Nutrition; It is the intake and consumption of external nutrients to fulfill vital functions, growth, development, reproduction, involvement in physical activities, protection of health, in short, to sustain life.
Nutrition is of particular importance for athletes. Today, the success of athletes largely depends on balanced and adequate nutrition.
The aim of athlete nutrition is to ensure that the athlete is adequately and balancedly nourished by making arrangements for training and competition periods according to the athlete's gender, age, daily physical activity and type of sport. While making the necessary nutrition program for the athlete, the athlete's age, height, weight, gender, body fat percentage, economic conditions, eating habits, health status and training program should be taken into consideration. Advantages of a well-nourished athlete: his performance is high, the effectiveness of the training is at the maximum level, he has a high level of concentration and attention, the disease and injury rate is low, the recovery time in cases of illness and injury is short, growth and development are at the expected level, body weight and body fat ratio are within the expected limits. is also close to the limit.
Factors affecting the energy needs of athletes: age, height, gender, weight, muscle mass, disease or disability, training duration and intensity, exercise type. In addition to these, child athletes have growth and development factors. Anthropometric measurements should be made regularly and growth and development should be monitored in child athletes. Nutrition is of particular importance for child athletes. It should both support growth and development with the energy it receives from food and provide sufficient energy during training. Even if child athletes get enough energy, sometimes micronutrients are not taken enough. Therefore, nutrition education and training on choosing the right food in the diet should be given to child athletes. Nutrition education should be given not only to athletes but also to coaches, assistant coaches and the athlete's family. The nutritional status of child athletes should be checked at regular intervals and necessary changes should be made. In children who do not receive adequate and balanced nutrition, growth and development are not fully achieved, their performance is poor, and they have difficulty concentrating. The likelihood of getting sick and injured is high.
The nutrition of child athletes is similar to that of adult athletes. However; They need more energy because growth and development are not yet complete. In child athletes, energy is obtained only from food and ergogenic products are not used. Carbohydrate as an energy source; Protein is used for muscle building, growth and development.
Carbohydrate: 50-65% of daily energy should come from carbohydrates. In types of sports that require endurance, low glycemic index products are recommended before exercise, and medium or high glycemic index products are recommended during and after exercise. Weakness, fatigue and muscle aches are observed in athlete children who do not consume carbohydrate-containing foods.
Protein: 10-15% of daily energy should come from protein. However, this rate can be increased up to 20% for individuals who do sports. Children between the ages of 7-10 consume 1.1 - 1.2 g/kg of protein per day, and those between the ages of 11-14 need 1 g/kg per day. When there is insufficient protein intake, growth and development stop, body weight begins to decrease and body resistance decreases. As body resistance decreases, the possibility of getting sick and injured increases and the recovery time increases.
Fat: 20-35% of daily energy should come from fat. Trans and saturated fat should not exceed 10%. Although young players' muscles rely more on fat than carbohydrates, they do not need to take in more fat from the diet. Adequate fat intake is sufficient for the growth and development of the child, the healthy formation of the nervous system, hormones and muscle performance.
Calcium: Calcium is used to complete the bone and tooth formation of children and prevent the decrease in bone density in later ages. It helps in prevention. Rickets occurs in children with calcium deficiency. Additionally, sensory deficits, muscle twitching, sleep disturbance, absent-mindedness, and hair and nail breakage may be observed. If the deficiency lasts for a long time, a condition called tetany may develop, which is accompanied by cramps in the legs, heart palpitations, drowsiness, tinnitus, and tremors and contractions in the body muscles. Daily calories in children aged 10-18 The adjustment requirement is 1300 mg. This amount can be met by consuming approximately 5 portions of milk and dairy products. (1 glass of milk, 1 glass of yoghurt, 2 matchbox-sized cheese is 1 portion.)
Iron: It is a mineral that plays a key role in sports performance. It is necessary for the formation of oxygen-carrying compounds, hemoglobin (in the blood) and myoglobin (in the muscle), and is also found in the structure of a number of other compounds involved in muscle functioning. It is important to monitor the iron stores of athletes, especially female athletes. Because these stores are related to oxygen carrying capacity and oxidative enzyme functions and play a very important role in physical endurance. The daily requirement for men aged 4 and above is 10 mg, for women it is 10 mg for ages 4-13, and for women aged 14-50 it is 18 mg. Iron sources: lean meat and seafood, molasses, eggs, legumes, hazelnuts/almonds/walnuts, spinach, raisins. If iron-containing food is consumed together with vitamin C, its absorption increases.
Water consumption in child athletes: Body water is kept under control by sweating, urine and the feeling of thirst. However, children's sweating capacity is more limited than adults. During exercise, more heat builds up in their bodies and their feeling of thirst develops later. Therefore, replacing the water excreted from the body is an issue that needs to be carefully considered. Children lose less minerals through sweat than adults or teenagers. For this reason, drinking only water or carbohydrate liquid will be sufficient to compensate for fluid loss. The recommended amount to replace daily fluid loss in a timely manner is as follows.
Up to 10 kg body weight… 100 ml/kg/day
Up to 20 kg body weight… 50 ml (additional for each kg) /kg/day
30 kg body weight… 25 ml (additional for each kg) /kg/day
The effect of a hot environment on a child athlete: Children have a lower sweating capacity than adults and the removal of heat from the body is faster. It is slow. Therefore, children are more sensitive and affected more in hot environments than adults. Training done in hot environments is not well organized and fluid requirements are not met on time. It causes damage to the organism. The child should be adequately hydrated before starting long-term exercise. During exercise, one should drink 60ml (3/4 tea glass) of cold water at 15-minute intervals.
Providing good nutrition education to child athletes:
Good nutrition In order to gain nutritional habits:
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The benefits of food for growth and development should be explained.
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The changes in the organism of the child who does sports and what he should consume at a level that he can understand. foods should be explained.
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Balanced nutrition should be followed not only for the child doing sports but also within the family.
The child's daily energy and nutritional needs. their stomach capacity is small. Child athletes are required to consume three main meals as well as snacks. Carbonated drinks, junk food and candies, which are empty energy sources, should not be included in snacks. These types of foods negatively affect the child's appetite and cause daily food consumption to decrease. In order to ensure a balanced diet in children, it is necessary to include 4 basic food groups (milk and dairy products, meat-eggs-legumes, vegetables and fruits, grains) in the daily diet.
BEFORE EXERCISE NUTRITION
The main meal should be eaten 3-4 hours before the exercise or competition. The food eaten during this 3-4 hour period must be digested. A snack should be had 1-2 hours before exercise or competition. The snack should be light, should not upset the stomach, and should have a low glycemic index.
In order not to become dehydrated during exercise, 250-500 mL of liquid can be taken half an hour before exercise.
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&n bsp; DURING EXERCISE
If the exercise lasts more than 1 hour, the athlete's blood glucose level drops and dehydration begins. One should consume sugary liquids both to increase blood glucose levels and to prevent dehydration. Sports drinks containing 6-8% carbohydrates can be used. However, one should not wait until thirsty to consume liquid. Since excessive fluid consumption disturbs the stomach, fluids should be consumed little and often. During exercise, one should consume 450-675 mL of fluid for every 0.5 kg lost, or 150-330 ml of fluid every 20 minutes.
POST-EXERCISE NUTRITION
It is also called a recovery meal. The aim is to replenish energy (glycogen) stores used during exercise, provide the protein necessary for muscle building and synthesis, replace fluid loss through sweat and support the immune system. After training and racing, a recovery meal containing both carbohydrates and protein is necessary. For the first 4 hours after exercise, 0.2 – 0.4 g/kg/hour protein + 0.8 -1 g/kg/hour carbohydrates may be recommended.
General Recommendations for Child and Adolescent Athletes
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Nutrition education of young athletes should include optimal nutrition methods that both support general health and growth and meet the requirements of sports, especially those with high nutritional value. It should also emphasize balanced intake of carbohydrates, good quality proteins and adequate amounts of dietary calcium, vitamin D and iron.
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Young athletes and the personnel who care for them should be concerned about nutritional support products and energy drinks. They should be educated about the risks.
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The risks of sports-related energy deficiency, inappropriate nutrition methods and nutritional disorders should be emphasized through education, observation-treatment and applicable rule modifications.
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