, or more specifically, low energy availability, a situation where the intake of young athletes does not match their bodies' fuelling demands to meet their required nutritional needs. This not only hinders growth and development but impacts their daily energy levels, recovery, and overall performance.

Making nutrition practical and accessible in scholastic settings

Helping adolescents understand what they need to eat can be daunting. They often struggle to visualise the quantity of food that is necessary to fuel both their daily lives and their athletic activities. Schools, teachers, and parents must work together to offer students practical, evidence-based nutrition education, breaking down complex dietary recommendations into actionable steps that are easy to follow.

Student-athletes need to understand that their nutritional requirements will vary depending on their activity levels. For example, training days may require higher nutritional intake compared to rest days. Educating students on how to adjust their meals and snacks based on their physical activity levels can help prevent under-fuelling and support optimal performance.

Educating schools and parents on fuelling needs

While the focus is often on young athletes, it is equally important to educate parents, teachers, and schools. These groups play a critical role in ensuring adolescents meet their nutritional needs.

Parents and schools need to understand that highly active adolescents require a food intake based on the individual's demands to support their growth, development, and athletic performance. In schools, especially those with boarding facilities, the staff may require education around appropriate portion sizes and tailored meal plans that are essential to ensure each student-athlete receives adequate fuelling based on their training demands.

Schools must also consider varying energy needs across the week, offering larger portions or additional healthy and appropriate snacks on training, competition or recovery days.

By also educating parents and schools, we can create a supportive environment where adolescents receive the right nutrition, both inside and outside the school setting.

Navigating diet trends and information overload

Adolescents today are bombarded with diet trends and conflicting nutritional advice, especially through social media. While specific nutritional guidance can be implemented based on personalised needs or due to medical factors, any dietary recommendations require careful planning by a sports dietician or performance nutritionist to ensure young athletes receive all necessary nutrients. Instead of endorsing any one diet, the goal should be to provide students with accurate, practical, evidence-based nutritional information that they can draw from to meet their individual needs.

Parents and schools must ensure adolescents have access to reliable sources of nutritional information – professionals who understand the high fuelling requirements of young athletes. Social media influencers and fad diets often promote restrictive eating patterns that do not align with the nutritional needs of growing, active adolescents.

The overlooked importance of hydration

One critical area that often gets overshadowed by discussions on nutrition is hydration. Hydration is key for both cognitive function and physical performance, yet many students do not start their day adequately hydrated. This can negatively impact their energy levels, focus in the classroom, and performance on the field.

Drawing on my personal reflection on how to better implement ‘water breaks’ throughout the day has led me to think about promoting a water break at the start of lessons and during the school day. This can go a long way in ensuring students remain hydrated. This will improve cognitive function and performance for both teachers and pupils and lead to a new culture surrounding thoughts and discussions about hydration that benefits both students and staff.

Supporting young athletes is about creating an informed environment where students, parents, and educators understand the importance of nutrition and hydration and how this translates into enjoyable mealtimes. By providing adolescents with the right knowledge and resources, we can help them unlock their potential, both in their sports and in their everyday lives. Whether it is through educating schools, clubs and parents so they can support young adults or educating the students themselves to understand how to adapt portion sizes to match their level of activity, every step toward better nutrition is a step toward better performance.

Let's ensure that the next generation of athletes is well-prepared, well-nourished, and well-hydrated to achieve their best.