This series, hosted by John O’Connor, Head of Nutrition for Kerry GAA, and Aoife Marie Murphy, Senior Sustainable Nutrition Manager at the KHNI, highlights practical tips and insights into crafting balanced meals that cater to the high energy demands of youth athletes no matter what sport they play.

In the first video of the series ‘Fuelling your Fitness’, John and Aoife visit young athletes at Dingle GAA club in Co. Kerry, Ireland, demonstrating how better nutrition and healthy meals can lead to improved athletic performance.

The Importance of Nutrition for Young Athletes

Becoming a successful athlete doesn’t only depend on rigorous training; it also depends heavily on maintaining proper nutrition.  For young athletes, this is even more crucial as they are in a significant phase of growth and development – often referred to as a growth spurt.  The energy demands of youth athletes are far greater than that of their sedentary counterparts, and even adults. 

This rapid development means that adolescents have complex dietary needs.  Growing athletes need extra energy to stay on top of training and competition.  Good and appropriate nutrition can support adolescent athletes to get fitter faster, build strength in bones and muscles, support recovery, limit injury and illness and helps to build confidence.  

Meeting High Energy Demands

The physical growth and development needs of adolescents, in addition to hectic school and sports training schedules, demands result a high energy demand for young athletes.

Macronutrient and energy targets are similar to those of adults, but the schedules create a challenge.  The fact that adolescents are going through a rapid period of growth and development combined with very hectic school and sports schedules (often training for multiple sports teams) can make meeting energy requirements very challenging.

Without adequate energy and carbohydrate intake, young athletes are under fuelling and face several risks:

• • Fatigue: Insufficient fuel can lead to reduced stamina and endurance.
  • Poor Performance: Under fuelling can directly affect athletic performance, making it difficult to train effectively and compete.
  • Difficulty Concentrating: Adequate nutrition is essential for maintaining focus and cognitive function both on and off the field.
  • Poor Growth/Development: Nutrition directly impacts physical growth, and inadequate intake can hinder normal development.
  • Delayed Puberty: Proper nutrition is integral to reaching developmental milestones on time.

Key nutritional recommendations

Carbohydrate. Many adolescents are very active and play multiple sports, so their energy requirements will be very high.  The higher the volume and intensity of physical activity, the more carbohydrates that are needed. After intense sport hunger will increase; adolescents should not ignore these hunger signals.  The body only stores a small amount of carbohydrate so these stores need to be topped up regularly throughout the day.  Potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, oats, cereal, fruits and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrate energy.  Choose high fibre options where available to get your gut healthy and prevent constipation.  Limit intake of processed sugary carbohydrates like cakes, sweets, jellies, ice cream and sports drinks.

Protein is required to carry out the following functions:

• • Growth – protein is needed during the growth spurt (in general, males will need higher amounts than females due to their larger muscle mass).
  • Repair and maintenance of body cells and tissues (as adolescents are a very active age group).
  • Energy – protein can be used as a secondary source of energy to meet the high demands during this stage of life.

Great sources of protein include lean red meat, soya, tofu, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts, yoghurt, milk, cheese and pulses.  Choose whole foods for protein intake rather than supplements at this age.

Fat is an important energy source and it also supports many organs including the brain.  Healthy fats are found in foods such as vegetable oils, oily fish (for example salmon, sardines, mackerel), nuts or avocados.  Foods containing less-healthy fats include crisps, pastries and fried foods – limit these as they can lead to becoming overweight.

Iron. Intense periods of growth during adolescence require more iron intake, in particular for girls who are losing blood through menstruation.  Iron rich foods include lean red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, pulses, dark green vegetables, or fortified cereals.  Vegetarians need to pay particular attention to iron levels. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from foods. Include fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits, berries, peppers, broccoli) with meals.

Calcium. Growing adolescents need more calcium than adults as lifelong bone mass is developing during this time.  Calcium can prevent the incidence of osteoporosis in bones later in life.  It is recommended for adolescents to eat 3 or more portions of calcium-rich foods every day.  These include milk, cheese, yoghurt, fortified soya products, green leafy veg.

Calcium and vitamin D work together to increase calcium absorption.  Get vitamin D from sunshine, fortified foods or supplements.  Vitamin D also supports neuromuscular and muscle performance.

Hydration. It is important to drink plenty of fluids before, during and after playing sport.  Don’t wait until thirst kicks in because thirst is a sign that the body is already dehydrated and has needed fluids for a while.

See recipes idea’s for young athletes to obtain the nutrients they need for training.

In conclusion, fuelling fitness for young athletes extends beyond the training grounds; it begins at the dining table.  By understanding and implementing proper nutrition strategies, young athletes can unlock their full potential and achieve excellence in their sporting endeavours.