BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN
Engineered sports foods, such as sports drinks, energy bars, protein shakes, meal replacement foods, and sports candies have been around for a while. Originally designed for the elite, adult endurance athlete who exercised intensely, these foods have become more and more popular in the young athlete’s diet.
It’s no wonder. Young athletes are busier than ever. A full day of classes, practice after school, a social life to maintain, and perhaps other obligations such as a job or volunteer work fill the young athlete’s schedule. All this “busy-ness” takes time away from creating meals and snacks, and sitting down to eat them. As such, many young athletes eat on the run and look to convenient options. They eat food that is designed to provide nearly all their nutrient needs at any given time in just a few bites or swallows.
Who needs food, right?
Wrong.
While marketers and makers of engineered sports foods will focus on the positive aspects and sell you every reason under the sun why you need them, what they won’t tell you about are the drawbacks for young athletes. But I will.
Here they are, as seen through the eyes of a youth sports nutrition expert:
They Crowd Out Real Food
Sure engineered sports foods are uber-convenient, and many of them taste good enough, but a diet of these is repetitive, and for many young athletes, ultimately boring. Youth who are bored with their diet are less likely to eat healthy food, in my experience. If the goal is to raise an athlete who is knowledgeable about food and nutrition, eating real food helps expedite that endeavor. Besides, nothing beats Mother Nature’s real stuff.
They May Be Unsatisfying
What happens when, after a meal or snack, the satisfaction factor, well, isn’t satisfied? True to human nature, most people find more food to eat, in the quest for satisfaction. Young athletes may think they are using engineered sports food properly, but may over-do it in calories and nutrients. And, yes, nutrition can be over-done.
They May Cause Unwanted Weight Gain
I once had a client who started to use protein bars and shakes under the premise that these would help her build more muscle and get stronger. Unfortunately, she didn’t account for the extra calories she was bringing to her diet, and gained quite a bit of extra weight. Engineered sports foods aren’t calorie-free, and young athletes don’t necessarily burn them off during exercise.
They May Offer Too Much Protein
Protein is a necessary part of a young athlete’s diet, not only for growth and development, but also for muscle repair after intense bouts of exercise. Most young athletes get enough protein from the real food they eat in their diet. In fact, studies in young athletes show they get two to three times what they need from food alone. Young athletes who get aggressive with their protein intake by adding engineered sports foods to their regular diet may experience side effects such as dehydration, kidney and liver impairment, and as detailed above, unwanted weight gain.
They are Expensive
If young athletes use engineered sports foods on a daily basis, the costs can certainly add up. Young athletes will pay about $1 for every protein bar they eat ($365 per year if one is eaten per day) and about $0.70 for a 20-ounce sports drink ($231 per year for a daily habit). Compare those costs to that of a peanut butter sandwich ($0.50) and a reusable water bottle from home (free).
Engineered foods aren’t bad; they can have an effective role in the young athlete’s diet when used properly. However, anchoring the sports diet on engineered foods can have some distinct downsides. If the swimmer is using them, make sure they complement his real food diet, not overwhelm it.
Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian, childhood nutritionist, and youth sports nutrition expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. Learn more about Jill at www.JillCastle.com.
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