I recently presented to a class of senior high school students about general nutrition. Of course, my favourite part of presenting to this age group is the Q&A session at the end. You never know what you are going to get asked and you have to be quick on your feet. And when you get a kid in the group who hears you work for a professional sports team they love to ask the supplement questions (egged on by his class mates who all know he takes them!)
STUDENT: What do you think of supplements?
ME: Is this for you or the teams I work with?
STUDENT: Me
ME: And what type of supplements are you talking about?
STUDENT: To make me bigger
ME: OK, how old are you?
STUDENT: 16 years
ME: I work with a Club that has over 200 players in the pre-season and up to 130 players in-season. I am responsible for the nutrition in that Club and ~70% of those athletes are under 18 years old. Our Club policy is NO athlete under the age of 18 years takes supplements. If you are already taking a supplement then you must let the Club know. If you want to take a supplement then you need to get in touch with me. Here’s why:
- ATHLETE SAFETY: We need to keep all our players safe and we can’t guarantee the quality of supplement products that are on the shelves in stores, supermarkets, bought on-line, on the shelves in gyms, or what your uncle gives you for a Christmas present. There are some interesting statistics that up to 80% of supplements sold in this country contain ingredients that aren’t listed on the label. And it’s not because the manufacturer just forgot, it’s likely because they contain illegal substances, or for our contracted players, may contain banned substances that may cause them to test positive. That can lead them to a 4 year sporting ban. We had an incident a few years back of that exact thing happening.
- FOOD FIRST: There is nothing a supplement can do that food can’t. When you are young and growing your body needs to get everything from real food. Supplements are an inferior choice compared to quality food
- HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS MORE IMPORTANT: From a medical point of view supplements aren’t designed for young bodies that are still growing and developing their gut and organ systems. Supplements can place a heavier load on liver, kidneys, and gut compared to the same supplement taken as an adult. We like to keep our young athletes medically safe as well
- $$ Supplements are expensive and many of them are just fads. What is popular this year will be gathering dust next year.
- DON'T BE LAZY: Supplements are often taken by those who are looking for short-cuts or who are lazy and disorganised. Often those athletes are the ones who show the same traits in other areas of their lives. We know our young athletes who work hard in their nutrition are the ones who are committed to working hard in other areas of their lives. No one wants the short-cuts guy on their team. These guys get whittled out over time.
STUDENT: But what about just a protein powder?
ME: Yep…protein powders are a supplement and the same rules apply. Protein powders often contain extra ingredients that might be banned, unsafe, or add poor quality nutrients to the food plan. I had a senior player recently send me details of a protein powder he was given to take and it contained 8 teaspoons of sugar in 1 serve. He wasn’t aware that when the label stated ‘leads to increased weight gain’ that it might help him gain fat mass as well.
Protein is easy to get from your foods alone and there are some great ways to meet your protein requirements from just eating real food. Small ‘hits’ of protein foods, 4-5 times throughout the day, is an easy way to meet your protein requirements. Always remember more protein is not always better. You need combination of all nutrients to support natural growth and development, not just protein.
SIDE NOTE: (Check out our other protein post HERE)
ME: Does that answer your questions?
STUDENT: Yes (mumble). Thank you
And thats how we help you athletes to EAT THRIVE AND PERFORM. Feel free to ask us any questions of if you are needing help with your young athlete’s nutrition. We are happy to help make life easier for you.
