Basic Supplements for your Young Athlete

Hello again!

One of my passions is to promote excellent nutrition for young athletes.  These kids train harder and longer than we ever did!  It seems that the days of backyard football games are over.  We have heralded in a new era of travel leagues that promise experience for the budding high school, college or pro athlete. Coaches and parents are looking for the right equation for success.

Nutrition takes discipline. Hard work, consistency and focused effort.  Sound familiar? An essential element to an athlete's success is nutrition.  Excellent nutrition will be the new edge.

All athletes go through phases of increased strength followed by a plateau as their body trains at a higher level.  Critical to the plateau phase is nutrition that will support this new level of athleticism. 

Basic Supplements:

• Whole food vitamin
• Fish oil
• Vitamins A-C-E (anti-oxidants)
• B-complex

1) Why a "whole food" vitamin?

A natural source of a nutrient will also be accompanied by catalysts to assist in absorption. The whole food vitamin provides a natural supply of the desired nutrient and carries multiple sub-nutrients that will enhance its action in the body. Our bodies respond to natural foods better than artificially created foods.

2) Fish oil

Fish oil has DHA, which is an essential component of cell membrane structure. It gives the cell flexibility allowing smooth communication and passage of nutrients into and out of the cell. I am referring to all kinds of cells from muscle to nerve to brain to heart cells. A successful athlete will have nurtured his body to keep cell structure at its optimum. A flexible cell can oxygenate, communicate and perform functions with efficiency and ease.

A diet deficient in DHA will result in cells that become increasingly rigid.  How? Cells need fats for their membranes.  Saturated fats are much more rigid in shape and they will be accepted as a substitute for DHA in the cell membrane. A stiff cell cannot work well with other cells. Our body has millions of cells and if they are fed a consistent diet of saturated fats and chemically laden foods, it will add up to decreased function which will ultimately impact athletic performance.

 

3) Antioxidant vitamins A, C and E

These are powerful nutrients that protect our cells from damaging chemicals and free radicals. The free radicals can cause permanent damage to the cell membrane by scarring and impairing its function.  An athlete needs optimal function from all cells.  It is relatively easy to consume antioxidants; Vitamin A is abundant in vegetables, Vitamin C is abundant in fruit, and Vitamin E is abundant in nuts. A rapid natural infusion of these nutrients is offered by making fresh fruit and vegetable juices. High quality antioxidant supplements are also available.

4) B-complex

Finally we have the essential B-vitamins.  B-vitamins are required for energy metabolism.  Obviously the athlete wants the most efficient conversion of food into energy, so they will definitely need plenty of B-complex! It is important to recognize that B-vitamins are water soluble - which means that our bodies do not store them in fatty tissues.  Therefore they are needed in our daily diet, and supplementation should be part of their nutrition support plan.


When you child comes home discouraged by a sub-par practice, they are very hard on themselves. The farthest concern from most parents is nutritional support. I am here to tell you that this is a critical component of their success. I will spend the next several blogs talking about sports nutrition, supplements, sports drinks and superior nutrition to give your child that edge.

Until next time -

Let me know how it goes!

~Rose