By Dr. Hillary Zieve
Contributing Columnist
The lines are too long. I don’t like the food. I use the time to hang out with friends.
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I see a lot of teenagers in my pediatric practice who participate in after-school sports, and these are some of the most common reasons they give me for why they skip lunch.
And that’s not a good idea. For obvious reasons, teenagers and younger kids need to eat something before they participate in rigorous exercise.
It’s better to have fuel in your system instead of starving. You won’t perform as well on an empty stomach, and you’ll likely overeat after practice.
I recommend that kids have some sort of meal three to four hours before exercising or participating in after-school sports — mostly carbohydrates, with a moderate amount of protein.
Avoid pizza and hamburgers and other fatty foods. You don’t want something too heavy in your system before a workout. That could lead to an upset stomach.
If a workout is first thing in the morning, a snack should do the trick. But a mid-day meal is important for physical activities that start after the dismissal bell rings.
No time for a full meal around lunchtime? Then munch on some trail mix or a granola bar, or eat a hard-boiled egg or some yogurt with fruit in the hours before you hit the sports field.
An hour before your activity, don’t eat, but drink away. Water is always the best choice.
During your sports activity, drinking an electrolyte beverage can help, especially when it’s hot outside and you’re sweating a lot.
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After practice, consuming something with higher protein (animal or plant-based) is ideal vs. pounding down food that is high in carbohydrates. Protein helps build back your muscles.
For the perfect and simple after-workout recovery drink, have some chocolate milk. It’s full of protein and carbohydrates and is a terrific way to tide yourself over before dinner.
I never recommend caffeine in the late afternoon — especially for younger kids, so avoid any sports drinks with caffeine. The same goes for foods and snacks high in sugar. And that goes for any time.
I recommend healthychildren.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ parenting website, as an excellent resource on nutrition and countless other health topics. One recent story on the website details the benefits of protein for young athletes, including how many grams of protein one should consume daily based on one’s weight.
For example, as a rule of thumb, boys and girls between ages 11 and 14 need half a gram of protein per pound of body weight daily. Thus, a young teenager weighing 110 pounds needs about 50g of protein a day. Between ages 15 and 18, the recommended daily amount drops slightly.
Another article on the website discusses sports nutrition for busy families and busy lifestyles. One takeaway: Try to spread calories throughout the day and avoid large meals in close proximity to exercise.
So, by all means, keep participating in after-school sports. Just don’t forget to fuel your tummy before you do.
Dr. Hillary Zieve is a primary care physician at the Santa Ana Boys & Girls Club, part of Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County’s primary care network. She is also an assistant clinical professor at UC Irvine within the Department of Pediatrics and the deputy program director of the UC Irvine/CHOC Pediatric Residency Program.
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