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Expert says parents with kids who play sports need to make sure they're properly fueled, hydrated
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BATON ROUGE — If your child plays sports after school, make sure they are properly fueled so they have the energy to compete and play.
Registered dietitian Jennifer Hyland at the Cleveland Clinic says her general advice is to make sure kids eat carbohydrates before playing sports. She says that carbs break down quicker in the body than fiber or healthy fats, adding that running on an empty stomach is not ideal.
Hyland recommends granola bars, pretzels with hummus, trail mix, raisins, a smoothie, yogurt or fruit as good carb options.
"Something that comes up a lot of times is kids who have slightly later practices, so they're eating dinner before, but they don't want to eat this big dinner before because they're worried about how it's going to feel on their stomach. So, I think it's perfectly reasonable to split things up a little bit," she said. "So maybe we have part of dinner before, a small plate, and then we eat the rest of our dinner afterwards. Or maybe we have a larger-size snack before, right when you get home from school, around, say, 3 or 3:30. If your practice isn't until 5:30, that's still plenty of time, and then you can eat afterwards."
Hyland also emphasized the importance of staying hydrated, recommending that children drink plenty of water throughout the day rather than chugging a large amount right before practice begins.
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