Learn how to spot underfuelling and overtrained signs and fuel your child’s goals with nutrition.
Youth athletes have unique nutritional needs. They need fuel for their daily activities and high training demands and to support their rapid growth and development. Proper nutrition provides the energy and nutrients they need to train hard, recover effectively, and perform at their best. The more your child trains, the more they need to eat.
Not meeting these needs is called underfuelling, a common issue I see working with young athletes in my practice. While elite athletes usually have access to sports dietitians to learn about optimal nutrition, it is much harder for recreational and younger athletes (and their parents!) to find the correct information.
When we get nutrition right in this critical developmental stage, we:
Optimise their athletic performance and development;
Protect them from injury and illness;
Invest in their long-term health, well-being and athletic career;
Set the foundation for a healthy relationship with food and cultivate respect and care for their hardworking bodies.
Adolescence is a time of immense growth and maturation, second only to the growth experienced in infancy. Nutritional requirements are often at their greatest compared to any other stage of life. Adolescent metabolism encompasses the energy costs of basal metabolic rate, growth, development, and active/exercise energy expenditure.
By 16 to 18, most girls have reached their maximum height, and boys are generally between 18 and 20. Nonetheless, the body and brain continue developing and maturing until the mid-20s.
What is Underfuelling?
Underfuelling occurs when an athlete's energy intake from food and fluid is insufficient to support optimal development, health, and athletic output.
Energy in food is measured in calories (kcal) or kilojoules (kJ). Food contains a mix of macronutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, and fat; these three nutrients provide the body with energy. And so if your diet is not supplying optimal energy, you are also missing at least one (or all) macronutrients needed for health and performance.
There is an overlap between underfuelling and overtraining, and the exact interplay is still being explored in research.
Signs of Underfuelling
Some of the underfuelling and overtraining signs to look out for as parents.
General:
| Sporting performance:
|
Gut changes
| Recovery
|
Mood
| Illness & Injuries
|
Weight and growth changes*
| Menstrual dysfunction (born female)*:
|
*Not always present.
Consequences of Underfuelling:
Over time, not eating enough to meet training and development requirements can snowball and lead to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) (previously known as the Female Athlete Triad). This condition includes many of the signs mentioned above but also more severe health complications, including cardiovascular and bone health.
Underfuelling or RED-S may present to different specialists or allied health professionals depending on the symptoms or reasons for seeking help. Research shows that health professionals, coaches, athletes, and parents are not familiar with RED-S, which is often missed or misdiagnosed, causing more significant harm.
Early detection of underfuelling is vital.
What can be done?
An experienced medical professional, such as a sports dietitian or physician, determines low energy availability by assessing energy intake and then energy availability after accounting for energy expenditure and adjusting to weight (specifically fat-free mass). A dietitian like myself can then make recommendations on optimising energy intake, specifically looking at practical strategies to implement “eating more” at the best times.
As a parent, what can we do to prevent underfuelling: 3C’s
1. Don’t compare:
Please remind your child not to compare their food intake (or bodies) with anyone else.
Every athlete has unique nutritional needs and may need to eat differently than those around them. Many of the teens I have worked with get into trouble with their eating because they are self-conscious of how much more they eat than their less active friends (or even family members). Parents are often equally surprised to find out just how much food their kids need to eat!
We also need to remind all our young athletes (and parents and coaches) that weight gain and changes to body shape during the tween and teen years are not only expected but also a sign of good health. This may mean speaking to coaches and family members who comment negatively about your child’s changing body.
Foster Consistency with a Fuel Plan:
During the tween and teen years, independence flourishes, and teens take on and experiment more with responsibilities like what and when to eat. Many teens still need your decision-making support, especially if they have busy schedules, are still learning executive functioning skills, and often find themselves in situations that do not offer ideal food options. Therefore, it helps to sit with them to plan their schedule and brainstorm opportunities for them to eat.
Two great opportunities to boost their energy and give their bodies the nutrients they need to grow, repair and recover are:
Use the commute after training to fuel recovery. The 30-40 minutes after training are a crucial opportunity to recover and refuel your muscles. Walking to the bus or train stop can be used to eat or drink something. Examples of options are a milk-based drink (cow or soy milk) with a granola bar, roasted chickpeas, salted nuts, and dried fruit mix (remember to drink water!), beef jerky (or biltong), and 100% fruit juice.
Add in a bedtime snack. This can be a game-changer for young athletes, helping their bodies repair and recover while they sleep and topping up the day’s intake with anything they might have missed. Some options include custard with stewed fruit, cereal and milk, tuna with crackers, or French toast.
Teach your child that nutrition is as important as anything they do for their sport. When they pack their kit, they need to consider fuel, fluid, sporting gear, and showering essentials. Ensure their kit bag has backup shelf-stable snacks, like roasted chickpeas, granola bars, and nuts.
Get Creative:
Although homemade snacks and curated lunch boxes are all over social media, this isn't possible for many households. Many teens are out of the house for extended periods (especially if they train frequently), so many meals are eaten away from home. With the heat in Singapore, it is also not practical to have a lunchbox sit in the heat for long periods.
Therefore, you should probably think outside the box and scout menus, sporting grounds, vending machines, and grocery stores for “good enough” options.
It might also mean coming together as team parents and organising or advocating for your children to have better options at sporting venues.
If they struggle with time or appetite before early morning sessions, consider the following solutions:
Prepare breakfast options the night before, e.g. overnight oats.
Liquid meal options like smoothies.
Easily digestible options like honey toast, muffins, granola bars or fruit.
Get help if you are feeling overwhelmed or getting push-back from your child.
I know as a parent, you want to support your child to achieve their full athletic potential while maintaining good health. Parents are well placed to ensure their children get enough carbohydrates to fuel their training sessions, enough protein to support muscle repair and recovery, adequate fibre for gut health, and reasonable amounts of healthy fats for hormone production and vitamin absorption. Therefore, being aware of the signs of underfeeding and taking steps to address them is essential.
If you need help understanding your child’s nutritional needs or finding practical solutions for your unique situation, check out my services and book a free Discovery Call to learn more.
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