Nutrition for Sports Carnivals - Handout Coping with carnivals can often be difficult because of the excited and busy nature of children at such events; the limited and unpredictable rest breaks, and the lure of fast food venues on the way home. However, with the organization and encouragement of parents, coaches and managers, it is quite easy for junior athletes to have enough energy to successfully make it through an entire carnival. Parents, coaches and managers need to monitor and encourage sensible food and drink consumption throughout the carnival. Helpful tips for sports carnivals

• Avoid relying on the canteen, and if you do decide to rely on the canteen, pre-order high carbohydrate, low fat foods at the start of the day for the specific times that each of your child’s events finish.

• Take an esky or cooler bag to keep food and drinks cool. Great food ideas for the esky include sandwiches, bread rolls with lean meat/cheese and salad, low fat cheese and crackers, fruit (fresh or tinned), fruit puree (e.g. apple sauce), juice poppers, Sustagen poppers, flavoured or plain milk and yoghurt.

• Keep the athlete (and the esky) out of the sun as much as possible • Pack frozen juice poppers to keep the other food/drink cold and also to act as

a cool refreshing drink perfect for a hot day • Pack plenty of snacks. At carnivals, athletes don’t often have enough of a

break to eat and digest a large meal, so regular snacks throughout the day is the a better strategy.

• Pack snacks that don’t need refrigeration (e.g. fruit bars, pikelets, raisin bread, cereal/muesli bars, crackers, plain sweet biscuits, vegemite or peanut butter sandwiches or low fat muffins)

• Encourage the athlete to rest and put their feet up as much as possible during the rest breaks

• Take a shade cloth or beach umbrella if possible, there is often limited shade at carnivals

• Take at least two water bottles – one containing water and one containing carbohydrates also (e.g. juice, cordial, sports drink or light sports drink). Also take a large container of water for top-ups.

• Encourage the athlete to carry the water bottles with them everywhere and to sip at least a couple of mouthfuls every 15 minutes during their breaks

• If nerves are a problem, liquid meals are the best option as they tend to be better tolerated. Examples of liquid meals include fruit smoothies, milkshakes, flavoured or plain milk, fruit frappes and fruit juice.

What should they have between events? If there is less than an hour between events Have fluids and an easy-to digest carbohydrate snack (e.g. fruit puree, jelly lollies, sports drink, cordial, fruit juice or sports gel) as early as possible in the rest period. If 1-2 hours between events Have fluids and a carbohydrate snack (e.g. cereal/muesli/fruit bar, fruit, honey/jam sandwich, low fat milk or yoghurt or jelly lollies. If 2 -3 hours between events Choose sandwiches, bread rolls, crumpets, English muffins, toast, tinned spaghetti, fruit, cereal, creamed rice, pikelets or a smoothie. You can include sandwich toppings such as egg, lean ham, lean chicken, tinned fish, salad and/or breakfast spreads. If the break is longer than 3 hours Use this time to consume a larger meal such as pasta or rice based meal, or filling sandwiches and fruit. Recovering after an exhausting day Coping with tired hungry children at the end of a sports carnival day can be challenging. If you’re organized from the outset you can potentially avoid the temptation and pressure to stop at a fast food venue on the way home. Here are some strategies to help achieve this:

• The ideal recovery meal is high in carbohydrates and low in fat – e.g. a pasta or rice based meal with lean meat (or vegetarian protein alternative), vegetables (or salad) and chopped banana with ice-cream.

• Organise a quick-to-prepare meal for when you arrive home, or prepare a meal in advance so you just need to reheat and serve it when you arrive home.

• Take a “recovery pack” to the sporting venue, for the children to have as soon as they finish, so they have enough energy then to wait for a proper dinner.

• Keep healthy portable snacks in the car for the children to have if they’re hungry – e.g. fruit bars, raw cashews/macadamias/peanuts, seeds, dried fruit, tins of fruit, cheese sticks, muesli/cereal bars, pretzels, low fat crackers, rice crackers.

• If you decide to buy dinner on the way home, the best options would be an Italian restaurant, Asian restaurant or a family restaurant with a salad bar.

Sports drinks or water? It is important to protect children’s teeth and to help prevent them from getting into a habit of relying on sweet high kilojoule drinks. Hence, excessive use of sports drinks is not recommended. Sports drinks contain carbohydrates and electrolytes which can assist with performance and recovery, but water and a well-planned recovery snack will be just as effective for regular training sessions or non-crucial competitions. Here are some tips re the use of sports drinks:

• Use them only for the major competitions of the year • Experiment with them in a training session or competition leading up to the

major competitions, to make sure the sports drink doesn’t cause them any gastrointestinal discomfort

• Dilute the sports drink to half strength with water, and also have a separate water bottle

• Keep the drinks cool (but not icy cold) because this will speed up their absorption

• When drinking sports drinks, drink through a straw because this limits the amount of sugar that ends up on the teeth

• Rinse the mouth with water after each drink of a sports drink • Keep the athletes well hydrated, because the more dehydrated they become

the less saliva is produced and thus the less protection they have against tooth enamel damage by sugary and acidic drinks.

• For children who refuse to drink water, sports water or a water bottle containing fresh lemon/orange is recommended. Avoid falling into the trap of responding to their refusal of water with supply of a sports drink or soft drink, because then this will always be expected.

Fluid requirements guide

Age Time Fluid volume 10 yrs 45mins before sport 150-200mL Every 20mins during sport 75-100mL After sport 500mL + 15 yrs 45mins before sport 300-400mL Every 20mins during sport 150-200mL After sport 1000mL +

• Note: in hot, humid environments fluid intake should be more frequent than this

(Table reference: Sports Medicine Australia 1997) Disclaimer This material is made available on the understanding that readers exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. Before relying on the material in any important matter, readers should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information, and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. © Complete Performance Solutions 2008. All rights reserved.