Nutrition – Working with Parents in Sport

Why young athletes should not overdo sports drinks

Gordon MacLelland — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:36:05 +0000

We see many young sportsmen and women drinking sports drinks on a regular basis after training and on match days across the UK. From U7 sport all the way through to elite sport, the popularity and consumption of sports drinks is on the rise in sporting children.

Part of the reason is that many parents perceive sports drinks to be a healthy option for their little athletes.

Most children are not physically active enough to reap the benefits of a sports drink. Although practices may be scheduled for long periods of time, your child is unlikely to be fully active during this period. As a result not only may your child be doing less exercise than you think, but they also do not need to be replenishing themselves with sports drinks.

There is also some research to suggest that sports drinks consumed in higher quantities may also contribute to weight gain.

If you’ve gotten into the habit of offering a sports drink each time your children head off to practice or a game, you may want to have a change of plan.

Here are some things to think about:

Those involved in high intensity exercise for over an hour or more may benefit from the use of sports drinks during and after exercise.

Those engaged in prolonged exercise (greater than one hour), in high temperatures may benefit from the use of small amounts of sports drinks (a small 12 ounce bottle) to help prevent dehydration.

Consuming sports drinks may result in extra calories, sodium and sugar. Used inappropriately, sports drinks may contribute to excess weight gain and negatively influence a child’s health.

Sports drinks are full of sugar – you may be visiting the dentist on a more regular basis.

Sports drinks may displace and crowd out essential nutrients for growth and health.

Marketing and advertising efforts directed at children and teens entice them to purchase and consume sports drinks. Some common messages kids hear include: sports drinks are a healthy alternative to soda (they are not); they help improve athletic performance (they can help keep a young athlete hydrated during extensive exercise); they increase energy levels (not proven); and are a healthy thirst quencher (the salt content helps quench thirst).

In the presence of a balanced diet, drinking water before, during and after exercise may be enough to prevent dehydration, even with prolonged exercise.

So, if plain water can cover hydration needs without the potential negative side effects, doesn’t it make sense to rethink the sports drink?

Parents ask: What are Amino Acids / BCAA’s?

Gordon MacLelland — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 08:37:57 +0000

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein within the body and are involved in the transport and storage of nutrients.

The 20 amino acids that exist can be divided into essential and non-essential, which determines whether they can be produced within the body or not. The body can produce 11 amino acids, and therefore these are termed non-essential, whilst the remaining 9 (essential) must be consumed through the diet. All 20 amino acids are required for the human body to function healthily, with their roles including, but not limited to the production of:

Proteins
Muscle
Cells
Hormones
Enzymes (allow reactions to happen)
Energy

Photocredit :Compoundchem

So where do BCAAs come into it?

3 of the essential amino acids; leucine, isoleucine and valine can be further subdivided into branched chain amino acids (BCAAs).

The relevance of these to athletes is that they are primarily broken down in the muscle, as opposed to the liver, and can therefore have a direct impact on the building of new muscle protein.

Additionally, they can also provide a small amount of energy during exercise, which could be crucial when primary energy stores (carbohydrates and fat) are being reduced.

Why are they so important?

To allow your muscles to grow, the rate of muscle protein production must be greater than the rate of breakdown. This is known as your net protein balance, and therefore we want to try and keep this balance in a positive state.

When breakdown is greater than production, a loss in muscle mass would occur, and similarly a balance between the two would result in no change in muscle mass. In order for the net balance to remain positive, the body requires adequate levels of amino acids that can continually turnover new muscle protein, whilst minimising the breakdown. Enter, BCAAs.

Leucine (one of the 3 BCAAs) is the key driving force of muscle protein production(1), and therefore its presence would result in a greater rate of muscle growth and repair, important for recovery following a bout of exercise. This would tip the net protein balance in favour of production, rather than breakdown, essentially leading to more muscle growth!

In addition to their primary role of muscle protein production, BCAAs have also shown to reduce muscle soreness following exercise. This is primarily done by minimising the amount of breakdown that the muscle undergoes during exercise.

This is important for young athletes who are training on consecutive days, and would need to recover in order to perform effectively in the next session.

Practical Recommendations

Muscle protein breakdown will occur when amino acid availability drops too low to support the rate of production. Therefore, regular 2-3 hr feedings of protein throughout the day will ensure the net protein balance remains in a positive state.

BCAA’s can be found in natural protein sources such as chicken breasts, lean beef mince, salmon and tuna, which is ideal when focusing on a ‘food first approach’.

It is has been shown that 6g of BCAAs is enough to promote muscle protein production(2), which can be found in the average 150 g chicken breast. The supplementation of BCAAs may not have any extra benefits if you consume an adequate amount of protein through your diet each day.

Don’t Forget the Carbs!

The benefits of the co-ingestion of BCAA’s and carbohydrates have been seen when consumed both before and after exercise. Carbohydrates are not only important for replenishing energy stores, but they can also help activate the pathway responsible for protein production.

The uptake of BCAA’s into the muscle when mixed with a carbohydrate solution was greater when consumed before, rather than after a resistance session(2). This is thought to be due to a greater delivery of amino acids to the muscle due to increased blood flow during exercise.

Likewise, the ingestion of carbohydrates and protein with added leucine following exercise increased net protein balance(3). Therefore, the choice is yours… Just remember your protein timings around your sessions should still align with your 2-3 h feeds.

In summary then, despite their science’y name, BCAA’s are natural compounds of proteins, and are thus suitable for athletes of all ages in sport.

For youth athletes who struggle to meet their daily needs, this can be due to busy schedules, selective eating or convenience – YSN cleverly designed each scoop of PROTEEN.

Be Great – Hydrate!

Gordon MacLelland — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 07:58:42 +0000

We’ve all heard the “eight glasses a day” to help stay hydrated. We all lead different lifestyles and can often forget to stay hydrated if we are busy. So what can we do to ensure that our children are taking enough fluid on board. Being aware of their own hydration status, and how to keep on top of it, is easier than you think and essential to maximising performance.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated

Desbrow et al. (2014) explored hydration in young athletes. Compared with adults, children and adolescents do not seem to regulate their body temperature well, particularly in the heat. Children gain more heat and appear to have a lower exercise tolerance when hot. They also lose more heat on a cold day, whilst having reduced sweating capabilities as noted by Meyer, O’Connor, & Shirreffs (2007). For general activities, sports drinks are likely unnecessary. However, if taking part in long, tough training sessions or competitions, carbohydrate and electrolyte drinks may provide some recovery benefits.

Dehydration could negatively affect performance and health (Sawka, Cheuvront, & Kenefic, 2015). The goal of post-exercise fluid recovery is to restore fluid balance before the next session.

Quick Tips

Carry a water bottle – possibly the easiest way to stay hydrated, you can get reusable 500 ml water bottles almost anywhere nowadays. If your children are out at school, or on the way to training or out socialising, the humble water bottle is not to be underestimated.

Urine Look! – They can monitor their own hydration can be looking at the colour of their urine. If it’s a dark yellow colour, this is generally an indicator of dehydration. If their urine is clear, they are likely well-hydrated and should keep on top of their drinking throughout the day. The chart below is a great guide.

Little and often – it’s much wiser to drink little and often, hence the “eight glasses a day” idea. Imagine you gulp down a 500 ml bottle of water, and then have none left for the next two hours. Yes, you will likely be hydrated having drank the water, but the fact you wouldn’t have any for the next two hours could mean you’d be dehydrated! Little and often – stay on top of it.

Overall, drinking cool fluids like water and milk in sufficient quantities before, during and after participation in sport is beneficial for young athletes. Focus on hydration by monitoring your urine, aim for see-through wee and you’re a winner! Happy hydrating!

Healthy ways to gain weight for the skinny athlete

Gordon MacLelland — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 21:55:25 +0000

Many active children when growing up during their early years find it extremely difficult to gain weight. The more that you seem to feed them with shopping bills rocketing, the more they seem to be able to burn it off. This is all fine unless you have a child who has no weight to burn off at all.

This article from Dr Jacq gives some useful help and advice if you find yourself in that position. The full and original article can be found here:

http://doctorjacq.com/skinny-athlete-healthy-way-gain-weight/

I hear this AT LEAST a few times a week: “My son/daughter needs to gain 5-10 pounds of lean muscle weight…can you help?”

It’s so important for young athletes to eat plenty of calories; not only are they playing sport, they’re also growing and developing, all of which require a high number of calories. For some young athletes, even gaining a few pounds can be difficult and frustrating. There is pressure from coaches, trainers, parents and peers, especially in sports like football, rugby, and basketball which often motivate athletes to gain weight.

First, there are some things to consider:

Genetics matter– Let’s face it, genetics will play a powerful role in this. Some kids are just built leaner, and for the most part these kids tend to be more active even outside playing sports. According to Dr Nancy Clark, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, these kids tend to be “fidgety;” they don’t usually sit still, and in turn burn extra calories even when not exercising.
Unfortunately, it is much easier to gain fat than muscle. It is important to consider the fact that weight alone is not as important as increasing strength and power from muscle gain.
Puberty is Key: Keep in mind that achieving muscle gains will be much easier when athletes have hit puberty; the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends focusing on core strength exercises for pre-pubertal athletes.

Tips for Safe and Effective Weight Gain

The keys to safe and effective muscle/weight gain are 1) increased calories, 2) adequate protein intake and 3) resistance training

Eat Frequently and Consistently- increase calories by 300-400 calories per day. Do NOT skip meals! Young athletes should eat every 3-4 hours, 3 meals and 3-4 snacks every day. Aim to gain no more than 1-2 pounds per week; faster weight gains will often lead to increased fat.
Select HEALTHY High Calorie Foods- enjoy nuts, nut butters, avocados, and olive oil. Switch to 2% milk and drink fruit juice. See list below for more ideas on healthy, high calorie snacks.
Adequate amount of protein at the right times- I’ve written about protein in sports before; right amount and right timing are key. Young athletes do need slightly more protein than regular teens, approximately 1 gram of protein for every 2 pounds of body weight. For example, a 150 pound athlete needs 75 grams of protein per day; protein should be eaten in small amounts, no more than 20-25 grams at a time.ALWAYS include a small amount of protein before and after exercise.
Strength Training- lifting weights and doing push ups are important when talking about weight gain in young athletes. Exercise also stimulates appetite, which will increase calories consumed. Exercise programs should always be under the supervision of a coach, trainer or other qualified adults. Sets of 8-15 repetitions are ideal for muscle growth, and sets of 4-6 reps develop strength and power.
Don’t Forget to Rest!- It’s not only important to rest between intense workouts (24-48 hours), but also to sleep! Sleep is the time when muscle fibers rebuild and repair, so 8-10 hours a night is ideal.

Calorie-Dense Foods and Snacks include:

Whole wheat bagels and breads
Oatmeal
Granola
Cereals with nuts and granola
Whole grain chips
Muffins
Nut-based granola bars
Trail mix
Peanut or other nut butters
Avocado, guacamole and whole grain chips
Olive oil
2% chocolate milk (post-workout)
Full-fat yogurts
Full-fat cheese
100% fruit juice
salmon, lean cuts of red meat

Pre match and post match nutrition

Gordon MacLelland — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 07:53:35 +0000

Thank you to our friends at the Coaching Manual for providing the following infographics which look at providing nutritional tips for parents and players both before and after matches and training. Small changes in nutrition can make significant changes to the performance of your young players.

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