Q&A | Fuelling Juniors & Active Kids
Q: What are some of the best foods to fuel without feeling “heavy”
A: What kids fuel on before sport will depend on the time you and your kids/ athletes have. If there’s a short amount of time to eat, having foods that are energy dense, easy to eat, and easy to digest will be best. It can also take time for people to adjust to food - some can tolerate milky drinks, others can’t. So some practice and “training to eat before sport” can be very helpful. Some foods to try:
Fruit, a handful of dried fruit or cup of fruit juice
Flavoured yoghurt
Simple muesli bars like fruit twists or rice puff bars (commercial or homemade)
Rice pudding or custard
Slice of bread / toast (or 2) with spread
Otherwise, having a bigger meal (like lunch or dinner the night before) can help top up energy for training, so not much is needed beforehand.
Q: What should junior athletes be eating when they have lots of growing still to do?
A: Growing kids need to be eating regularly throughout the day and around sport to meet their energy needs and growth needs. Serving meals into 1/3 portions can be helpful in getting the nutrients they need - like carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins and minerals from veggies and fruits. Dairy foods like milks, yoghurts, cheese and custard are great snacks to include too. Along with nuts, nut butters and grains (like grainy breads, crackers, rice and oats).
Q: What are some great protein rich snacks for kids?
A: Protein rich snacks we often recommend our juniors and active kids include:
Milk drinks (plain, milo milk, smoothies)
Homemade nut and energy balls
Cheese - on toast or crackers
Yoghurt
Tinned tuna
Boiled eggs or egg sandwich
Trail mix
Cottage cheese and crackers or veggie sticks
Nut butter with fruit, crackers or bread / toast
Q: Should kids and junior athletes be using protein shakes and other supplements?
A: No. It’s best juniors fuel with whole foods, because this will provide all the extra nutrients they need to grow and recover for training. Try milk drinks, yoghurts, cheese and protein in meals like meat, fish, beans, eggs, lentils and tofu instead. They have lots of growing still to do and maturing in their sport, so performance enhancement will come with this.
Q: What are good dinners to eat after late night training and just before bed?
A: Often if you have time, and depending when training starts, you can have an earlier dinner (for example 5 or 5:30pm), and then have a filling snack when you get home late (or on the way home if that works). Such as milk drink and toast, yoghurt and muesli, eggs on toast, or a smoothie. These can often sit better just before bed; or you can try splitting your dinner meal in half, and having some before and some when you get home.
Q: Can you give me tips for fussy eaters?
A: Tara shared her tips for fussy eaters and lots more in our earlier webinar on Healthy Eating for Kids. You can watch that here.
Q: What are some snack alternatives to packaged foods?
A: We’ve compiled a recipe book for active kids which has lots of snack ideas, such as:
Homemade muesli bars
Energy bites or bliss balls or nut mixes
Vegemite scrolls (or sandwich pieces such as peanut butter)
Overnight Oat mixes or granola to add to yoghurt or milk
Oat cookies
Muffins with fruit and veggies such as Carrot Cake Muffins and Apple and Carrot Muffins.