Kids & Nutrition

CF505 YOUTH

The CARB LOADING Myth:

Some parents and coaches believe that kids should "carb up" before a practice or game, and feed them a bagel or pasta. This isn't true, will probably decrease performance, and should be stopped.

Feeding a kid a bunch of grain-based food immediately before practice will slow them down. Grains pull water out of the muscle and into the stomach, causing cramps, an "overfull" feeling, and sluggishness. Want to slow down a racehorse? Give him a pail of grain right before a race. Want to slow down your kid? Do the same.

If given a giant bowl of pasta the night before an early practice, your child's stomach will be clear. But the insulin spike from the carb-heavy meal will leave them with a sugar crash in the morning; they'll feel tired, crabby and sluggish until they eat more sugar, and then ride that roller-coaster all day.

Even most marathon runners, who need prolonged energy at low levels over several hours, are starting to trend away from this bad habit and instead opt for a combination of carbs, protein and fat the night before a race.

 Adults tend to choose foods based on taste, but research shows this isn't true for kids.

Kids make food choices based on, in this order:

1. Novelty

2. Texture

3. Taste.

"Novelty" can mean appearance, or activity surrounding the food, or presentation. If you look at packaging on "kid food" as an adult, you'll think the manufacturer went way overboard on bright colours and shooting stars. But they know better: to a kid, the shiniest box contains the best-tasting food. Luckily, we can use their knowledge for our own (less-evil) purposes.

Packaging food in a unique way, arranging it on the plate to make a picture, making it finger-edible, placing it in a different spot in the house...kids' brains are wired to pay attention to novelty. These things all help. Filling a special "hockey day" bowl with grapes, nuts and cheese to eat on the way to the rink can help. A picnic on the floor while sorting hockey equipment can also help. A final tip: turn off the tv while getting ready in the morning; no meal can compare to the shiny distractions on the screen. Letting kids choose their fruit in the grocery store can also help, because their sense of ownership will combine with the novelty factor.

Texture: in the morning, stick to crunchier, more texture-rich foods. While some kids will eat a banana (or yogurt) in the morning, cereal companies bank on how a food FEELS when it's being eaten. It's psychological, but few people wake up starving, and eating soggy cereal is unappealing anytime. What's crunchy? Fruit. Nuts.

Taste: It has to taste good, but that doesn't mean you need sugary cereal or fake yogurt in tubes. "Natural" sugars like syrup and honey aren't better than table sugar, but fruit goes a long way.

Your kid doesn't need a big breakfast, and it doesn't have to be perfect every time. Some cut up fruit or raisins; a little handful of nuts; and a piece of cheese or stick of bacon will go a long way. But when a kid hops out of the back seat with a sugary muffin and a hot chocolate, her coach knows she'll be hyper for the first ten minutes, then tired and cranky for the next 50

For more Nutrition guidance, contact us!

Youth Program at CF505 is on Wednesdays at 3:20pm and 4:05pm

Unit 8/1 Commence Place, Burpengary | 0400 072 132 | crossfit505burpengary@outlook.com