Young athletes’ nutrition needs aren’t all that different from kids who spend less time being active. Still, there are a few things parents and caregivers can emphasize to help ensure kids are properly fueled for their sport and that they build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Nutrition tips for young athletes

Because kids who take part in sports generally burn more calories and need extra boosts of energy to get through practice and games, proper fueling is important. By focusing on the right breakdown of nutrients, kids can maximize their performance and still have energy to do homework at the end of a busy day.

Don’t let protein crowd out carbohydrates

According to Alex Roth, MS, RD, CSSD, Clinical Program Manager of Sports Nutrition at Children’s Hospital Colorado, maximizing protein is particularly trendy right now, especially on social media. However, it’s carbohydrates that should be in the spotlight. Roth says the most common issue he sees among athletes is inadequate carb intake.

“As athletes, we generally need more protein than the average Joe, but I do think that we have gone a little bit too far and we're eating too much protein,” he says. “It can get to the point where we aren't able to get enough carbohydrates in because protein fills us up and then we don't have enough of an appetite to eat enough carbohydrates to fuel our body.”

When athletes don’t get enough carbs, especially before a big game or practice, they can feel sluggish or lack the energy to perform their very best.

While protein needs generally stay consistent regardless of how hard you’re training, carbohydrate needs increase. Consider bread, pasta, rice and potatoes at meals, fruits throughout the day, and eat easily digestible carb sources before or during activity, such as fruit snacks, honey, granola bars or sports drinks.

Understanding your calorie needs

Much like carbohydrates, calorie needs change as exercise and intensity increase. That doesn’t mean that athletes need to rigorously count calories. Instead, Roth says it’s as simple as listening to your body.

“If you're someone who's training multiple times a day or for hours every day, and you're getting home at night and you're really hungry, that probably means you didn't eat enough throughout the day or you probably should have eaten more recently,” he explains. “When you're really active, you need to make sure you are prepared in advance and have snacks or meals packed and ready to be eaten, especially during your busy days.”

Roth also notes that massive meals aren’t always a good solution to hunger. Instead of waiting until you’re starving and eating a giant portion, Roth says it’s better to get calories consistently throughout the day through meals and snacks.

It’s not about a number; it’s about paying attention to when you’re hungry and meeting your body’s needs.

“If you're constantly fatigued, not recovering between practices or games, or you’re consistently getting hurt, there's a good chance you're not eating enough calories to support all the activity you're doing,” Roth says.

The role of supplements in sports nutrition

Supplements can be a valuable tool in making sure athletes are filling in any nutrient gaps they may have, but Roth says it’s always best to start with food.

If something isn’t feeling right with your kids’ fueling and energy levels, Roth says the best place to start is a dietitian — not online. A dietitian can help identify those gaps and recommend whole foods and fueling techniques to address them.

“Typically, you'll see much more progress from adjusting your food intake, but there are certain situations that are likely to benefit from supplementation while you work to address those gaps in your diet, like an iron or vitamin D deficiency,” Roth notes.

Beyond helping athletes navigate these challenges, dietitians can point parents and caregivers toward trustworthy, third-party-tested supplements that guarantee you know what’s going into your child’s body.

Roth adds that creatine and protein supplements are well studied and safe for athletes to consider once they are consistently eating a nutrient-dense diet with appropriate timing to support performance. However, he recommends that supplements not replace whole-food sources of nutrients. For example, protein shakes are fine to help you get enough protein throughout the day, but relying on them at every meal is less favorable than leaning on something like chicken, beef, fish or other high-quality, whole-food protein sources.

Getting the timing right

While general nutrition guidelines aren’t significantly different for athletes, timing can be. Roth says eating the right things at the right time, and even the timing of hydration, can have a notable impact on sports performance and recovery.

Planning food around practice and game day

Before activity: Three or four hours before a game or practice, eat a balanced meal (high carbs, moderate protein, low in fat). About an hour before activity, eat an easily digestible, carbohydrate-focused snack, such as fruit snacks, a granola bar and a sports drink. Avoid higher-fat and higher-fiber foods right before, because your body digests these slower, and this may cause stomach issues during activity.

During activity: If you’re playing or practicing for an hour or more, fueling up can help keep you going. Eat easy-to-digest carbs, such as honey sticks, gummies, applesauce pouches or dried fruits. Be sure to hydrate no matter how long the activity is. For practices or games over an hour, sports drinks can be helpful to include. For anything shorter, you can generally stick with just water.

After activity: Combine carbohydrates and protein to help you recover after activity. If you know it’ll be a while before you can get home and eat, pack a snack so you have food handy.

Remember: Game day is never the right time to try out a new snack or food. Roth’s rule of thumb? “Nothing new on game day.”

Make hydration an all-day habit 

Good nutrition can only take a young athlete so far. Hydration also helps ensure their bodies have what they need to get through a day of school and practice. Roth recommends kids keep a water bottle on them so they can drink up and refill between classes.

This helps them avoid the last-second, pre-practice chug.

“You can't play catch up with hydration,” Roth says. “You have to start early, stay consistent, and that's how you're going to be in a well-hydrated state come game time.”

Roth adds that there’s no set amount of water each kid needs. And instead of constantly using hydration supplements to boost electrolytes, it’s important to consider how much they sweat, how salty their sweat is, and even how hot or humid it is where they’re exercising.

If they always have a white sweat rim on their hat or clothes (indicating salt loss), they’re playing outdoors in 100-degree heat or they have a very high sweat rate, an electrolyte supplement can be a good add.

Setting athletes up for a lifetime of proper nutrition

Young athletes are no more immune to societal pressures and body standards than anyone else. Paying close attention to nutrition can help kids succeed on the field or court, but balance is important. Parents and caregivers can play a significant role in making sure kids learn nutrition habits that set them up for a lifetime of positive eating habits and a healthy relationship with food.

Adolescent nutrition is different from adult nutrition

According to Roth, one of the most important ways parents and caregivers can support young athletes is to remember that their needs might be different from yours.

“One of the struggles we see is that parents are the ones that are generally feeding the athletes,” he says. “We need to keep in mind everybody's goals because, as a parent, we may have individual goals. That does not necessarily reflect how the child should be eating, especially those children that are exercising heavily on a weekly basis.”

So, while parents may be working to cut down on sugar or eat fewer calories, their athlete may need the complete opposite.

“You have to be flexible with their needs versus your needs,” Roth adds.

Understanding underfueling

Athletes face no shortage of pressure in how they think about food. Social media can emphasize a smaller frame, especially for young girls, while peer pressure and concerns about sports performance add to the strain.

These factors can cause kids to categorize foods as “good” or “bad,” which can lead them to undereat. This can be especially dangerous for athletes, who burn many calories each day.

Underfueling can make recovery difficult, lead to recurring injuries and diminish energy to make it hard for kids to concentrate on schoolwork. Sometimes, this can progress, leading to conditions such as eating disorders, relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and the female athlete triad.

Roth urges kids to focus on their individual needs rather than comparing themselves with others. Athletes vary in how many calories they need, appropriate portion sizes, meal/snack timing and whether supplements are appropriate. Instead, focus on your hunger cues, energy levels and goals.

If parents begin to suspect their child may be struggling, reaching out for mental health support and to a sports dietitian can help. What’s more, consider whether your child’s chosen sport is supporting their well-being or harming it.

“Maybe this sport, or at least this level of the sport, isn't what's best for them,” he says. “Maybe they want to do it at more of a recreational level and it's just fun and they get to hang out with their friends and run around and enjoy moving their bodies.”

Emphasizing consistency over perfection

No matter your child’s needs, Roth says it’s important for parents and caregivers to help them learn that eating “healthy” isn’t about perfection — it’s about consistency.

Kids, and adults for that matter, should be able to strike a balance between eating whole, nutritious foods most of the time and enjoying birthday cake or pizza without guilt or restriction. Roth cites the 80-20 rule as a good guide, which says about 80% of foods should be nutrient-dense and supportive of your goals, and the other 20% can be any foods that you enjoy and nourish your soul.

By emphasizing balance and the way food can help us thrive, Roth says parents and caregivers can set kids up for a lifetime of sustainable eating habits, whether that involves athletics or not.