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Advice on Feeding an Athletic Child

By Katherine Martinko, Treehugger, 09/24/19, 7:45AM PDT

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Feeding kids can be tricky. Here are some useful tips for feeding all children, regardless of their athletic ability.

Whole foods should always be top priority.

Feeding kids can be a tricky business at the best of times, but what if that kid is also an athlete? Their body is performing physical feats in addition to growing, and good nutrition is a crucial component of that. The problem is, there tends to be a lack of solid nutritional research when it comes to kids.

Brian Timmons, research director of the Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, told Outside Online that this is partly because kids grow so fast (they outgrow their test periods) and partly because it's ethically questionable to use them as test subjects if their eating habits are poor.