
Everyday Fuel!
To perform at their best on event day, active juniors need to ensure that they are fuelling their bodies with nourishing food and drinks everyday!
However, most parents can agree that this is easier said than done! The stage of adolescence is very complex with both physical and physiological changes occurring (i.e during these years teens grow faster than ever before) – alongside a move towards greater independence.
This can include adolescences having more autonomy over their own food and drink choices. It may look like more meals eaten away from home, including an increase in convenience meals which are loaded with excess salt, sugar and saturated fats. Food choices can also be influenced by other factors like peers and social media trends!
So why do active juniors need to build a supportive foundation diet?
Building a supportive foundation diet during adolescence is important for:
- Optimal growth and development
- Supporting immune health
- Maintaining concentration school
- Achieving their sporting goals
- Developing a healthy relationship with food.
Ensuring healthy growth and development at this time in their lifecycle is priority even above sports performance goals, as without healthy growth and development active juniors can’t perform at their best.
Once a supportive foundation is in place, then the addition of sports nutrition strategies can maximise performance on event day.
So, what foods should be included to build your active juniors foundation? It’s key to focus on foods from the 5 core food groups and water as the drink of choice!
- Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high-fibre varieties
- These foods contain important vitamins and minerals to help with growth and development, and fibre which helps to keep us feeling fuller for longer. When these foods breakdown in our body they provide our muscles and brain with the energy they need
- These foods incorporated into your day might look like, wholegrain cereals for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and rice with your dinner
- Milk, cheese yoghurt and dairy alternatives
- This food group includes important minerals such as calcium and protein for strong bones and carbohydrates which can also give our muscles energy. When choosing dairy alternatives be sure to aim for products which contain 100-120mg/calcium per 100g
- For example, having cheese in your sandwich, yoghurt for a snack and milk with your breakfast
- Vegetables and legumes/beans & Fruit
- Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals which can help support our immune system and may prevent us from getting sick as well as fibre to keep us fuller for longer and our tummies happy. When it comes to eating fruits & vegetables aim to eat a rainbow!
- You might add fruit to your breakfast cereal, or including as snack and add vegetables to your sandwich, crunch on them as a snack and stir-fry some at dinner
- Lean Meats and poultry, fish, eggs tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans
- This food group contains important nutrients, vitamins and minerals for looking after our muscles, and helping them grow strong .
- Including this in your foundation diet might look like adding chicken in your sandwich and beef in your stir-fry.
The number of serves each teen needs differs for everyone, but recommendations are split up by age and sex (check them out on page 5 in our Fuel Your Body booklet ).
Active juniors who participate in sports need even more energy and nutrition from the foods they eat everyday. How much more they need depends on:
- Age and activity level
- Training load
- Competitive goals
Additional serves should come from the grains group as these provide extra long-lasting energy.
Check out our Fuel Your Body booklet for more practical tips and ideas for including these foods everyday.
This information is general and for personalised support we recommend seeing an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.