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Fuelling the 'Picky Eater'- Teen Athlete edition.

Athletes running

You know that you need to fuel your teen athlete but sometimes the "HOW" is the hardest bit.

We hope these tips help you with your start to fuelling your athletes and 'picky eaters'


20-60% of children are reported to be 'picky eaters' by their parents during early years of life. Most outgrow this within the first 2-5 years but for some, the 'picky eating phase' does not go away.




Tips for the 'picky eaters':


  • Get your child involved in Shopping, meal prep, helping cook meals. Studies have shown when kids are involved in the food making process they are more likely to consume the food.


  • Leave out snack plates, during activities, down time etc.


  • Mix familiar well tolerated foods with new foods. Or always have a 'comfort' food option for if new foods are being tried. (add these to snack plates with new options)


  • Liquid calories. Smoothies are a great way to add some colour and fibre into the day. They can also be really good for when appetite is low, as they are easy to consume. Milks, Up&Go etc. are also good for this.


  • Have set structure. Meals and 2-4 snacks at similar times through the days so a routine is established. We are all creatures of habit to some degree.


  • Create a calm, safe environment for them when trying new foods / meal times etc.


  • Sadly most teen athletes wont listen to mum or dad (trust me... i know!) and sometimes they just have to hear this from someone else who isn't mum or dad! (I'm here to help!)


Meal time with family

Many of the teen athletes we see overall are not eating enough to support their energy requirnments. A red flag sign that your child isn't consuming enough is if they come home after school ravenous!

Often we see breakfast as a very small meal (or skipped). Especially for the athletes that are up very early hours of the morning for training sessions.

Your teen athletes body needs appropriate fuel so it can build, grow, repair and recover properly.

An under-fuelled body is more at risk of injury :(



**It is important to note, that not all eating challenges are just 'picky eating' and there are absolutely times where you may need more specialised support for your child ( Eating disorders, AFRID, etc)

If this is the case, please reach out and we can point you in the right direction.



We hope this helped, and as always, if you need any further help fuelling your athletes please reach out. We recommend you follow our Instagram as we often post helpful tips for Teen athletes (and adults) on there. Follow us here


Team JVIA Nutrition.


















Instagram: @jvia_nutrition

 
 
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