Growth is a full time job and there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for energy needs so, as parents, we have to be good at recognising the signs that they’re growing, or are about to. Some are more obvious than others which can leave parents unsure of how much food is either ‘too much’ or ‘not enough.’
Here are some of our key things to look out for:
- Rapid increase in height and shoe size (sometimes you buy new trainers only to find
they’re too small again within weeks). - Increased appetite — your child might seem to be constantly hungry, even right after
a full meal. - Mood changes and irritability — under-fuelling and hormonal changes can affect
mood regulation. - Fatigue and lack of concentration — school, sport and growth all demand energy.
- More injuries — especially shin splints, stress fractures and muscle strains, as bones grow faster than muscles adapt.
- Performance dips — even though effort is high, training and match performance may feel sluggish.
- Clumsiness and poor balance- growth spurts are often accompanied by temporary clumsiness or poorer co-ordination which can also increase risk of injury.
If any of these are familiar, chances are, they need more energy coming in to support both growth and training. The best strategy is to increase portion sizes at meal times and offer seconds. Have plenty of snacks available – they don’t have to always be ultra healthy; biscuits have their place too in an active, growing young athlete’s diet so try not to be too
restrictive or worried about what they are eating.
The biggest risk is them not eating enough.
So, if they’re constantly telling you they’re hungry, or that there’s never any good food in the house! (we hear that a lot!), try to embrace it without any guilt and stand back and enjoy watching them thrive (and grow of their next pair of trainers!).
If you would like to find out more about growth spurts and changing nutrition needs check out our latest book for sports parents.
