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Fueling Kids for Sports and Life · Talking FACS

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Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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food, finance, and fitness.
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This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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and communities to improve quality of life.
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When it comes to kids and school sports, nutrition isn't just about performance.
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It's about powering their growth, focus, mood, and resilience.
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In today's episode, we're diving into why nutrition matters,
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what balanced fueling really looks like, and how families can make it work in
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real life, even with picky eaters, impact schedules, essentially the realities of life.
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Welcome to Talking FACS. I'm your host, Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf,
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an Associate Extension Professor in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition.
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And today, I'm joined by a friend and colleague, Dr.
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Liz Combs. She's an assistant professor and dietitian in the Department of Dietetics
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and Human Nutrition here at the University of Kentucky.
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Liz, thank you for being here and sharing your wisdom with us today.
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You are very welcome. I'm so happy to be here. And this really is a topic that
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is near and dear to my heart in multiple ways.
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So yes, I'm a registered dietitian, but I'm also a mom of two kids who are also
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athletes. And then I'm also a coach.
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So I have many athletes that I get to work with on a weekly basis.
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And I'm really excited to get to share some of this with you.
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I think that's perfect because this podcast is about being practical and what
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this actually means for families.
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So I'm glad that you can pull from both the personal and the professional experience.
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So to get started, why does nutrition matter?
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Why is it such an important piece of the puzzle for kids when it comes to sports and performance?
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When we think about kids, they really are just little bundles of energy.
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I don't have to tell us that, but that means they require a lot of energy and a lot of nutrients.
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And not only are they still just growing physically, but when we also put that
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new layer of, you know, working as an athlete and wanting to have some strong
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performance, that's a whole other layer. And they need more energy and more
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nutrients pound for pound than adults do.
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So that's one really important piece of it. When we think about,
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you know, wanting our children to be successful, we really just want them to
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be happy and to be able to kind of meet the goals they set for themselves.
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And oftentimes that proper fueling comes in the way of also having better focus
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when they're at school, just being in a better mood when they're at home or
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when they're at practice, and really just overall development.
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So kind of meeting overall goals, not just sport-specific, means a big difference
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if we're able to nourish them properly. Absolutely.
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I really think also if we get under-fueled, which is pretty easy to do for kids
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since they are still growing and they really have pretty high energy needs,
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especially as athletes, it can delay their growth or it can impair their immunity.
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And I know if we get like colds or sniffles and they're going all around school,
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it can really impair someone's sports season if they get sick and are out for a week or two.
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So proper nutrition can also really boost their immunity, which makes us all feel better.
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My kids are a little younger. So it's really helpful to kind of hear your perspective
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with some slightly older kids. But my kids are getting into sports and those types of things.
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And I would love to hear your perspective as a dietitian, a mom,
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and a coach. What differences do you see between a well-fueled athlete or child and one who isn't?
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It is just clear as night and day that a well-fueled athlete has a lot more just energy.
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You know, they're happy to be where they are. They're rip-roaring,
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ready to go. They have better focus when they're at practice.
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They're not so distracted. They're not irritable.
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They also have quicker recovery. So, you know, these little beings are putting
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their bodies through a lot.
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I think that if adults had to go through some of their practices,
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we probably would be feeling it the next day. Can't do it. Nope.
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I mean, really. So they do need to recover even if they can't use those words to explain it to us.
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So it does have quicker recovery if they're properly fueled.
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And at the end of the day, they also just have better performance.
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You know, especially if we're talking about long weekend tournaments.
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Again, I do swimming, so we have weekend long meets.
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If we're able to fuel ourselves well, we're able to maintain our performance
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from start to finish and not just fizzle out as the time goes on.
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I mean, on the other side of the coin, if you see an under-fueled athlete,
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which we probably have all been ourselves or all seen our kids do before,
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they just are sluggish and they also are
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pretty crabby so we'll get pretty hangry and irritable
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and that's no way for somebody to perform if we want
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them to play a strong game or if we want them to you
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know do well for themselves in their sport they often
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just have less endurance they kind of peter out during the experiences I know
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when swimming they often have less attention so if I'm trying to explain form
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or work with them or if you have coaches that are working with your kids They
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might have a little bit of a harder time paying attention if their tummies are
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grumbling and they're just not doing well.
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So oftentimes it kind of comes in maybe halfway through the practice or halfway
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through a game where you're like, oh, maybe our fueling wasn't on point today.
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And you can kind of see it as it dips that energy or that mood along the way.
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So if we start to think about kind of the nuts and bolts of actually fueling
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our kids, what does it look like? So what does balance fueling look like for
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a kid, maybe on a typical school day?
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So I'd almost dare say that it's not complicated, but it takes intentionality.
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So, you know, the nuts and bolts of it really are fairly simple,
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that we do want to have a couple of pieces at play on any kind of meal or really
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even snack if we're trying to have a big snack before a practice or a game.
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So each meal should include some type of carbohydrates because that is going
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to be the main energy source for all of our muscles and for our brain.
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So our brain prefers carbs, our muscles prefer carbs, They are certainly not
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the enemy of anybody, but especially not athletes.
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So that would be whole grains, starchy foods like that, fruit as well.
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We do want a little bit of protein. Maybe not the glorified protein everyone
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has made it out to be. Yeah, everything has protein now.
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Yeah, but they do need some. They certainly need some. They need some for muscle
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repair and also just to help their tummies feel fuller longer.
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So, you know, if a family eats some meat products, that would be a great way
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to weave them in. You could also do eggs or beans or nut butters.
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So you do need to have some of that protein there for satiety So we got carbs we got protein.
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We got some healthy fats in there for brain development So whether it could
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be like nuts or some olive oil or the nut butters like I mentioned
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And then last but not least one rule that we do try to abide by in our house
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We don't have many food rules, but one rule is that you have to have a sense of color with
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Every meal and every snack So every meal and every snack in our household,
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and by no means are we perfect at it, but it's something we strive for,
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is to have a piece of color with your meal or snack.
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So some type of fruit or vegetable, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants.
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It could be dried fruit. It could be plastic containers of fruit,
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applesauce pouches. It could be fresh fruit or cheap bananas.
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So that balanced plate, but really also honing in on that fruit and vegetable
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color there to get those antioxidants for recovery.
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What about timing? Because I mean, my kids are always asking for snacks.
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I mean, how do we, what does timing look like if we're adding on the layer of performance?
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Yeah. So I said that the balance of the meals wasn't complex,
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but the timing definitely can be.
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So our schedules are pulling us in so many different directions.
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So I guess, let me come from a perspective of in a perfect world.
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So in a perfect world, we would want these little kids, any kid,
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but also athletes specifically, to not go more than three or four hours without eating.
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So whether that's really being intentional about having a grab-and-go breakfast,
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or if they are going straight from school to like soccer there,
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packing something so they can snack on it before they run out in the field.
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So really trying to go about every three to four hours without,
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you know, stopping that eating process.
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And then another piece that you would want to consider is having a little tiny
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boost right before practice or right before a game.
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So technically speaking, it's typically about 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrate,
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just this little boost. So it could be an applesauce pouch.
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It could be the banana that I was mentioning. It could be a handful of,
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you know, whole wheat crackers, but just something to kind of just give them
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that little boost right before they go out for a practice can really kind of
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make all the difference in keeping that even keel of their well-being.
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So I want to get some more ideas from you. I love the suggestions you've given so far.
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So snack ideas, you threw out some. I'm also curious about breakfast too.
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Like if we're thinking about a busy school day of how do we feel for success
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on the field, but in the classroom. Do you have any additional like practical
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strategies for snacks and breakfast?
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Yeah, I think having multiple options is going to be possible and really help
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get this on the table. And I think you kind of have to have your A,
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B, and C game going on here.
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So, you know, an A game might be something that takes preparation time that morning.
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So it could be, you know, smoothies that you're making that morning or eggs
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and toast with some yogurt in there, maybe even hiding some vegetables in there
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along the way. That would be kind of like an ideal scenario.
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Our B level would be things that we know we can grab and go really quickly.
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So things like peanut butter toast
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or a hard-boiled egg sliced on to a tortilla that your kid might eat.
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Or my kids love cheese sticks and, you know, beef jerky sticks.
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They can have that with a piece of fruit.
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And then we kind of have that C level, not saying it's worse,
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but things that you could prep ahead of time.
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Now, I am not great at this. I will admit that.
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But, you know, if you're able on a Sunday evening or a Monday evening to kind
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of prep maybe muffins and pop them in the freezer or make overnight oats with berries and fruit,
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my kids love to make smoothie bowls and overnight oat bowls where they get to
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top those things with their own favorite toppings as well.
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So it does take planning and intentionality, but it doesn't have to be anything fancy.
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Just trying to go back to that idea of kind of having the carbs and the protein
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and a little bit of color in there can go a long way.
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And even thinking if you're the type of family that maybe makes your weekly
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grocery list and you go shopping at the beginning of the week,
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even thinking ahead to what could those snacks be for the week and maybe changing it up.
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So this week it's, you know, mandarin orange cups and then next week it's grapes.
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So there's just a variety. I think that's great. It is completely fine if you
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have a week by week schedule, you know, so maybe this week you are doing the
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same thing for breakfast every day.
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And I know that variety is important, but maybe giving yourself a little bit
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of grace as a family that it doesn't have to be perfect.
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So, you know, maybe this week you all are doing Greek yogurt and muffins that
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you made on the weekend every single morning for breakfast.
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That's perfectly fine. Just that next week, try to switch something out and
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do something a little bit different.
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I'm glad you said that, too, because we, you know, within Extension,
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we kind of talk about don't focus so much on one meal, but really that pattern
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over time and a chance for time that there's that variety.
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And we have to respect like what people have access to. Yes. So super important.
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OK, so lots of great breakfast snack ideas. You talked a little bit about that
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pre-practice or pre-performance.
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What about post-practice, like the ravenous after practice or a game?
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So do you have any suggestions on what they could eat after practice or games?
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After practice, it does look a little bit different.
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And we're going to have this little marriage between carbs and protein here.
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So, you know, maybe you've seen before that chocolate milk could be their perfect recovery drink.
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That is actually true because of the ratio of carbs to protein.
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And also kids love it. And it's got calcium and protein.
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So post-practice in an ideal world,
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within about an hour-ish of that practice being over, when their muscles are
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extra hungry and thirsty for all these good nutrients, it would be nice to have
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a little bit of carb and protein combo power snack.
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So, you know, think about it as like higher protein yogurt with fruit or smoothie
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that you made with some, you know, chocolate milk in there and some strawberries,
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maybe a turkey roll up that you just made with some deli meat that you had at home.
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So a little bit of carbs, a little bit of protein, ideally within that hour.
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And I kind of like to think of these post-practice snacks as like a recovery
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bridge to get us to your next meal.
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So oftentimes we're running from one practice to another or we're in the car.
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So this could be a little bridge to get you to the next meal when you're going
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to actually sit down and hopefully have something nourishing.
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I've never had chocolate milk in a smoothie, but that sounds amazing.
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Like, I can't believe I've never done that before.
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So, okay, you brought up a beverage. So I think we need to talk about hydration.
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This is, you know, a soccer game and you bring snack and these kids are getting
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a sports drink, whatever it is. Oh, yeah.
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So what role, how important is hydration here?
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What role does that play? And when do kids actually maybe need that sports drink?
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The million-dollar question right there. Probably the one I get the most as
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a registered dietitian working in the sports world.
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So hydration is wildly important for kids.
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It is easy for them to become dehydrated, even if they're not able to tell us that.
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It affects their energy, their focus, but it really affects their muscle performance, too.
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So even just a little tiny bit of dehydration can really interfere with their performance.
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So really, water is going to be the best choice for almost every scenario.
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I know that might not be a popular answer that kids especially want to hear,
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but water really is that best choice unless we're dealing with some certain circumstances.
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So sports drinks do have a place. That's why they're there.
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Mostly for activities if it's going to be longer than 60 minutes of continuous movement.
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So if we have a kid who's playing a full soccer game because they didn't have
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enough people to sub in, or if we have a child that's doing long cross-country events.
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So activities that are going to be 60 minutes or longer, not with these long
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breaks in between, not where they're sitting on the bench for long periods of
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time, but that could really come into play to help give them a boost.
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Also, if it's really hot and humid, so depending upon the time of year and also
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the environment and the sport, If you have a football player,
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if you have a soccer player that's out there doing, you know,
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two a days, that could also be a time when you would want to have a sports drink
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because it does help replenish some of the sweat loss, some of the sodium and other electrolytes.
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Or if the intensity is really high, you know, they might need that little burst of carbohydrates.
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So if it's longer than an hour, if it's really hot and humid or really intense,
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that's the time where we could discuss using it some.
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But water is going to be the best choice for almost anything else.
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And while sports drinks do have a place, I do want to kind of caution at times
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they can't add excess sugar and calories.
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And it just might not be something that we would want to have in our regular,
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you know, go back for our athletes.
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I think another piece here is that the amount, it might not take much,
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right, of a sports drink to be replenished needs.
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And a lot of the products on the market are serving sizes more appropriate for
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adults. So I think being mindful of that as well, right? You're exactly right. Yeah.
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You know, how can families overcome some of these challenges that they may face
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when fueling their kids?
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Like, I'm just thinking about our busy schedules. I have one child who I would
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label as picky in what they like to eat. If there's budgetary concerns,
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maybe pick out a couple and kind of talk us through how to overcome those.
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They are very valid challenges and every family has kind of their own or it
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could change from season to season or week to week.
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For busy schedules, it really is about kind of letting go of that perfection
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and just kind of doing the best that you can at that moment in time by being as prepared as you can.
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So, you know, going and buying certain snacks and keeping them in your car that
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are shelf stable, obviously.
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So, you know, having little packs of trail mix or having, I know I've been relying
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and harping on these applesauce and yogurt pouches, but they really do work well in a pinch.
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So trying to kind of have a sports snack bag ready to go on like Sunday or Monday
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of each week and keeping it in your car if they're shelf-stable items.
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You mentioned budget. There are a lot of nutritious foods that can stretch that grocery dollar.
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So things that are definitely going to
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be less than a dollar a serving like bananas or if
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you're able to you know throw beans into a tortilla we we
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really do a lot of hard-boiled eggs in my house I know not all
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kids would eat a hard or touch a hard-boiled egg oatmeal we'll bake that we'll
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do overnight oats so some of these basic pantry staples really do lend themselves
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well into a tight budget when we're talking about these kids and and like I
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said I really do want to just support the idea of progress over perfection.
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It really is about these small, consistent habits and these small things that
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we can help support our families.
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And it does not have to be perfect meals any stretch of the imagination.
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So you're a professional at this. Mom, you know, year-round swim coach.
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Maybe give me one or two ways that you actually put these strategies into practice in your own life.
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You can't leave it up to chance. I would say it's what I've learned the hard way.
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I've definitely made my fair share of mistakes of like, oh, we'll rely on the
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concession stand when we get there. Oh, we'll run to the gas station that's
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probably near that pool.
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And every time that has not served us well. So we can't leave it up to chance.
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I do try to pack some like little mini meals.
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My kids love having like little bento boxes almost.
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It'll have to be expensive or fancy, but little Tupperware containers that can
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separate the foods out. They like to pack those themselves before meat.
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Yeah. I mean, they kind of have fun. And also if they pack it themselves,
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they're more likely to actually consume it, which is a win-win right there.
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So like we'll pack sandwiches in the cooler.
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We'll do wraps. We'll do, you know, a little air pop popcorn to snack on.
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So I think you can't leave it up to chance. You have to prep ahead of time.
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Otherwise, it's really not going to happen.
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And then I do encourage to always have a water bottle with you.
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I think that is very normal these days. I think our kids are very used to it.
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But if they don't have a water bottle, the likelihood of them staying hydrated
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is pretty much non-existent.
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So overall, I try to share with the kids that fueling is part of being an athlete,
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not an afterthought, and that, you know, they might practice for a couple of
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hours a day, but they're fueling themselves 24 hours a day, and it should take a priority.
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To take care of themselves and to meet their sports goals. I absolutely love that.
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And I'm also thinking about how budget-friendly that is or economical because
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it can be quite expensive if you're just quickly running into a convenience
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store or the concession stand or if you don't have cash and they only take cash.
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So yeah, planning ahead. Oh, it always feels like a win, right?
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When I feel like, oh, I haven't spent $22 in the concession stand buying food
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that we normally wouldn't rely on, I do have a little sense of success when
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we hack that stuff and it works. I won't take the small wins.
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Oh, you're exactly right. No. Great.
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So as we wrap up this conversation, it's been great. But if we're,
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if, you know, a parent or a caregiver is listening, what is just one or two
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things from this conversation that you really want them to walk away with?
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You know, I think today in society and conversation, what we see in the media.
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You know, certain food groups can be villainized and in the world of all humans,
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but especially in the world of sports, carbs are not the enemy.
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They are that main source of fuel, even simple carbohydrates,
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things that we might not always think of as being the quote-unquote most nutritious.
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They hold a very important place in the sports fueling world.
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So kids need them for energy. They need them for performance.
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You know, things like the goldfish or things like even sometimes we'll use gummy
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candies, believe it or not, as crazy as that sounds.
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My kids like those, like fruit ropes, for example. So I would say that that's
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probably the biggest piece is that carbs are definitely the friend of an athlete.
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And then I would lastly say that, you know, fueling these kids is really about
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setting them up for success in all aspects of life, not just on the sports field.
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And so trying to kind of ingrain some of these habits about caring for themselves,
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about nourishing themselves, I think can carry a lot longer,
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not just on the sports field, but really in everyday life to where they just
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feel better and are kind of fueling themselves for just other aspects too.
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Liz, thank you for making this seem doable. It's not super complicated.
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Thank you so much for being here today.
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You are very welcome. Thank you so much for having me. So to wrap things up,
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you know, nutrition isn't just fuel for the game. It really is kind of fuel
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for life and all the aspects and places and spaces that our kids are.
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So whether you're kids in the pool, the field, the classroom,
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these balanced meals and smart snacks really help them to stay focused,
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energized and resilient.
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