What to Feed Kids Before and After Sports or Physical Activity

The right food for kids before sports can provide them with the key nutrients they require for better performance. Various factors such as the age, duration, type and intensity of the activity influence what food for kids before sports should be provided to help them maintain their energy levels.

Whether it is outdoor play or sports like football, cricket, badminton or swimming, nutrition for active kids is often overlooked. Training and practice schedules are just one aspect; proper nutrition in terms of food for kids after sports also needs equal emphasis to support recovery. An in-depth understanding of the role of nutrients, foods to avoid and tips can help you fuel your child’s active schedule with healthy dietary habits.

Importance of Nutrition for Young Athletes

Children spend a lot of energy while running, jumping and playing. From busy school schedules to a highly active routine, where they play sports, a child athlete needs a balanced diet to fuel their growing bodies.

Optimum nutrition for active kids helps in the following ways:¹

• Improves energy levels
• Aids in muscle healing and recovery
• Strengthens immunity
• Supports better focus and attention span
• Reduces the risk of injury

Nutrients for Child Athlete

Here are the essential macronutrients every child athlete should include to support physical activity and optimal performance.²

• Carbohydrates: They are the primary source of energy. Due to inadequate carbohydrates, kids may feel tired quickly and struggle to maintain the intensity. Opt for whole grain cereals and products like whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, oats and multigrain bread, along with fruits and vegetables in their diet.
• Protein: It helps build and repair muscle tissue and provides strength. Protein supplies amino acids to rebuild the muscles that break down during training and competitive sports. Incorporate good sources of protein like eggs, dals, milk, curd, paneer, soy products, chicken and fish. Furthermore, milk protein benefits for athletes after practice includes kick-starting muscle protein synthesis.
• Healthy Fats: Unlike carbohydrates which are the quick-energy source, fats provide sustained energy for long-duration sports. Healthy fats also reduce inflammation in the body, which helps speed recovery. Source of healthy fats are nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish, etc.
• Vitamins and Minerals: Of the various micronutrients, vitamin C (immunity), iron (transport oxygen to muscles), calcium and vitamin D (strengthen bones) are necessary to keep active bodies healthy and functioning effectively. Include foods containing these nutrients as mentioned below:
• Vitamin C: Amla, oranges, guava, berries, papaya
• Calcium: Dairy foods, sesame seeds, soy and its products
• Iron: Green leafy vegetables, bajra, chana, soy chunks, garden cress seeds, etc.

Nutrition for Active Kids: When to Eat

Consuming a meal 1-2 hours prior to the sports or practice allows for digestion and keeps the stomach light. It should comprise foods containing easily digestible carbohydrates along with protein.³

• Foods for kids before sports: These include vegetable upma or poha with added peanuts, idli with boiled egg, oats porridge, chapati egg wrap, or a whole wheat vegetable egg/paneer sandwich.
• Snacking: If your child has an after-school practice, you can pack quick-to-eat snack options like a trail mix of nuts and dried fruit/fruit such as a banana, apple or orange/ popcorn with almonds/peanuts.

Post a sports session, the child’s body feels exhausted and needs food to regain strength and feel energized once again. Hence, a meal primarily must consist of protein rich foods that help muscles repair along with some carbohydrates.²

• Foods for kids after sports: These include eggs and whole wheat toast, a yoghurt fruit smoothie or milk based nutritional drink. The ratio of casein to whey protein in milk is ideal, which aids slower digestion and absorption, causing sustained elevation of amino acids.⁴ This milk protein benefits for athletes helps in muscle recovery. These refueling snacks can be followed with a later meal consisting of chapati/rice with dal/curd/soy chunks/non-veg, and vegetables or whole wheat wraps with veggies and paneer/chicken.
• Hydration: Staying hydrated is very important to help prevent muscle cramps and fatigue in kids. Always provide water before, during and after sports.⁵ You can also offer coconut water, fresh fruit juices or homemade lemonade with a pinch of salt and sugar as healthier hydrating options.³

Foods to Avoid

Inclusion of certain foods before or after sports may affect the child’s energy levels, digestion, recovery and hydration. Also, these foods may lack nutritional benefits. Here is the list of some of the common foods generally not recommended:³

• Deep fried and oily foods
• Heavy, greasy meals and spicy foods
• Packaged snacks like chips, wafers and farsan
• Chocolates, candies, sweets and pastries
• Carbonated beverages, energy and sugary drinks

Nutrition Tips for Growing Athletes

Here are some tips for parents to make sure that young athletes receive proper nutrition that positively impacts their sports performance:

• Offer 3 nutritionally balanced main meals, food for kids before sports and after and a healthy snack during the day.
• Avoid skipping breakfast in their routine, as it can affect their energy levels, leaving them less focused. This can hamper both their daily activities and overall performance in sports.⁶
• Refuel with food for kids after sports, such as a snack within 15-60 minutes and a well-balanced meal 1-2 hours following the activity.¹

Conclusion

When you know how nutrition affects a child’s practice session and recovery, you can decide what food for kids before sports and later should be given to support the process. By focusing on the right nutrients, you can provide them with a well-rounded diet that contributes to their sports performance and wellness. Alongside a balanced diet, nutritional drinks such as Complan with 34 vital nutrients can also be included to provide the milk protein benefits for athletes. Complan is made of milk protein with all the essential amino acids and has 63% more protein than other malt-based drink.

Complan is not just a nutritional drink, it is a delicious addition to a kid’s daily diet. It comes in 4 kid-friendly flavours.

Try the lip smacking flavours of Complan now. Order from quick delivery stores like Zepto, BlinkIt, Swiggy Instamart or even the Zydus India website, Amazon and Flipkart.

*Growth and cognitive development are influenced by genetic, nutrition and environmental factors. Complan to be taken as a part of daily balanced diet.

*Refer Individual pack for mandatory regulatory & statutory information. Mnemonics are for creative visualization. ® Registered Trademark *Refers to outcome of a clinical study amongst 800 children over 12 months, published in Ind. J. Nutr. Dietet., (2008), 45, 449, 495 comparing kids who consume usual daily diet vs. kids who consume usual daily diet plus 2 recommended serves (2x33g) of complan. Protein in Complan is sourced from milk.

*DAIRY BASED BEVERAGE MIX (1.1.2) PROPRIETARY FOOD.