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Feeding active kids

A guide for parents,coaches and team managers

The juniorswimmer

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GETTING READY...Junior swimmers train and compete throughout the yearso there are several important things to keep in mindwhen feeding your active child

Optimising growth and development 4

Including adequate iron and calcium in their daily diet 4

The importance of carbohydrates 5

The importance of protein 5Where dietary fat fits into a healthy diet 6

The importance of snacks as part of a young swimmer’s diet 6Ensuring your child is drinking enough fluids 6

Managing weight and body image issues 7

GETTING SET...The night before a carnival 9

On the day 10

GO!At the pool or the beach 11

Fluid intake during a carnival 12

After training or a carnival 12

The night after a big day of competition swimming 13

HOT TIPS TO STAY COOLHow to avoid overheating and ensureadequate fluid intake 14

WARNING SIGNS FOR DEHYDRATION

CONTACTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 15

Author: Ruth Logan (PO Box 1303, Toowoomba QLD 4350, ruth@visionhealth.com.auDesign: The Art BrokersSports Photography: David Martinelli (with thanks to the members of the East Toowoomba Jnr Swim Club)

Food photography: Jack SarafianFood styling: Janet LilliePrinting: Four Colour Digital Pty Ltd

© August 2004, Revised by Ruth Logan. Reprinted with permission by QLD Swimming.

ABN 32 386 206 635 ISBN 1 877025 666

CONTENTS

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Ruth Logan BSc, Grad Dip Nut & Diet (SA), APD.

Ruth is a member of Sports Dietitians Australia andDietitians Association of Australia

Ruth Logan with her three sporty kids

(photography by Tony Coonan)

“Encourage your juniorswimmers to eat and drinkwell, feel great and performto their best”It is important for them to develop ahealthy relationship with food and anappreciation of how dietary intakeaffects their performance, from an earlyage.

This booklet offers guidance for meetingthe nutritional needs of children aged5-11 who swim competitively, in the poolor the surf.Parents and coaches frequently ask me “Whatare the best foods and drinks for kids to havewhile playing sport. Just as often, in conversa-tions between parents at sporting events, Ihear quite different opinions being expressedabout what is good and bad practice in water-ing and feeding our sports stars of tomorrow.

Obviously many people are seeking answersto some simple but important questions.

So it was very pleasing when the CannedFood Information Service asked me exactlythe same sorts of questions because theywanted to know which of their products wereappropriate for these active kids before,during and after sport.To answer these questions, we developed thisbooklet and the accompanying cookbook FastFood for Active Families. I developed most ofthe recipes for the cookbook and tested themon our three “guinea pigs” and their multitudeof friends, who gather round the kitchenbench on the weekends after sport.

As the mother of three active primary schoolage children, this is a subject dear to my heart.I know how hard it is to juggle the demands ofdaily living whilst trying to maximise thefamily health and energy levels so that every-one performs at their best.

As a Sports Dietitian, I know that elite ath-letes are well catered for in terms of profes-sional advice on diet and training. But theparents of younger children, particularly intheir first few years of competition, often haveto rely on the advice of well-meaning volun-teer coaches. And sometimes that advice canbe misleading or incomplete.

I am really pleased to have the opportunity toprovide a service that fills this important gap andcomplements the work of other sports dietitiansworking with Australian athletes. The earlierhealthy habits are established the better.

I’d like to offer particular thanks to my colleaguesKaren Inge and Lorna Garden, leading AustralianSports Dietitians for their support and professional review of this publication. Also, thanks to my editorial team: Kerry Burkitt,Trish Lear and Grahame Horsfield.

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Junior swimmers train and competecontinuously throughout the year. Thebusy competitive season is generallyfrom September through to April,however many will train for the majorityof the year so there are several importantthings to keep in mind when feeding youractive child.

These include:● optimising their growth and development

year round● including adequate iron and calcium in their

daily diet● including adequate carbohydrate and protein

and suitable fat in their diet lprovidingquick healthy low fat meals and snacks tomaintain energy levels

● ensuring sufficient liquid intake● being aware of possible weight and body

image issues in your child.

Optimising growth and developmentIt is important for the junior swimmer to eatwell every day — not just before a majorcompetition or carnival.

Active children need constant refuelling andcooling. Their nutrition needs are of greatimportance to their overall health, growthand development as well as to their sportingperformance.

The junior swimmer will perform better, overmore events and recover quicker from trainingand carnivals when well nourished. Juniorswimmers not getting enough total energymay become tired, irritable and lethargic, andmay even struggle to maintain interest andenjoyment in sport. They can also becomedisappointed by poor times and performancesafter putting in many hours of hard training.It is important that active children learn to eataccording to their appetite — ensuring they eatenough but not too much, while rememberingthey often have great variance in their appetitefrom day to day due to factors such as activity,tiredness and growth.

The whole family may need to get organisedfor healthy eating — this can offer a greatopportunity to change everyone’s food andfluid intake habits. Remember though, that theage and activity level of family members andfriends will determine their required quantities.

Iron and calcium are essential nutrientsand especially important for youngfemale swimmers

IronThis mineral is responsible for carrying oxygenround the body and is essential for maximisingenergy levels in active children and adults. Lowiron levels can cause tiredness and will affectperformance at training and during competi-tion.

The best sources of dietary iron include leanred meats, liver and kidney. You should try toinclude a small amount of lean red meat in theirdiet at least 3-4 times weekly.Other sources of iron are green leafy vegeta-bles, legumes such as lentils and baked beans,eggs and breakfast cereals. It is more difficultfor the body to absorb the iron from thesesources, so encourage children to eat comple-mentary foods that supply Vitamin C. AddingVitamin C increases the body’s ability to absorbthe iron from non-meat sources. For example,put strawberries on the cereal or offer a glass oforange juice with the baked beans.

CalciumCalcium is the mineral responsible for healthygrowth and development of bones. It also helpsto keep the muscles working properly. A lack ofcalcium can lead to weak bones and increasedrisk of fractures in later life.

Active children should be encouraged toconsume at least 2-3 serves of dairy foods orfortified soy alternatives each day. Examples ofone serve include: 1 cup of reduced fat milk;1 tub of yogurt; 2 slices of reduced fat cheese;1 cup of a calcium enriched soy beverage.Other good sources of calcium include cannedfish with edible bones, green leafy vegetables,nuts and seeds. But kids would need to eatquite large amounts of any of these choices toobtain a sufficient intake.

GETTINGREADY...

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The importance of carbohydratesCarbohydrates keep blood sugar levels constant,aid concentration during the day and help tokeep these kids alert at school. Because the bodycan only store a limited amount of carbohydrateit is important to have at least one of these foodsat every meal or snack to top up supplies.

Elite junior swimmers are often required to trainfor up to four hours daily over two sessions,with recovery time between sessions spent atschool. This places an enormous strain on theirreserves of energy so it becomes very importantto ensure they have frequent opportunities to eatfoods rich in carbohydrate such as bread andother cereal products, fruit, and calcium richdairy foods. These Getting Ready Foods, listedbelow, need to be eaten at frequent intervalseach day as they provide much of the fuelneeded to keep kids active, happy and alert atschool.

Often breakfast is eaten either on the pool deckor on the way to school if there’s not enoughtime to get home. Be prepared by using quickand easy breakfast foods. It is very importantthat your child’s school lunch box is wellstocked with nutrient rich, high energy foods toallow them to fuel up ready for their afternoon

Getting Ready FoodsCerealsBreakfast cereals; rolled oats and other grains served hot or cold;Bread & bread rolls; pita, Turkish and mountain breads; tortillas, tacos, lavash; crackers & crispbreads; rice cakes; corn thins; rice; pasta ( including canned spaghetti); noodles; couscous

Dairy & soy foodsPlain & flavoured milks; yogurt; milk dessertsCalcium enriched soy alternatives

FruitAll fresh, canned or dried fruits; fruit bars; fruit fingers; fruit juices

Vegetables & legumes (pulses)Potato, sweet corn, sweet potato, peas, beetroot, pumpkin, baked beans, lentils, chick peas, soybeans, bean mixes

Extras - sweet snacksLow fat cereal/muesli bars; muffins; cake; biscuits; fruit buns, fruit loaf, fruit scones; pikelets,pancakes, waffles; jelly confectionery, jelly, jellied fruits; sports drinks, cordial

training session. Also. remind them to keep uptheir intake of fluids during the day. I suggestusing two lunch boxes for older kids to allowroom for an afternoon snack to eat beforetraining.Also, remember to encourage healthy dentalhygiene habits to minimise the risk of toothdecay when consuming sweet carbos.

The importance of proteinAs well as eating and enjoying a wide variety offoods, it is important to make sure that youngswimmers have enough protein in their diet.

Protein is found in both plant and animal foodsand is necessary to provide the building blocksfor growth in children. Its other functions are torepair any wear and tear on the body and helpkeep the immune system healthy and able tofight infection. Protein can also be used as fuelduring activity. Active children may needslightly more protein than those who are lessactive but it is generally easy for them to eatenough by having some meat and dairy foods orselected protein rich vegetarian foods each day.

Encourage them to include the Grow Foodslisted (page6).

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Grow Foods

Meat, seafood and eggsBeef, veal, lamb, pork, turkey, chickenFish - fresh, canned or frozen; other seafoodEggs

Dairy and soy foodsMilk, cheese and yogurtCalcium enriched soy products - milk, yogurtTofu

Legumes, nuts and seedsBaked beans; meat analogues (vegetarian foods); seed beans; nuts such as almonds andcashews; peanuts and peanut butter; seeds like pumpkin and sunflower

Where dietary fat fits into a healthy dietAll children require a small amount of fat (3-4teaspoons) in their daily food intake for normalgrowth and development. It is recommendedthat all Australians, including children, limittheir intake of saturated fats (mainly animalfats but also commonly found in processedfoods). Children, however, need to includeplenty of the healthier unsaturated fats found infoods like fish, nuts, seeds and avocados.

Children under the age of two need to be eatingfull cream dairy foods to meet their nutritionaland energy needs. However, children over twoyears of age may be offered reduced fat dairyproducts.

The importance of snacks as part of ayoung swimmer’s dietSometimes a snack might be all a child canmanage to eat when feeling tired or too busy orexcited for anything else. It has been found thatsnacks contribute significantly to a child’s dailyfood intake and therefore it’s very important toinclude healthy choices.

Encourage ‘active’ recovery between trainingsessions and between events at carnivals byproviding foods and drinks containing plenty ofcarbohydrate. Often fluids are more acceptableto children at this time with the best choicesbeing sports drink, cordial, fruit juice andflavoured milk. Further tips on how to managecarnival days are included on page 10.

When time permits it is a great idea to includerecovery foods containing a small amount ofprotein with the carbohydrate. Try snack packsof canned fruit or fruit purees with yogurt,baked beans or spaghetti with cheese on toast,cereal bars or fruit bars with a milk drink.

For more suggestions see Smart Snacks(page 7 ), and Energy Boosters (page 11).‘Treat’ foods do have a role to play in a healthydiet but encourage children to recognise treatsas occasional, not every day. Discourage excessindulgences by explaining to kids that too muchof anything can create problems and willcertainly affect their ability to perform to theirbest.

Before and after training sessions is a greattime to offer an occasional “sweet treat” to topup energy levels. These include sports drinks,low fat baked foods and jelly confectionery.

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Ensuring your child is drinking enoughfluidsManaging liquid intake is just as important astheir food intake. Getting these young peopleinto the habit of taking regular fluids is ex-tremely important. Dehydration is a commonproblem within this group of junior athletesespecially when swimming in heated indoorpools or outdoors in the heat of summer, and itis often not well recognised.

Remind children to keep up their fluid intake bydrinking ‘mouthfuls often’ before and duringtraining and immediately after each event, whenat carnivals, as well as during the day at schoolor home. Water is the preferred drink but duringactivity a flavoured sports drink containingsmall amounts of sugar and electrolytes may

Quick Picks

Bread, crumpets or English muffins withspread

Fresh fruit or a snack pack of canned fruit

Vegetable pieces with low fat dip

Scone, pikelet or pancake with syrup or jam

Canned spaghetti on toast

Baked Bean sandwich

Fruit bun or raisin toast with spread

Low fat, quick cook noodles or pasta snacks

Fresh or canned fruit salad with yogurt

Low fat yogurt

Low fat cereal/fruit & grain bars

Home made popcorn

Pita chips, pretzels or crackers

Corn & rice crackers or corn thins

Low fat smoothie with fruit (fresh or canned)

Low fat milkshakes or fruit spiders madewith fruit (fresh or canned)

High fibre crackers with reduced fat cheeseand salad

Breakfast cereal with milk and canned orfresh fruit

Low fat fruit muffins or slice

Smart Snacks

Hunger Busters

Leftover Pizza Power

Hunger Buster Burgers

Chicken Wraps

Mince Muffins

Pinwheels

Savoury Muffins

Potato Fritters

Rolls, bagels, sandwiches, wraps or pitapockets filled with:

cold meat (chicken, ham, canned fish, beef,turkey) and/or egg, cheese and fresh salad

Jaffle or toasted sandwich filled with:Savoury Mince; cheese and sweet corn;snack size cans of prepared meals withcheese or tomato; chicken, mayonnaise,sprouts and cheese; tuna, tomato andcheese; can of chilli beans, tomato andcheese; salmon, salad and creamed cheese;baked beans and cheese; canned spaghetti

Apple Crunch and custard

Aussie Peach Dream

Tropical Rice Delight

encourage greater intake and provide an energyboost.

Managing weight and body image issuesin your childJunior swimmers (and their coaches) maybecome concerned about their body weight dueto changes related to growth phases. Childrengrow in ‘spurts’ – usually going out first,followed by an upward growth phase. Duringthis ‘out’ phase, children often become veryaware of their body shape and dislike theassociated feeling or appearance of fatness.This can become even more obvious to swim-mers due to their need to wear minimalamounts of clothing when participating in theirchosen sport. Coaches and parents need to be

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If your child is overweight, a healthy dietand activity plan will helpManagement of overweight children oftenrequires expert help from your doctor or adietitian. Avoid strict dieting or rapid weightloss. These children have a huge potential forgrowth which aids weight control by allowingthem to “grow into their weight”. Parents canhelp by reducing the child’s overall energyintake and encouraging more physical activity.Choose low fat foods for meals and snacks,avoid the use of fatty take away and conven-ience foods and replace high sugar snacks anddrinks with water and more nutritious choiceslike fruit. Beware of ‘boredom eating’ duringcarnivals if your child is in only a few eventsand so spends lots of time sitting and waitingfor their turn to swim.

Healthy eating is the same for overweight andnormal weight active children, although theamounts consumed might need to be different.Fatty, salty snacks should be minimised foreveryone and replaced by some of the SmartSnacks (page 7).

In swimming there are plenty of opportunitiesfor the ‘bigger’ child to enjoy participating. Buteven so they will enjoy their sport more whenthey feel fitter and carry less body weight.

If appropriate, use of one of their favouriteswimming heroes as a good example of healthand fitness. You can tell them that their idolseat what is recommended here.

aware of their sensitivity to weight relatedcomments and always encourage healthy foodchoices without severe restriction of quantity.Deprivation of food intake can lead to nutri-tional insufficiency, poor growth and long termproblems with disordered eating habits.

There are always going to be some juniorswimmers who are more prone to problemswith weight control while there will also be thenaturally lightly built participant who strugglesto eat enough food and requires constantencouragement with food and fluid intake tomaintain adequate energy for their sport.

It will be important to encourage those childrenon the light side to eat something at times whenthey feel too tired or busy to bother. But don’tpanic if their appetite sometimes seems lessthan usual – that’s normal! This is why eatinghealthy snacks is so important. Growing juniorswimmers can have voracious appetites so beprepared by having plenty of nourishing quicksnack foods available that are filling andsatisfying.

For those junior swimmers wanting to gainweight or strength the advice is quite simple –eat larger quantities of nutritious foods, andhealthy snacks like nuts and dried fruit, andenjoy more nourishing drinks to provide theextra energy required to build muscle. Childrenwith medical concerns such asthma are oftenencouraged to take up swimming. They may bein the habit of eating a special diet to helprelieve their symptoms. It is important that theyare not restricting or avoiding food groupsunnecessarily as this could lead to nutritionalimbalance.As both boys and girls are involved in swim-ming, it is important for them to develop ahealthy attitude to food and body image. Asdiscussed, the nutrients of particular concern toyoung female swimmers are iron and calcium.Ensure girls have a regular intake of foodswhich are rich sources of these nutrients.

It is important to also be aware of eating issuesand be alert to their sensitivity about weightmanagement issues. I sometimes find young fit,healthy girls and boys being unnecessarilyworried about their size and shape.It is a good idea to encourage all children tobecome actively involved with the purchaseand preparation of healthy meals and snacksearly in life. This helps to develop a healthyrelationship between the athlete, their food andtheir bodies.

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The night before a carnivalThe night before a big sporting event requiresextra effort to ensure sufficient carbohydrate iseaten and enough fluids have been consumed toensure a good state of hydration. Often thishappens on a Friday or Saturday night whenbusy families are pushed for time and spareenergy.

If so, keep the food simple and use convenientcanned and frozen foods and packaged foods

GETTING SET...

Healthy Family Fast Food

Family main meal ideas

Logan’s Lasagne - rich with beef, pork or chicken, tomatoes, frozen spinach & cheese

Performance Pasta - your favourite pasta shape with bacon, vegetables and cheese

Mexi Balls - beef, rice and tasty seasoning turned into yummy meatballs

Sweet Lamb Curry - luscious lamb and vegetables in a rich but mild curry sauce

Mince in Minutes Tacos - use our quick mince recipe to turn into tasty tacos

Hunger Buster Burgers - juicy quick steaks with beetroot, pineapple and cheese in a roll

Winter Casserole - a classic but quick rich beef casserole with bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms

Chicken Wraps - tortillas filled with roast chicken, canned beans, salad and light sour cream

Hearty Minestrone - a meal in a bowl rich with vegetables, beans and rice

Pinwheels - savoury spiral buns filled with tasty mince, herbs and cheese

Pizza Power - uses a prepared base topped with roast chicken, ham, pineapple and cheese

Spinach, Feta and Corn Pie - a delicious ‘loaf’ to serve with salsa or your choice of sauce

Pineapple Chicken Stirfry - chicken with fruit and vegetables in a spicy but sweet sauce

Desserts and ‘extras’Apple crunchTropical Rice PuddingAussie Peach DreamFruit Salad Anzac SlicePancakes or wafflesCreamed rice with canned fruitCanned fruit with custard or ice creamFresh rolls, a salad or a fruit platter

DrinksSpeedy shakeFruit SpiderPeach & Mango SmoothieMilk drinksFruit juices and cordials

like noodles, pasta and rice to supplement freshproducts to produce healthy fitness foods, fast.Thinking ahead and having foods pre-preparedwill ease the pressure and help the familyachieve a great performance all round. This isthe time for carbohydrates, some protein foodsand plenty of nourishing drinks. (Remind thechildren that these are the same foods the sportsstars they admire eat the night before a bigrace.)

You’ll find many family favourites are idealincluding some of the recipes from the cook-book Fast Food for Active Families. Recipesincluded from the cookbook are listed in italics.

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On the dayNo matter what time your child has their first‘swim’, breakfast is always an important meal.

See the Breakfast Ideas listed below.

Breakfast, or any main meal, should ideally beeaten at least two hours before the warm upperiod or their first event, to keep your childfeeling satisfied and well fuelled. But if yourchild is hungry close to their swim time, asmall low-fat snack eaten up to one hour priorto activity should not cause them any digestiveproblems while swiming. Experiment withfoods during training times to ensure the foodchosen does not cause any gastrointestinalupset or discomfort.

If you have to travel long distances or need tomake an early start before a carnival, pack somebreakfast-on-the-run foods including flavouredmilk drinks; cereal bars; bread rolls with spread;juice; fruit bars; canned or fresh fruit or a fruitbun. Or use a prepared liquid meal to allow yourswimmer to eat at a more suitable time.

The best foods to serve for their ‘pre-event’meals are those your children are used to eatingand are quick and easy to prepare and eat –minimise fuss.

Low fibre foods, like nourishing drinks, couldbe best for for these meals if your child gets anupset tummy due to ‘nerves’ before competition.

Otherwise foods that are rich sources of carbo-hydrate, yet low in fat, are best eaten at the pre-event meal.

Remember to encourage your children to drinkfluids at this time. The best drinks to offer arelow fat milk, juice, and plenty of water. One totwo cups should be enough.

If your swimmer trains in the afternoon or hasan evening competition/club meet, provide anourishing snack prior to the start of theiractivity and have a quick and easy meal readyfor when they get home.

Breakfast Ideas

Cereal with fat reduced milk , fruit andyogurt plus glass of juice

Toast with a scrape of butter ormargarine, fat reduced cheese andtomato with a glass of milk

Spaghetti on toast with a fruit milkshake

Scrambled egg with cheese and tomato,toast and a glass of juice

Banana and peanut butter on toast with aflavoured milk drink

Baked beans with fat reduced gratedcheese on toast with fruit and a glassof milk

Canned spaghetti on toast, yogurt and aglass of fruit juice

Canned fruit with yogurt; toast andspread with a glass of milk

Fruit or English muffins with a scrape ofspread and honey or jam and a fruitsmoothie

Pancakes with honey and a glass of milk

Crumpets with honey, a tub of yogurtand a glass of flavoured milk or juice

Coping with CarnivalsNo time between events:A sports drink only.

Limited time - less than 1 hour betweenevents:Take fluids – sports drink and water areimportant to include for hydration and anenergy top up. A very small amount of a lowfat snack food may be included if hungry.Choose glucose confectionery; fruit (fresh,canned or dried) or a fruit bar; crackers.

Plenty of time - 1-2 hours between events:Include fluids – water, sports drink, fruitjuice, smoothie, liquid meal. Avoid soft drinkswith gaseous bubbles. Choose snacks as for alimited time event but add grain/fruit typebars; sandwich; rice or pasta salad; scone orpikelet.

Longer than 2 hours between events:Include a more substantial snack or a lightmeal – (see Smart Snacks on page 7). Betweenmorning heats and evening finals is a goodtime to include the main meal for the day.Often the night meal will be late and a lightersnack with plenty of nourishing fluids will bebest at that time.

The timing of carnival events is variable so it isimportant to learn how to time your child’sfood and fluid intake according to their particu-lar events. This might take time and experimen-tation to find what suits each individual, butyou can use the following as a guide:

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At the pool or the beachIt is important to be flexible with food choices,as the best food for your child to have willdepend on the timing of their events and whatfoods they find that suits them. I have oftenoverheard children complaining of hunger atcarnivals and their parents are unsure what togive them. Use the guide provided on page 11 toprepare an eating and drinking plan for their dayand organize suitable foods to take with you.Don’t rely on the canteen or vending machinesto supply suitable snacks and drinks oncarnival days, as healthy choices are not alwaysavailable.

Be prepared by taking your own snack anddrinks supply. If your child is competing in anall day competition pack up a supply of suitablesnacks and drinks in an esky or cooler bag.Don’t forget a good supply of sunscreen ifswimming outdoors.

Always pack two drink bottles per child – onefor water and the other with sports drink.Also take a top up supply of cooled water, juicepoppers and flavoured fluids if it will be a longday.

More snack ideas suitable to eat during longerbreaks on carnival days include theEnergy Boosters in the next column. Each snackcontains about 40-50 g of carbohydrate andwill help boost energy levels and prevent hungerfor active kids.

It’s always a good idea to encourage some solidfood with fluids, if time permits, between races.

GO! Energy Boosters

Flavoured milk or a liquid meal tetrapak(e.g.Sustagen, Breakfast on the Go)

1 bottle (600 mL) sports drink

A snack pack of canned fruit with a juicepopper

50 g packet of jelly confectionery withwater

Jam or honey sandwich with a juicepopper

1 piece of fruit or 1 packet sultanas with300 mL sports drink

Bread roll with banana and water

1 low fat cereal bar with a juice popperor flavoured milk

1 fruit bun with a juice popper

2 large pikelets with jam or honey plus asnack pack of canned fruit

Fruit muffin with a juice popper or water

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Fluid intake during acarnivalIn the time between their warm up and theirfirst race, aim to get your child to drink somewater or sports drink.– about a cup would be agood amount.Remember to encourage fluid intake duringbreaks between their races. Aim to get kidsdrinking at least 1/2 a cup from their drinkbottles. This equates to at least a couple of‘good mouthfuls’ immediately after they race.

The swimmers will be working hard and needto top up with food and fluids to keep perform-ing at their best.

Some swimmers will obviously need morefluids than others; so keep a check on how theyare all feeling. If they are starting to look orfeel hot, push the fluids a little more.

Seasonal variation and the change in environ-mental conditions will influence the volume offluid that active children require. They willneed to be reminded to drink more frequentlywhen the weather is warm. As winter creeps in,you might expect their fluid losses to lessen butit is even more important to remind them todrink, as they often won’t feel thirsty despitebeing dehydrated especially when swimming inheated pools. Immediately after their trainingsession or at the end of their carnival encouragekids to drink the rest of their bottle (at least 500mL). Sports drinks and water are best duringand after a hectic session of activity and areespecially important during a competition day.

Sports drinks have been proven to be useful in recovery as they assist fluid and electrolytereplacement. Also, it has been shown thatchildren will drink more if the fluid is flavoured– vary the flavours to avoid taste fatigue.

Many young Aussies spend the summer monthstraining and competing in surf life savingcarnivals. The nutrition issues of concern tothis group of junior swimmers, the “Nippers”are similar to those of swimmers who spend alltheir time at the pool. Of course the problemsof sun exposure and dehydration are high riskand need constant care and attention on carni-val days. Always pack a generous supply ofcool drinks and plenty of sunscreen along withsome healthy snacks to keep them going duringtheir strenuous day of activity. Also encouragethem to look for some shade to sit under duringperiods of inactivity.

After training or a carnivalRecovery after each training session or acarnival day is essential to maintain yourchild’s best performance – especially if theyare training twice daily or at a major swimmeet which continues for several days like theState Titles or Age Nationals.

Recovery snacks and fluids should be● started within 30 minutes of finishing

exercise● high in carbohydrate with a little protein● quick and easy to prepare and eat● available at the venue if it takes a long time

to get home.Junior swimmers training on cold, bleak wintermornings often look for something warm to eatafter their early session. Porridge is a greatwarming snack and other winter-warming,nourishing ideas can be found in Smart Snacks(page 7).

In the warmer months these active kids mayfeel more like a refreshing drink or coolingsnack after a hard training session, so you’llalso find some summery meal and snacksuggestions amongst the Smart Snacks.

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The night after a big day ofcompetition swimmingCoping with tired, hungry junior swimmers atthe end of a long day can be challenging forany parent. The temptation to line up at a fastfood outlet can be great and pressure from thechildren can make it even harder to resist.

Of course, takeaway foods can be enjoyed asan occasional treat but generally try to limit tospecial occasions rather than every weekend!You may not be in the habit of having a mealready at home but with the help of some ideasfrom the cookbook and remembering to use‘convenience foods’ from the supermarket, itwill be possible! It will also save the familytime and money and certainly improve thenutritional value of the meal.

One solution is to have food already preparedin the fridge or freezer – only needing reheat-ing when you get home.

Have a selection of fresh, canned, packagedand frozen foods on hand to prepare homecooked ‘Fast Food’. You will find the follow-ing quick and easy to prepare recipes in FastFood for Active Families as well as somesuitable to prepare in advance for a quickreheat when you get home.

Quickly prepared dishesMince in MinutesPizza PowerTropical Toasted FingersSavoury Fruit RollsChicken WrapsSpinach, Feta and Corn PiePineapple Chicken StirfryTropical Rice DelightPotato frittersEasy Chicken and Pasta

Ideal for reheatingLogan’s LasagneWinter CasseroleSweet Lamb CurryMexi BallsQuick Potato BakePumpkin DamperPotato PowerHearty MinestronePinwheels

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How to avoid overheatingand ensure adequate fluidintakeRunning out of fuel can be a problem for youngswimmers doing many events, but gettingoverheated is also a very real possibility forthese active kids and will impair their perform-ance.

● Children should always have their ownwater bottle on the pool deck to sip fromduring training and in a cooler bag to sip onduring breaks on carnival days. Keep fluidscool. This can be a problem in both winterand summer depending on whether the poolis indoors or outdoors. And it is always aproblem at surf events. Kids swimming in aheated pool can get quite hot and will beless tempted to drink warm fluids. Aim tohave their drink bottle very cold or perhapseven partly frozen at the start of activity asit will get warm quite quickly in a hot,humid environment. Offer them a mix ofwater and flavoured drinks such as sportsdrink, or sports cordial, to encourage greaterintake during and after activity.

● Fluid loss will vary from one day to the nextdepending on many factors. Be prepared tocompensate for extra losses if your child isoverheating.

● A quick way to estimate how much fluid achild needs during training can be achievedby checking their weight before and after atraining session. The difference in theirweight represents the volume of extra fluidrequired. I don’t suggest this be done everyday but it may be useful if your child needsencouragement to drink more. Anotherquick guide of hydration is the colour oftheir urine. If they notice their urine is adarker colour than usual, it is a fair indicatorof dehydration – they need to take extradrinks.

● Junior swimmers can sometimes be reluc-tant to drink while training and competing.Persistent encouragement is probably thebest way to overcome this problem untilthey get into the habit of keeping them-selves adequately hydrated.

HOT TIPS TOSTAY COOL

● Remind children not to wait until they arethirsty before they start to drink! By thenthey will already be starting to dehydrateand possibly overheating.

● Discourage your swimmer from usingcarbonated drinks before, during and imme-diately after exercise as they can upset thestomach and reduce their desire to drink.(Bloating can be a problem and means theywill get too full before they drink a suffi-cient volume.)

● It is not suitable for active children to beusing high caffeine drinks before, during orafter sport. Discourage intake of tea, coffee,cola drinks and the new age ‘energy’ drinksthat contain large amounts of caffeine.These are definitely not recommended forjunior athletes.

● Monitor drinks hygiene. Encourage yourswimmer to adopt healthy habits whendrinking from a shared bottle. It is preferredthat kids get into the habit of taking theirown bottle. But if they forget, their lipsshould not touch any part of a shared bottle.Teach them how to squirt or use a chinsipper bottle to get the water into theirmouth.

● Sports drinks are an excellent source ofenergy and fluid during and after activity.But encourage your swimmer to drinkflavoured fluids through a straw to direct thefluid to the back and avoid swishing roundthe mouth. This limits the amount of contactbetween the sports drink and teeth, helpingreduce the risk of dental decay.

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Know the warning signs for dehydration. If achild shows any of the following signs it wouldbe best for them to take some time out to restand take in fluids

● dizziness and light-headedness

● muscle cramps

● nausea and headache.

After activity you will know if your child hasnot drunk enough if any of these signs arenoticed

● dark urine and infrequent urination

● dry mouth and throat

● a feeling of extreme heat which remainsafter a cool down time.

WARNINGSIGNS FORDEHYDRATION