As any parent knows, adolescence is marked by a rapid change in physical and mental characteristics. In the classroom I have seen these changes first hand. Clothes that fit last month suddenly become hand-me-downs, high- pitched male voices become squeaks and coughs, and attitudes emerge that challenge authority.  All these changes affect the body’s nutritional needs, resulting in additional requirements for calories, protein, calcium, and iron that are rarely achieved. Recommended nutritional requirements from the FDA are outlined below.

Calories

Achieving less than the recommended daily caloric intake prevents proper growth development, both physically and mentally. This can result in a broad range of long-term ailments, and significantly reduces the ability to concentrate. Sickness and a failure to stay focused for an extended period of time prevents our kids from being successful in the classroom.

Most adolescent issues with caloric intake come from consuming beyond the recommended levels. This is becoming a concern on national level.  In the last 15yrs our kid’s obesity rates have increase 15%. As our children become less active and make unhealthy food choices their success in the classroom is negatively affected. According to Manhattan Institute of policy Research, in 1994 79.4 percent of the young adults ages 18 through 24, were graduates holding regular high school diplomas (Greene, Jay P. “High School Graduation Rates in the United States.” Manhattan Institute for Policy Research). Their was a 10% decline in graduation rates between 2005 and 2006, only about 69 percent of all students in the United States graduate from high school with a regular diploma in four years. (Alliance for Excellent Education. “Understanding High School Graduation Rates in the United States”). There seems to be a trend in low graduation rates and high obesity levels. So as you see nutrition doesn’t just play a key role in helping our kids develop well physical but it is also essential for their development mentally. Their future success depends on it.  Below are a few guidelines to help promote positive physical and mental development.

Protein

Proper protein consumption is critical to muscle development, disease prevention, and proper hormone balance. Adolescence is the time when kids start to develop into adults. Their bodies start to produce enormous amounts of hormones. Without the aid of protein developing cells in a young adults body will not properly react to this enormous surge of hormones. Protein is also one of the critical components in antibody production, which help us resist infection. Proteins are found in every cell and tissue composing the bulk of our bodies’ structure, promoting growth and repairing bone, muscles, tissues, blood, and organs.

Calcium

In the United States, 85% of teenage girls and 65% of boys are not eating enough calcium.  Many of the troubles that adolescents face could be resolved if parents made it a priority to make sure their student get adequate amounts of calcium daily.  In one of my previous {newsletters} I outlined 5 of the most important reasons to get enough calcium your diet.

Iron

One of the most noticeable changes an adolescent goes through is the addition of height and muscle mass. For this reason iron is one of the nutritional supplements that’s needs to be addressed but is mainly over looked. ). Iron is one of the key nutrients that are necessary for the formation of muscles and blood. Iron is the nutrient that allows oxygen to be carried to our muscles, making it a vital nutrient during strenuous physical activity. Deficiencies in iron can also cause verbal learning, memory and physical performance to be impaired t adolescent girls (Bruner et al. 1996, Nelson 1996). If a person does not eat sufficient iron-rich foods, they may suffer from a condition known as anemia. Symptoms can include but not limited to extreme tiredness, pale complexion, breathlessness and heart palpitations. Adolescent girls are particularly ‘at risk’ of developing iron deficiency as they begin to menstruate. Good food sources of iron include red meat and meat products (which are your best sources), cereal products, dark green, leafy vegetables and beans.

The Adolescent Lifestyle

Unfortunately, common lifestyle changes that occur during adolescence tend to negatively affect eating habits and proper food choices. This is the time when many become involved with school sports, homework increases, and older siblings are tasked with watching after younger siblings.  All of these activities and new responsibilities make it easy to snack more, eat fast food, or miss a meal altogether. Breakfast is the most commonly skipped meal, but this meal is the most important for getting enough energy to be effective throughout the day, and lays the foundation for being a well-focused student. If left unchecked, inconsistent eating of unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, improper hormone balance, increased infection and illness, impaired growth, elevated stress levels, and most importantly class room behavior problems.

Recommended Diet

Now that we have covered the importance of achieving the recommended level of essential nutrients in a fast-paced life of an adolescent, the questions most parents ask me is “How do I help my child eat consistently and healthy with all these distractions?”

A couple easy ways to make sure your student meets their nutritional requirements is:

1. Pre cook your meals for the week so they can easily be placed into the microwave to be reheated.
2. If you must get food on the run make sure it is a high-quality choices

In the last five years restaurants have become increasingly aware of the nutrition problems facing our youth of today. Many have made changes to their menus to promote healthy eating habits.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, common lifestyle changes that occur during adolescence tend to negatively affect eating habits and proper food choices. This is the time when many become involved with school sports, homework increases, and older siblings are tasked with watching after younger siblings.  All of these activities and new responsibilities make it easy to snack more, eat fast food, or miss a meal altogether. Breakfast is the most commonly skipped meal, but this meal is the most important for getting enough energy to be effective throughout the day, and lays the foundation for being a well-focused student. If left unchecked, inconsistent eating of unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, improper hormone balance, increased infection and illness, impaired growth, elevated stress levels, and most importantly class room behavior problems.

Copyright© 2009 TruEffort Training Center. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this newsletter by including this copyright and, if reproducing it electronically, including a link to www.TruEffort.com.

]]> http://www.trueffort.com/articles/adolescent-nutrition-essentials/feed/ 3 http://www.trueffort.com/articles/proper-hydration-for-workouts/ http://www.trueffort.com/articles/proper-hydration-for-workouts/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:44:26 +0000 admin http://www.trueffort.com/?p=6 Proper Hydration For Workouts

Hydration levels are the most over looked aspect of an athlete’s workout. Approximately 60% of body weight is water. Dehydration occurs when this fluid is not replaced at regular intervals during training or competition. This dehydrated state causes an athlete to have a decreased volume of blood circulating through the body, which results in:

A decreased amount of blood pumped with each heart beat

• Muscles not receiving the necessary amount of fresh oxygen
• Exhaustion and a reduction in athletic performance.

Athletes lose a valuable chance to better themselves when performance suffers during a workout. Every minute an athlete can spend in preparation for an effective training session gives them a greater chance to succeed in competition.

Research has shown that a loss of as little as 2% body weight through dehydration will negatively affect athletic performance. As an example, if a 150-pound athlete loses just 3 pounds of fluid, they will experience a level of dehydration that will reduce their ability to perform at optimum levels during a workout or competition. Proper fluid replenishment is the key to preventing dehydration and reducing the risk of heat-injury in athletes engaged in training and competition.

Ways to Prevent Dehydration

The easiest way to prevent dehydration is to consume plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout or competition. Many athletes do not realize that they are impacting their performance due to a dehydrated state.  Here are some easy tips on how to monitor your hydration using two helpful techniques:

• Weighing before and after practice.

- For every pound lost during the workout, drink three cups of fluid in order to rehydrate the body.

• Checking urine color.

- Urine that is dark gold in color indicates dehydration.

- Urine similar in color to pale lemonade or weak tea is a sign of a hydrated athlete.

Caution:

Athletes who are feeling thirsty are already dehydrated. As a matter of fact, most individuals do not become thirsty until more than 2% of body weight is lost. When athletes only drink enough to quench their thirst, they may still be dehydrated. For best results, keep a bottle of fluid available when working out, and stop to take a drink every 15-20 minutes.

Quick Tips to Stay Hydrated

1.     MONITOR FLUID LOSSES:

• Weigh-in before and after training, especially during hot weather and conditioning phase of the season

2.     FOR EACH POUND lost during exercise, drink three 8 oz. cups of fluid

3.     DO NOT RESTRICT fluids before, during or after the event

4.     DO NOT RELY on thirst as an indicator

Online Training Resources

American College of Sports Medicine
http://www.acsm.org

American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition – U.S.Food and Drug Administration
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines

National Agricultural Library,U.S.Department of Agriculture
http://www.nutrition.gov

National Center for Drug-Free Sport
http://www.drugfreesport.com/choices

National Health Information Center – U.S.Department of Health & Human Services
http://www.healthfinder.gov

National Institutes of Health
http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov

National Athletic Trainers’ Association
http://www.nata.org