Nutrition

A challenge most parents face during the summer months is eating on the go. The summer heat and shuttling kids to and from sports, camp, and the pool can zap the energy for making homecooked meals, and, as recent studies have shown, concession stand food (hot dogs, dye loaded slushes, and refined suger) can be just about as unhealthy as they come.  So what can parents do to keep summer foods healthy without missing out on the fun foods the summer season offers? The author of a new cookbook geared to kids has some tips.

For athletes who routinely train hard 4 to 6 days a week, carbs enhance performance and should be the foundation of each meal. Research-based recommendations for an optimal sports diet include far more carbs than you may realize, says sports nutrition expert Nancy Clark.

Nutrition plays a huge role in how strong your child's teeth and bones form. You can help your kids develop and grow by encouraging healthy foods in their diet. The right foods can help teeth and enamel stay strong and healthy. Here are some common foods that can help with your children's oral health.

Weekly consumption of sports drinks and energy drinks among adolescents is significantly associated with higher consumption of other sugar-sweetened beverages, cigarette smoking, and screen media use, according to a new study.

If what the media would have you believe were true, carbohydrates are bad for everyone, athlete and non-athlete alike. The truth, says a top sports nutritionist, is that all the hype about carbs doesn't apply to athletes.

The often unhealthy food choices youth athletes are offered at concession stands can be replaced with healthier items without a loss of revenue or profits or customer satisfaction, says a first-of-its-kind study.

In celebration of March as National Nutrition Month, a team of nutritionists and dietitians has launched the Fuel Your Dreams public service campaign to help parents motivate their kids to tie the benefits of healthy food choices to being the best they can be.  The program educates families about nutritional health using its Kid Kritics Approved^TM Seal, so that parents can quickly find foods that are "kid approved" (taste good) and meet firm nutrition guidelines.

There is good news about eating disorders. As a friend, parent, or coach, you can help prevent them in young athletes!

March is National Nutrition Month®, when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds everyone to return to the basics of healthful eating. It is also the time of year when the Academy celebrates the contributions and expertise of registered dietitian nutritionists as the food and nutrition experts.

If you are like most sports parents, you simply want to know how to find valid information that tells you what and when to feed your young athlete so they can perform at their best. Here's a list of websites, books, and key resources to help you fuel wisely, eat healthfully, and feel confident with your food choices.