Youth sport is growing rapidly around the world with an estimated 45 million children and adolescents participating in organized sport in America1
New Zealand is also heavily committed with the last Active Survey in 2018 showing that 95% of young people aged 5-17yrs participate in sport and active recreation, with an average of 11 hours per week spent on 5.4 sports and activities.2
Organized sport and exercise provide many health benefits to young people including regular physical activity, social interaction and the development of self-identity and self -esteem.3 However, the energy and nutrient requirements for this extra activity at a time of rapid growth and development needs to be factored in.
Through sporting activities children will learn about safe play, the rules and key skills of different games and sports but who will teach them about sports nutrition if it’s not part of the school curriculum? What will happen if we ignore this important part of their physical and health education?
Over the past five years there has been a considerable amount of global interest in sports nutrition education with research focusing on the general as well as sports specific knowledge of adolescent athletes 4,5,6
What’s the difference?
General nutrition
This education usually covers the nutrients found in ‘real food’ and particularly the key macro-nutrients found in the five food groups essential for good health:
- Grains, fruits and vegetables provide carbohydrate for energy, power and growth
- Dairy, meat and meat alternatives give us protein for body growth and repair
- Healthy fats (oils, nuts, seeds and fish) are important for nerve and brain health.
(If you take out one food group eg meat without replacing this protein with enough of another protein rich food eg beans, you could run the risk of energy and iron deficiency, a fall in immunity and fatigue).
Currently this general type of nutrition education in New Zealand is being picked up in schools at years 5 and 6 (for children aged 9-10 years) in the Food for Thought Program run by the Heart Foundation and Foodstuffs NZ.7 This program also includes teaching about label reading and supermarket shopping and is receiving an enthusiastic response from children.
There is also the Garden to Table initiative 8 aimed at teaching children (7–10-year-olds) to grow and cook vegetables which is also being received enthusiastically in the communities where it is being adopted.
Sports specific
This nutrition perspective teaches athletes what these macronutrients do in the human body to contribute to body growth, power, strength, mental and physical performance and the key times when athletes might need them most.
This period of sports nutrition is known as Baseline Nutrition and is the most important phase for active young people to learn about.
Athletes also need to learn about the importance of the timing of their eating to suit the various periods of exercise or sport they are involved in.
For example: What to eat and drink before- during and after exercise in order to provide enough energy when training or in competition so as to still maintain growth and good health by allowing the body to repair, refuel and recover after exercise.
This reduces the risk of low energy availability, nutrient deficiency, fatigue, delayed wound healing, injuries such as stress fractures and illness like glandular fever, that can occur when athletes overtrain and undereat. Inadequate fueling can be due not only to inadequate diet but also an increased energy expenditure. 4
Currently this is the area needing the most work. While some children may learn about sports nutrition if they take Nutrition and Health at NCEA level (when aged 15-17years) or their school or sports club may employ a Sports Dietitian to offer a series of talks on sports nutrition. However, for many young athletes this information may be coming too late.
With a growing number of NZ children aged 5-6 years now taking part in vigorous exercise such as mini marathons, hikes and swimming events or specializing in sports such as gymnastics, ballet and judo at a young age. Ideally, we should be talking about sports nutrition to parents as soon as children start school or club sports.
Unfortunately, there is very little sports nutrition research of junior athletes as most is carried out with adolescent athletes by which time much of their growth and development is underway and eating behaviours are often well established.
Where are the gaps in nutrition knowledge?
Using food questionnaires researchers in USA and Australia 4-6 have been interested in studying the nutrition knowledge versus the perceived dietary requirements of adolescent student- athletes. Here are some of the nutrition gaps that they have observed.
- Athletes believe that they need less energy and carbohydrate and more protein and fat than they do 4
- Male and female athletes are failing to eat enough from the five main food groups each day.5
- Athletes consume less fruit and vegetables than required daily 6
- Athletes often graze on ‘empty calories’ found in discretionary foods such as crisps, confectionary, sodas, juice and sugar sweetened beverages 5,6
- Athletes regularly eat larger portions of takeaways and ultra-processed snack foods that are low in dietary fibre but high in saturated fat and salt.6
- Young athletes lack knowledge about the use of dietary supplements 6 (but can now buy these cheaply over the internet).
- Athletes have better general knowledge than non-athletes, but their sports specific knowledge is poor.5,6
- Athletes are often confused about their hydration, how much they need and the use of energy and sports drinks.5
- Eating behaviours that includes the skipping of breakfast, eating in front of television, buying lunch and drinks at school canteens and takeaway meals is leading to the consumption of energy intakes greater than requirements and of poorer nutrient quality.6
What are some of the barriers to healthier eating?
Researchers 4 have found that common barriers for athletes to healthy eating and meeting their nutritional requirements include:
Lack of knowledge (37%); lack of energy and motivation (34%); limited access to food (10%); lack of time (7%); financial constraints (7%) and travel demands for their sport (5%).
Most parents of adolescent children would recognize some of these reasons for food choices as typical behaviour that comes with their child’s increased sense of autonomy.
Ideally, it’s important to shape their attitudes and beliefs about healthy nutrition early in life in order to improve their dietary choices as they age. 5 What is the best way to do this?
While it may be tempting for parents to use fear about the risks of developing heart disease and osteoporosis in the future, this approach is not as strong a motivator long-term for young people as focusing on the positive benefits that eating well can have on growth, feeling energized, with sharper thinking, improved mood, better skin and hair health, sleep and physical performance
By taking a Sport Nutrition approach active young people can feel the difference and measure their improved performance 9
Who should teach sports nutrition?
School teachers:
Research in Australia addressing issues of secondary schoolteachers taking on nutrition education has found that many schoolteachers are very busy just teaching the current curriculum and food literacy and lack the time, motivation, self-efficacy and resources to cover this subject as well as they might wish to have.10
HETTANZ (Home Economics) Teachers in NZ:
These teachers already teach general nutrition and health studies at NCEA level (to 15-17 year olds). Using a critical thinking approach enables students to see how their food choices affect their well- being with long and short-term consequences. Some teachers are also linking up with PE teachers to talk about sports specific nutrition when visiting sports teams are coming to compete. Thereby enabling students to instantly relate their learning to themselves as they want to improve their own performance.11
Sport Dietitians:
Working in Private practice many dietitians also have sports nutrition accreditation and are well equipped to offer help to schools, sports clubs and community groups wanting to set up sports curriculums for their athletes, sports teams or individuals. They can also assist athletes privately who may have health issues such as diabetes, weight concerns, gut or allergy issues, disordered eating, nutrient or energy deficiencies.
Parents:
From day 1 parents are responsible for buying food for their family, taking children to after-school sports practice and stepping in when children become injured or unwell. If you feel that you lack general or sports specific nutrition resources remember you can buy (or borrow from your local library) my latest manual on How to Grow an Athlete: From Playground to Podium and if you have real health concerns for your child, then consult a Dietitian for a nutritional assessment and advice.
Donate a book:
If you would like to help children in your community to have access to sports nutrition resources then donating my book to your local school library, medical center or sports club would be of significant benefit.
Learn more: https://howtogrowanathlete.com
More articles by Lea:
Seeking authenticity in food nutrition information
Sports nutrition tips for fun runs
Carbohydrate for body growth and repair
6 tips to help athletes to eat plant foods
Are you eating enough to build strength?
Don’t let eating disorders ruin your performance
References
- Beck,K., Thomson. J., The role of nutrition in performance environment and post exercise recovery. Open access Journal of Sports Medicine 6, 259-267.
- Active NZ survey 2018. Sport New Zealand, https://sportnz.org.nz/resources/active-nz-survey-2018/
- Desbow , B., Burke, L.M., Fallon, K., et al Sports Dietitians Australia Position Statement: Sports Nutrition for the Adolescent Athlete. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2014, 24, 570-584
- Jagmin AR, Merfeld BR, Ambrosius A, et al. Nutrition knowledge and perceived dietary requirements of adolescent student-athletes: A pilot study. Nutrients 2025, 17(1), 133
- Gibbs, R., Becker T.B. General and sport-specific nutrition knowledge and behaviors of adolescent athletes. Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition Vol 22, 2025.
- Hulland, S.C., Trakman, G.L., Alcok,R.D., Adolescent athletes have better general that sports nutritional knowledge and lack awareness of supplement recommendations: a systematic literature review. Cambridge University Press 06 December 2023 BJN 131 (8)
- Food for Thought- Empowering healthier futures NZ Heart Foundation https://www.foodforthought.co.nz/
- Garden to table: Grow, Harvest, Prepare, Share. https://gardentotable.org.nz/
- Stening, L.B. How to Grow an Athlete: From Playground to Podium (2022) Quentin Wilson Publishing. https://howtogrowanathlete.com/
- Nanayakkara, J., Margerison C., Worsley, A. Ways to improve secondary school teachers’ confidence in teaching food and nutrition subjects. Education Inquiry Vol 15, 2024 (3)
- Potts, N., Home Economics teacher St Patrick’s College, Silverstream Wellington. Personal communication kaiarahifoodandnutrition@hettanz.org.nz
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