The following tips might help YOU plan your child's eating on the day of the game.

PRE-GAME

• Weigh child and record weight to monitor fluid losses during the game.
• Begin the day with a high-carbohydrate breakfast such as pancakes, waffles, cereal, toast, bagels, low-fat yogurt and milk, fruit or fruit juice. Avoid high-fiber foods such as whole grain cereals and breads on game day to minimize stomach cramps. Avoid high-fat, high protein pre-game meals such as steak, hamburgers, etc. because they stay in the stomach for several hours and can negatively affect your child's game performance.
• Encourage your child to begin drinking a non-caffeine beverage up to 2 hours before the game. A carbohydrate snack such as fruit, crackers, or pretzels would be a good pre-game snack.

DURING GAME

Children should drink approximately 1/2 cup of chilled water or a fluid-replacement beverage* every 15-20 minutes. This can easily be accomplished with a sideline water bottle.

HALF-TIME

Encourage a low-concentration carbohydrate beverage such as Gatorade, Powerade, etc. Your child should drink as much as they feel comfortable drinking without overfilling the bldder. A small serving of crackers or fruit an help replace carbohydrate

POST-GAME

• Weigh child again and compare to pre-game.
• Drink 2 cups of fluid for every pound lost.
• High-carbohydrate food or beverage replacement within 15-20 minutes post-game followed by carbohydrate feedings every 2 hours will quickly replace used muscle carbohydrate (glycogen) and electrolytes
• A child might need 40-50 grams of carbohydrate it each post-game feeding if the activity was high for 1 hour. Activity longer than 1 hour might require up to 100 grams per feeding. Fruit, fruit juices, breads, pretzels, pasta, potatoes, rice and other carbohydrate foods contain about 15 grams of carbohydrate per 1/2-cup serving.

SUGGESTED READING FOR SPORTS NUTRITION:

• Clark, Nancy, The Athlete's Kitchen, Kitchen Bantam Books; New York, 1986
• Clark, Nancy, Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Leisure Press: Champaign, IL 1990