Document text
Fuel young athletes with macronutrients By Sharon Johnson Oct 16, 2022 12:30 AM A A I have a 9-year-old grandson. I’ve written about him before — but not lately. His father (Chinese, Filipino) is from Hawaii, and his mother is Norwegian. We refer to him as our “little Hawegian,” although, he’s not so little anymore. Every week during late summer/fall, he has suited up his sturdy, 94-pound body to play football (Saturdays) and baseball (Sundays) with practices scheduled most nights of the week. He is incredibly good at both sports. Bias acknowledged; Jordan is a fourth-grade phenom. As a quarterback, he typically scores two or three touchdowns each game. He has a strong throwing arm in football as well as baseball, demonstrated when he recently pitched three consecutive strikeouts over as many innings. Yup — a phenom. Bias acknowledged, again. My grandson has excellent athletic skills; his challenge has been the weigh-in before every football game. The ritual involves the boys lining up and marching forward onto a battered-looking platform scale usually placed on asphalt behind the bleachers. Their individual weights are dutifully recorded by the volunteering mother of one of the players. The process is protective, of course, because these third/fourth-grade teams sometimes have fairly small kids who could be injured if tackled by a fully suited youth weighing over a hundred pounds. But Jordan is an eater, and the weigh-in — in full football gear, except the helmet — has been a challenge for him. He wants to “run the ball,” so what he eats in order to ensure he can do that has taken on new meaning. His parents, wisely, do not want him obsessing about his food intake, but they are both good cooks and good eaters, so it has been difficult at times. Nana to the rescue. I gifted him the kid’s version of “Eat This, Not That” and stopped stocking my freezer with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. I bought colorful veggies and hummus cups instead. I also called Jordan’s attention (as well as his parents’) to an approach getting a lot of favor with sports teams. It’s referred to as macronutrient eating. Let’s use baseball as an example. First, a little history. I read Babe Ruth used to snag hot dogs from fans during the break in a double-header game. In days gone by, (New York Times, Oct. 9, 2022) “athletes were fueled by pizza, hot dogs and nachos in the clubhouse and all-you-can-chew quantities of bubblegum and sunflower seeds in the dugout.” That is changing. Traditions are being tested, and bubblegum often is sugarless. Several teams have full-time chefs and registered dietitians on staff. Individual players are seeing performance benefits from eating habits that replace a before-game bucket of fried chicken with a peanut butter and almond milkshake. Many teams have “replaced pregame junk food with macronutrient-rich meals; dugout candy with fruit, jerky, KIND Bars.” It’s reported that water and hydration drinks frequently are “tailored to each player’s sodium sweat loss.” Attention to nutrient-dense eating has been a journey. In the process, Jordan has stayed at his game weight, continued to play better at every game and now has an affection for KIND bars. Me, too. Sharon Johnson is a retired educator. Reach her at [email protected]