As the number of child and adolescent athletes continues to increase each year, more children are being exposed to greater training volumes and increasing physical demands-making the need for nutritional and recovery guidance increasingly important. While massive amounts of empirical research are published each year on responses and adaptations to

Expert Nutrition and Health Advice that Will Help Keep Your Child in the Game Whether it's training for a big track meet, rehearsing for tomorrow's dance recital, or playing a casual backyard game of catch, your child's athletic performance, development, and growth depend largely on eating the right foods. Now the largest and most prestigious organization of food and nutrition professionals in the world shows you how to help foster your child's development and maximize athletic performance. The American Dietetic Association's Play Hard, Eat Right gives insight into your active 6- to 12-year-old's changing nutrition needs and provides the tools you need to help your child get a head start, including: * The latest dietary guidelines for child athletes * Tips on selecting nutritious fast food * Important information on nutrition and your child's growth, body weight, and development * Tips to help you provide adequate nutrients--carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals--for a child athlete * Advice on meeting the fluid needs of children Complete with a toll-free hotline number for answers to your nutrition questions, this essential and easy-to-use guide also shows what kids should eat before or after competition, on the road, and during training And tasty, kid-tested menus and snack ideas make the book an essential tool for every active family. "Play Hard, Eat Right is clearly written, practical, and should go far to meet the needs and answer the important questions of parents of young athletes." -- Lyle J. Micheli, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Director, Division of Sports Medicine, The Children's Hospital, Boston "Play Hard, Eat Right contains a wealth of information for any family whose children participate in athletics. This book will show parents how to help their young athletes find the winning edge in the critical but often neglected area of nutrition." -- Wes Hamilton, NFL Player, Minnesota Vikings, 1976-1985 "Three cheers for Play Hard, Eat Right, an easy-to-read book that highlights what parents need to know about feeding young athletes. Now parents finally have a 'how-to' resource that can abate their worries about whether their children are properly fueled for growth, sports, and busy days." -- Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., Director of Nutrition Services, SportsMedicine, Brookline, MA, and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Handbook

Young athletes are always on the go. School, family, and sports eat up a lot of time. For parents and coaches, it can be a challenge to make sure kids are eating healthfully enough to perform at their best on and off the field. Fueling Young Athletes provides the help you need. In this practical guide, Heather Mangieri—a sport dietitian and mother of three active kids—breaks down the nutrition needs of young athletes and explains what the latest research suggests. You’ll analyze current eating habits and preferences and how and where these can be improved. You’ll learn how healthier meals and snacks can equate to improved performance while still being convenient and appetizing. Fueling Young Athletes addresses the issues that families and athletes most often face, such as late-night practices, inconvenient school lunchtimes, demanding tournament schedules and travel leagues, and lack of sleep. Best of all, you’ll find a collection of easy recipes for smoothies and sport drinks, all with common ingredients and nutrition information. Weight management, supplementation, fueling, hydration—it’s all here. Fueling Young Athletes is practical and realistic. If you are a parent or coach, it’s the one guide you should not be without.

It’s hard keeping up with the nutritional needs for kids, and even harder getting them to actually eat many of these foods. Learn how to get your athlete on the right track. With athletic kids, there’s even more to pay attention to! Most young athletes are not eating properly to compete--too many convenient but empty calories that are doing them more harm than good. As a result, these young athletes are losing energy when they should be increasing it, feeling deterred when they should be motivated, and decreasing muscle mass when they need it more than ever. Fortunately, with the right nutrition, young athletes can increase their energy, bolster their motivation, gain muscle mass, overcome fatigue, and improve their performance. Registered dietitian and childhood nutrition expert Jill Castle has written this must-read resource for every parent of active kids ages eight through eighteen. In Eat Like a Champion, parents will find help in: Tailoring diets for training, competition, and even off-season Finding the best food options, whether at home or on the go Addressing counterproductive or unhealthy patterns Understanding where supplements, sports drinks, and performance-enhancing substances do--and don’t--fit in Complete with charts, recipes, and practical meal and snack ideas that can help athletic youngsters eat to win, Eat Like a Champion just may be the difference-maker in your athlete’s next game!

Youth athletes in the 21st century have increasingly high demands to be bigger, stronger and faster. Starting as early as age four through high school, developing athletes may be practicing their sport upwards of 20 hours per week. Proper nutrition is paramount to fueling the body for energy during play, repair and recovery. Pediatric athletes have unique nutritional needs that differ from the principles of sports nutrition for adults. Some important differences include energy expenditure, substrate utilization and thermoregulation in youth during exercise. There are ample resources for adult athletes but specific research findings, recommendations and counselors are limited for children and adolescent athletes. This report compiles and dissects information from robust studies on adult athletes, current pediatric athlete recommendations and suggested applications, assessments and programs from real world experience. Youth Sports Nutrition: A Review relays this comprehensive information in a compact, readable format to be used in the practical application of properly nourishing youth athletes.

This book covers general dietary guidelines for healthy eating for active children as well as tips on pre- and post-exercise nutrition, staying hydrated while exercising, and healthy snacks.