Hydration Hydration during the growing years is often a concern for many parents. Children are exposed to soft drinks, juices, iced teas and energy drinks on numerous occasions per day and the ingestion of pure water often takes the back seat. However, water intake during the growing years is of cardinal importance as water is the transporter of nutrients around the body and towards the exercising muscles. In addition to this, the ingestion of soft drinks extracts calcium from the athlete’s bones which might cause muscle cramps and later on osteoporosis at an early age. Not to mention the high sugar content of soft drinks, juices, iced teas and energy drinks not needed by growing athletes. Athletic performance can be affected by when, what and how much an athlete drinks. Fluids assist in temperature regulation and the ingestion of water can assist …show more content…
cut out wholegrain bread, whole wheat cereal, seeds etc. • Avoid all sugary foods and drinks, i.e. soft drinks, fruit juice, drinking yoghurt, chocolates, pastries, donuts, pies etc. as this will cause too much fluctuations in blood glucose levels which might influence your energy and concentration