This is the need for nutrition for children who are active in sports!

Along with the increasing number of activities that the child does, mothers need to adjust their nutritional needs. Especially when your little one becomes interested in certain types of sports or has participated in sports extracurricular activities at school. For that, let's find out how you can continue to support growth and development by fulfilling nutritional intake for children who are actively moving.

How many nutritional needs for children who are active and like sports?

Source: Dentist Conroe, TX

Children who have a tendency to like sports will usually start doing additional sports activities. For example, they take extracurricular football or ask their parents to take swimming lessons outside of school.

However, mothers need to prioritize good growth and development and the child's learning process. A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine explains that balanced nutrition can ensure that children get the energy or energy associated with the activity itself and the recovery process afterward.

Energy requirements

Based on the 2019 Nutritional Needs Figures (RDA) published by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, children with normal activities are recommended to get as much energy intake per day as:

1-3 years: 1350 kilocalories
4-6 years: 1400 kilocalories
7-9 years: 1650 kilocalories
10-12 years: 2000 kilocalories

Meanwhile, for active children who have a lot of activity or are happy and often do sports, it is recommended that they get more calorie intake, namely:

Man age 6 years: 1800 kcal; 7 years: 1950 kcal; 8 years: 2100 kcal; 9 years: 2275 kcal; 10 years: 2475 kcal
Women age 6 years: 1650 kcal; 7 years: 1775 kcal; 8 years: 1950 kcal; 9 years: 2125 kcal; 10 years: 2300 kcal

Protein requirements

Protein is needed by the body to build and repair muscle. As quoted from the journal Sport Nutrition for Young Athletes, protein can also help maintain glucose levels in the blood when the child's body starts to actively perform strenuous exercises or activities such as during exercise.

One gram of protein can be converted into energy by as much as four kilo calories. Therefore, at every meal, make sure there is at least 10-30% protein from the total energy intake and can be applied from the age of four.

Calcium requirements

Children need a variety of vitamins and minerals. One of the most important types of minerals that should not be missed is calcium. Calcium is needed by children for bone growth and muscle contraction, especially in active children.

The recommended daily intake of calcium for children aged four to eight years who are considered active is 1000 mg / day and 1300 mg / day for those aged nine to 18 years.

Need for iron (iron)

A mineral that is equally important is iron. Iron plays a role in the formation of hemoglobin which will carry oxygen to all body tissues. Additional iron intake also helps support growth, especially in children who like to exercise because it increases muscle mass.

Lack of iron intake is quite common in children who are actively moving or playing sports. This is because the iron content in food is often insufficient.

Therefore, your little one needs to get additional intake of this one mineral, for example from growth milk. Try your little one aged 1 to 10 years to get an iron intake of between 7-10 milligrams per day.

Need for vitamin D.

One of the vitamins that should not be missed by active children is vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed for bone health because it has a role in calcium absorption.

In addition, a 2002 study suggested that vitamin D levels in the body were closely related to performance in physically active individuals. This study also revealed that vitamin D is not only beneficial for the condition of children's bones, but also can increase muscle strength.

The daily vitamin D adequacy rate for children aged 1 to 10 years ranges from 15 micrograms. For children who are active or like to exercise, the need for this vitamin is likely to increase so that additional needs for example from growth milk are needed.

Needs fluids

Every day the body needs adequate fluid intake. However, this need will increase along with the sweat that comes out as a result of the child doing various physical activities such as while exercising.

The 2019 RDA also lists water needs per day according to age. Children aged one to 10 years need water intake ranging from 1150 ml to 1650 ml.

Different in children who are active and like to exercise. After completing activities, children should drink at least 1.5 liters of fluids to restore water levels in the body due to sweating.

To support the nutritional needs of an active child, you can increase your intake, for example with growth milk as previously mentioned. Choose growth milk that has been through a fortification process so that it contains various vitamins and minerals that are good for children's growth and development.

Growth milk can help children meet all the needs that have been described previously. With notes, know the content contained in it. For example, there are dairy products that contain whey protein to meet daily nutritional needs. It would be even better if the milk consumed by children is rich in fiber so that it helps their digestion stay smooth even though they are full of activity.

Various activities and activities, including sports, can provide benefits for children's growth and development. On the other hand, the intake of food and drink must be adjusted for active children. Maintain a child's diet and diet to keep it healthy and balanced. If this is not enough, provide a daily dietary supplement that can help meet energy, protein, calcium, and various other vitamins and minerals.