Nutrition for the Young Athlete

Abstract

AbstractChild athletes require a healthy and balanced nutrition according to the type and intensity of the sport activity. This review aims to provide integrated and updated information to establish adequate nutritional guidelines for these children, essentially avoiding deficiencies or unbalances that can be harmful for their health. A lack of vitamins and minerals can affect their health especially at long term and depending on the type of sport and age of the child. The diet must be controlled without any nutritional supplements. It is also important to know which nutrients can improve performance of the child athlete during both training and competition. In conclusion, the contribution of macro- and micronutrients to the diet, together with an adequate hydration according to the energy expenditure must be controlled for child athletes to ensure a good status of health.