It’s game day.
Your child is excited. The day is going to be very demanding – both
physically and emotionally. While the coach will take care of the pep
talk, game strategy and planning, you as the parent are anxious and
keen to help. Let the coach deal with game skills and strategy, any
more advise from you might interfere with what the coach has planned
and directed. The one thing that you can really help with is
nutrition. The right food can help the child get the necessary
energy, keep the child physically and emotionally active, and can
also help keep up the performance.
Here’s a good
game day nutrition plan. However, for specifics you should get in
touch with a sports nutritionist or a diet consultant.
Pre-Game
Breakfast
The time interval
between the breakfast and the game should ideally be between 3-4
hours. Plan your day accordingly. The pre-game breakfast should have
some fresh fruits, juice or skimmed milk, eggs and some carbs in form
of bread or potatoes. The nutrition should be balanced in a way that
provides required fuel to the body and mind.
During the
Game
During the game
it’s important to stay hydrated. Since body loses its hydration as
the child seats, the water and minerals in the body need to be
replenished. But the intake of water or other hydrant should be in
small quantities, 2-4 sips at a time, and in short intervals. Add
some lemon juice and a slice of lime to lukewarm water, add some
sugar and salt, and keep in a flask that will maintain the
temperature. Take this drink 1-2 sips at a time in short intervals.
This is all natural sports drink full of home-made goodness. This
will work better than the expensive sports drinks available in the
market.
Post-Game
After the game,
the kids would be hungry, tired and drained. A rush of natural sugar
will do good at this point. Serve some fresh fruit, low fat yogurt,
fruit sorbet or smoothies.
Post-Game
Dinner
Post-game dinner
is important. The muscles that have been through wear and tear during
the game need to heal. The body needs to replenish the lost energy
and muscle during the game. hence the dinner should include a healthy
and hearty portion of nutrition of to help body get the minerals and
vitamins it needs to replenish. The meal should include whole grains,
protein, dairy, fruit and vegetables. Whole grains can be in form of
wheat bread or wheat pasta with vegetables and low fat cheese and
tomato sauce. Or if you are not including the vegetables in the
pasta, have some greens or a salad in the side. To complete the meal
have a dessert with fruit, like apple pie , yogurt parfait or fruits
and yogurt trifle.
Upload the
pictures of your child’s game day nutrition on InstaTeam to
encourage healthy food habits. Share your healthy food ideas on
InstaTeam with your team to inspire the team.
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