Owner of Athletic Institute and one of the coaches for The St Stephen’s School and Athletic Institute Athlete Development Program, Corey Green knows a thing or two about nutrition so this Term we’re asking him, “Should my child who participates in sport be taking supplements?”
Being a qualified performance nutritionist, Corey gets this question a lot from parents and the short answer is, probably yes.
“I’ll start by saying we don’t consider anyone for supplementation until we get their eating habits to a good standard. Meaning they are achieving most of their nutrition requirements through real food sources, or have been flagged as deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral based on blood work. From experience, most young athletes under eat, and what they do eat is normally more processed foods. While sports supplements may seem unnecessary for young kids chances are, if your child has ever had a Gatorade or sports gel during competition, they have already tried a food supplement as these are designed to enhance performance.”
There are three key areas Corey wants you to consider;
Safety
Please be aware; nearly all supplements on the market are not “Batch Tested”, meaning they haven’t been screened for illegal substances. If it doesn’t have a “HASTA” or “Informed Sport” logo it’s not worth the risk. No supplement is a 100% guarantee of being clean, so always check before taking one using the Sport Integrity App or visit the sport integrity website for more information. The Athletic Institute only stocks and recommends HASTA approved and tested supplements so you can always approach Corey and his team if you’re unsure.
Eating Ideology/Habits
If your child follows an eating ideology (i.e: Vegan, Vegetarian, Carnivore, Keto) there’s a chance they may be deficient in one or more essential vitamins or minerals, the most common being Vitamin B12, Iron, Vitamin D or Calcium. So they may need to supplement something they may not be getting from certain foods. If they have good eating habits, then there are only five supplements with strong scientific evidence. Here are the three Corey recommends for children or young adults;
- Caffeine – Not recommended until late teens or if your child is competing in sports lasting longer than 60-90 minutes.
- Creatine monohydrate – This is a natural substance found mainly in red meat or seafood. All athletes trying to increase muscle mass and strength can take 3-5g of creatine every day.
- Protein – Protein powders are very common. Research shows positive results when taking 1.6g – 2g per kilogram of body weight per day, especially for increasing lean mass and fat loss. These are batch tested and can really help young athletes achieve daily protein goals. Most scientifically proven supplements have no adverse effects, unless an allergy is present. We don’t recommend “pre-workout” supplements for youth, and most adults as they tend to affect sleep and have too many additives.
Age
If your child requires a nutrient deficiency supplement we recommend working with a medical professional but ideally increase from real food sources or start supplementing as soon as you can. Performance supplements like creatine and protein can be taken from 14-16yrs if your child has a good nutritional foundation and it’s in combination with resistance training as this increases uptake and results.
For more information on supplements for children or young teens contact Athletic Institute –athleticinstitute.com.au