To give your child energy before exercise, feed her a nutritious meal. Skipping meals before a workout may leave your child tired and diminish the effect of her exercise. Avoid serving a meal high in fat or sugar before her workout. Unhealthy foods may cause stomach upset and fatigue during exercise.
Time Frame
Plan to serve your child a meal approximately two to four hours before his workout. This allows adequate time for digestion before he exercises. If you are short on time and his workout is in the morning hours, give him only a small snack up to one hour beforehand. Along with eating before exercise, make sure the child drinks plenty of water to ensure proper hydration during the workout.
Features
Carbohydrates are ideal to serve to children before exercise. Carbohydrates provide the body with energy by allowing the body to store glycogen in muscles. Carbohydrates are digested quickly and the body digests carbohydrates faster than foods high in protein and fat. Protein and fat food choices can be served after exercise to help curb the appetite and allow the body to recover from the workout.
Types
The meal before a workout should be low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates. Examples of good menu options before exercise include a whole-grain bagel with jelly, whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk, fruit salad, pasta with marinara sauce, cut-up vegetables or wheat toast and a banana.
Warning
Avoid serving any new foods before a child is planning to exercise. She may develop a bad reaction to the food and experience gastrointestinal distress during a workout. Also, avoid foods that are gassy before exercise. Foods to steer clear of before a workout include carbonated beverages, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, fast food, chewing gum, chips and candy. Caffeine is a diuretic and should not be consumed before exercise either.
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