Young athletes who engage in competitive, nonstop physical activity lasting more than 30 to 40 minutes risk becoming overheated, more than adults who exercise at the same rate for a similar amount of time. But if your child seems overly fatigued, irritable and letharic, suspect inadequate calories. If they eat significantly less fat, they may consume too little energy. This is particularly important if your child eats too little lunch at school, then ravenously devours too many afternoon treats. Eating a second lunch after school is a preferable fueling practice.
Children often eat poorly because they and their parents have failed to plan for better choices.
Proper post-game refueling with carbohydrates and fluids is important. Dieting, after all, is a health risk for developing a full blown eating disorder. As a parent, be sure to downplay body size as an important currency of worth, and instead value and accept individual differences. This is particularly important with young girls who are coping with body changes during puberty. Their efforts to control weight may lead to a a sense of frustration, guilt, despair, and failure, and to a pattern of unhealthy eating and eating disorders.