When you have an active kid, it’s smart to be thinking about their fuel needs!

When they’re just playing rec soccer once a week, you don’t need to do anything special. But once they start getting into long practice sessions, tournaments, or playing multiple sports per season, nutrition will become an increasingly important factor.

Let’s talk first about what active kids need. Then we will tackle how we as parents/caregivers can help make sure they’re getting it!

Sports nutrition for youth athletes

What do active kids need?

And how might their needs change based on type of activity, timing of activity, etc?

Kids with higher than average activity levels (i.e. participating in competitive sports, multiple activities, or activities with high physical output like running or soccer) will need extra calories to boost their energy levels. We’ll talk more about where those calories should come from. We’ll also talk about what macronutrients are most important. 

How much extra they need might depend on the particular activity and duration of the activity. We’ll also want to keep in mind that they may need heavier/more frequent snacks and/or more strategic meal components. 

They will also need more hydration to account for water loss during sweat, especially in warmer months or warmer climates. 

And finally, they may also need a little bit of schedule adjustment. With many sports practices falling during dinnertime hours, parents need to be strategic about meal and snack timing. I’ll give you some ideas for how to navigate evening activities later in this post! 

Macronutrients for youth athletes

When you think of physical activity, you might immediately think protein, and that’s for good reason! 

Strenuous activity and sports break down muscle that needs to be repaired (which is also how muscles strengthen). Protein is a major component of that process. Active kids do need more protein! But they also will likely need more of the brain and body’s preferred source of energy: carbohydrates. 

It’s an and thing, not an or thing! 

Carbohydrates and protein for youth athletes

The body uses carbohydrates most efficiently.

That simply means we have the easiest time converting carbs to energy. For quick energy, carbs are your best bet. 

However, for muscle building, endurance, and recovery, we also want to make sure our kids are eating enough protein. The good news is that most kids can get plenty of protein through their diet. Ages 4-9 only need about 20 grams of protein per day. After age 9, that number bumps up to 45 grams of protein per day. 

If their activity is really strenuous or they are in multiple activities, I’d tack on a few more grams to that number. 

Let’s put that into perspective. A scrambled egg on a slice of Dave’s Killer bread would be roughly 11 grams of protein. That would be almost half of an 8 year old’s daily needs and a third of a 10 year old’s. 

So with some well-planned meals and snacks, you can see how easy it is to get kids enough protein.

Some of my favorite protein-rich snacks include homemade smoothies, Greek yogurt, milk, soy milk, cheese products like string cheese or Babybel cheese wheels, meat like slices of deli meat or shredded chicken, hard boiled eggs, and some (but not all!) kids bars! These can all be great options for nailing sports nutrition for youth athletes.

You’ll also be surprised that some of your everyday foods may have a decent amount of protein in them as well, even if we wouldn’t necessarily label them a “protein food.” For example, I looked at my English muffins this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see 6 grams of protein per serving! It all adds up! 

Sports bars for kids

While whole foods are always my first-line option when feeding my kids, there’s no denying that convenience foods like bars are exactly what we need at times.

When you’re carting multiple kids around between school, activities, play dates, and sports, sometimes you need a good old packaged snack to tide them over. Bars are easy to pack, easy on the stomach, and some of them can pack in some pretty good nutrition!

Active kids may need substantial snacks to boost performance and get them through long days of school and sports. Luckily, there are some really good options! For older kids who are involved in sports or other physical activities, two of my favorites are Clif Nut Butter Bars and the Kodiak bars. 

You might be wondering if protein bars (like the ones with 15-20 grams of protein) are an okay option, too. They can be, especially for kids who are around 8 and up. But I would try to avoid relying on protein bars too often, as it can sometimes just be too much protein for their bodies. So I definitely would stick to only 1 or fewer per day.

Sports drinks for kids

Sports drinks may seem like an item that active kids need to drink, but the truth is that they typically don’t really need them most of the time.

Most of them are packed with added sugar. The ones that aren’t, are usually full of alternative sweeteners. I tend to offer them in moderation for kids because we don’t have much data on the long term use of them in kids. 

Now, a Gatorade-type drink may be appropriate for a hot tournament day when they actually need the hydration and a little sugar boost for energy, but they’re not usually necessary for daily activities.

Coconut water is a great, hydrating alternative to sports drinks, and still has electrolytes like sports drinks. 

In general, kids don’t need to be drinking electrolyte drinks or taking salt packets. The exceptions to that rule of thumb would be for kids who are experiencing high sweat loss due to super strenuous activity, outdoor activity in hot climate, or activity in elevation (like skiing and hiking at altitude). 

I talked to a mom the other day whose daughter is in sports for 6-8 hours each day on the weekends. That is the type of instance where she would definitely need electrolytes and not just water!

If you are looking for an electrolyte-rich supplement, here are a few good ones: Earth’s Best Electrolyte Solution, Cure Hydration Kids Electrolyte Drink Mix, Kinderlyte Electrolyte Powder, and Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier for Kids. 

Meal and snack timing for youth athletes

One of the most common issues families run into when kids start playing sports is the dinnertime conundrum. 

If practice starts at 6 pm, do we have our kids eat dinner at 4 pm or 8 pm? Neither feels the best option! I like to try and split meals in this case. We often do a smoothie before practice and a more normal meal after. 

We don’t want to offer something too heavy before activity (or too close to the activity). I like to aim for a snack about an hour to an hour and a half before the practice/game/activity, and then a meal shortly after.

Some ideas of what to give them around 4:30/5 before a 6pm practice:

• Applesauce and a string cheese
• Deli meat rolled in a tortilla
• Pretzels and hummus
• Peanut butter and banana
• Hard boiled egg and dried fruit like mango or raisins
• A bowl of cereal with milk
• Low-fat cottage cheese with pineapple or grapes

If they come home from school really hungry, and you still have 2 to 3 hours before their practice or game, you can do more of a dinner type meal, since they will have longer to digest.

It’s a bit of trial and error to figure out what works best for your particular kid!

Snacks for active kids

Like I mentioned above, carbohydrates are the body’s primary and preferred energy source. So we need to make sure that the snacks we’re offering have enough carbohydrates to give the body a chance to convert them into energy. 

Ideally, their snacks will also have protein and fat as well as carbs. A snack of just carbohydrates (think crackers, pretzels, etc.) will give them just a short-term energy burst. It won’t keep them full or energized for too long. Fat and protein help our kids stay full and satisfied for longer. They promote that long-lasting energy needed to get youth athletes through their packed days. 

The main consideration for pre-practice or pre-game snacks is that I’d avoid anything that is going to sit heavily in their stomach or something that is high in fat.

Some of my favorite on the go snacks for youth athletes include:

• Bars: like the ones I mentioned above
• Fruit: fruit is also hydrating, so it does a couple jobs in one! 
• Crackers: peanut butter crackers or almond butter filled pretzels have a little bit more going on nutritionally and can help keep kids full 
• Trail mix: nuts and seeds are a great source of fat and are filling and easy to take on the go!
• Bagels/mini bagels: portable carbs that you can easily pair with a squeezable nut butter packet!
• Bear fruit rolls 
• Applesauce pouches
• That’s it mini bars
• Made Good granola minis

Some of these ideas listed above are maybe a bit too simple on their own (like applesauce pouches or a piece of fruit). But paired together with another item, they can make a great snack.

Sports nutrition for youth athletes is a bit of a trial and error game! I hope these ideas help give you a good starting point for figuring out what your little athlete needs. 

When in doubt, try to keep a couple of these things in the car, in your purse, or in their sports bags to see what sticks. Our main goal is making sure they get enough calories and enough hydration to support their bodies as they play and compete while they’re still growing! 

And make sure you throw a couple extra snacks in the bag for you, too! I know I definitely need the extra fuel for the days and evenings spent dropping off, picking up, and cheering on the sidelines!